This Unit, 1857, in our Humanities class Argument, we studied the US Constitution and learned about the aspects of an argument that can make it sound or unsound and how to make sure our own arguments are free of contradiction. Specifically, we researched and analyzed the 1857 Supreme Court case of Dredd Scott, famous for setting a precedent that allowed slave masters to move slaves across borders into free states without setting them free. In this Action Project (AP), we had to go through our own Code of Conduct for school and find a rule that we would like to amend. In this AP, I explain the contradictions our school tardy policy has, and offer an alternate rule to replace it. This is quite similar, of course on a smaller scale, to what the founding fathers had to do to convince every state to sign the Constitution, which led to the Bill of Rights. As my dream is to become a civil rights lawyer, I believe this AP will help me learn to convince people of my arguments and identify contradictions in the future. Thank you for reading.
Tardy Policy:
It is our intention to honor those who arrive on time for the shared learning experience. When each class begins, any tardy student is expected to wait outside of the door of the classroom until the instructor welcomes him/her into the classroom. The tardy will have an impact on the student’s grade (see syllabus).
Explanation:
This rule outlines the policy for when students arrive late to class. They are asked to wait outside of the classroom by the teacher, then let into class when there is a break or pause in teaching so that they do not interrupt the lesson. An Accountability Point is also deducted from the student’s grade.
Syllogism:
P1: Students who come on time to class deserve to have an uninterrupted class.
P2: Students who come late to class are a distraction.
P3: Having students who come late wait outside prevents a large interruption.
C: Therefore, students who come late should wait outside the classroom.
Reasons to Amend:
Since this policy has been in place since the middle of last year, people coming to class late have only caused more distraction, not because they are late, but because of this rule. Instead of just quickly coming in and taking a seat, they have to knock on the door or stick their head in to let the teacher know that they are late. The teacher then has to interrupt the lesson to ask them to wait outside, then again later, to let them know when they can come into the room. It is also a basic contradiction that, as punishment for missing class, people are asked to stay outside and miss even more. There are also many unpredictable reasons why someone may be late. A large majority of students at GCE use the CTA (Chicago Transit Authority) to commute to school, which is often delayed or canceled for weather or issues with the buses or trains. There is no reason why a student should be punished for what was completely out of their hands.
Amendment:
When each class begins, any tardy student is expected to enter the classroom quickly and as quietly as possible without any disruption. The tardy will have an impact on the student’s grade (see syllabus).
Syllogism:
P1: Students who come on time to class deserve to have an uninterrupted class.
P2: Asking students to wait outside cause a large distraction.
P3: Students should still have an incentive to arrive on time.
C: Students will lose an accountability point for arriving late, but will not wait outside the classroom.
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| I am Waiting, CCO Public Domain (unknown) |
Tardy Policy:
It is our intention to honor those who arrive on time for the shared learning experience. When each class begins, any tardy student is expected to wait outside of the door of the classroom until the instructor welcomes him/her into the classroom. The tardy will have an impact on the student’s grade (see syllabus).
Explanation:
This rule outlines the policy for when students arrive late to class. They are asked to wait outside of the classroom by the teacher, then let into class when there is a break or pause in teaching so that they do not interrupt the lesson. An Accountability Point is also deducted from the student’s grade.
Syllogism:
P1: Students who come on time to class deserve to have an uninterrupted class.
P2: Students who come late to class are a distraction.
P3: Having students who come late wait outside prevents a large interruption.
C: Therefore, students who come late should wait outside the classroom.
Reasons to Amend:
Since this policy has been in place since the middle of last year, people coming to class late have only caused more distraction, not because they are late, but because of this rule. Instead of just quickly coming in and taking a seat, they have to knock on the door or stick their head in to let the teacher know that they are late. The teacher then has to interrupt the lesson to ask them to wait outside, then again later, to let them know when they can come into the room. It is also a basic contradiction that, as punishment for missing class, people are asked to stay outside and miss even more. There are also many unpredictable reasons why someone may be late. A large majority of students at GCE use the CTA (Chicago Transit Authority) to commute to school, which is often delayed or canceled for weather or issues with the buses or trains. There is no reason why a student should be punished for what was completely out of their hands.
The Contradiction within the Code of Conduct:
The purpose of this rule is to attempt to fix the issue of the distraction that students who arrive late to a class cause. The issue with this is, in punishing those who miss class, they are simply asked to miss more class. This doesn’t make sense and is a contradiction. If the goal is for students to get the most amount of class time, why would we ask them to wait outside of the classroom when they are late?
Amendment:
When each class begins, any tardy student is expected to enter the classroom quickly and as quietly as possible without any disruption. The tardy will have an impact on the student’s grade (see syllabus).
Syllogism:
P1: Students who come on time to class deserve to have an uninterrupted class.
P2: Asking students to wait outside cause a large distraction.
P3: Students should still have an incentive to arrive on time.
C: Students will lose an accountability point for arriving late, but will not wait outside the classroom.
Quote supporting the Amendment: “I agree with this amendment that the tardy policy should be removed from the Code of Conduct because not only does it distract students while they’re learning, but it also takes away from knowledge that a student could be gaining while they’re waiting to enter the class.” -KM
Co-signer: KM
Co-signer: KM
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