Madeline Kempf Staff Writer
With the new 8 period schedule, 3 additional minutes were purposely added into second period for students to watch simulcast. Despite these extra given minutes, some teachers are still not showing the announcements. Recently an email has been sent out from the Assistant Principals reminding and requiring teachers to show simulcast.
“Often times, we get priorities different. In second period, we have fifty-three minutes and three minutes of second period is to show the simulcast so our job is to remind teachers to do that. I don’t think they think its not important; I think its just a haste to get a lesson started. So my job is to remind them to do it because its very important information there. Then after several reminders you’ll find that the vast majority will do it because it becomes an expectation and it becomes a ritual that you do it and it won’t become a problem after we build it in to what we do every day,” Assistant Principal Melvin Echard said.
Yet even with the constant reminders, there’s still a select few teachers that deprive their students of what they need to see.
“It doesn’t really surprise me because kids will just come in and for some reason say ‘We’re not allowed to watch simulcast’ or ‘teachers don’t show simulcast’ or ‘we never get to see simulcast’. I hear it all the time; it doesn’t surprise me,” simulcast teacher Cambri Ensminger said.
As teacher of the class, its bothersome to find out that all the effort her students give into it is unrecognized by those teachers who don’t show simulcast. The communication barrier between those who don’t show simulcast and those who’re hopeful to enforce it continue to stay content in the same mindset that they’ve all been in.
“I really wouldn’t say I’m disappointed, but I really just don’t understand why [teachers] wouldn’t. I know there are some with legitimate reasons like their projector doesn’t have a bulb or their sound doesn’t work or whatever the case is hardware-wise, but those that can show it and don’t show it….I’m not really sure why,” Ensminger said.
As she tries to understand why certain teachers refuse to show the news, her students are just as upset, if not more. They’ve also come to realize the lack of effort put in by some for them to see it.
“I’ve asked some kids for feedback like ‘Do you ask your teachers to show it? and if you do, what do they say?’ The last thing I heard was that we don’t have time to show it, even though there are an additional three minutes built into the period just for that. The announcements are three minutes and we have an additional three minutes so it doesn’t really make sense to me why somebody wouldn’t show the announcements,” Ensminger said.
An email has been sent out reminding teachers to show the news but it proves ineffective as those few who never show it continue to ignore simulcast.
“Its kind of like a little slap on the wrists but that’s just about it. I don’t know if there need to be but consequences even if that’s just an email to an individual as opposed to the entire faculty.”
The same students are missing simulcast every day yet nothing has been done for them. As for Ensminger, hope lies in a change of more than an email. The dedication put forth for the students hasn’t gone unaccounted for.
“I really wish that more could be done in terms of enforcing, and i don’t know if enforcing is the word, but just verifying that it happens because it’s not all the teachers and it seems like it’s the same teachers so it doesn’t really make sense to me why it can’t be just individually with that particular teacher as opposed to this mass email. So it’s an email, so then what, the kids still don’t get to see it.”
Kelly H. • Aug 26, 2011 at 2:52 pm
I know last year as a freshman, i hardly ever saw simulcast. I dont think my teacher really planned to not show it, but she should have made more of a point to show it. Especially as freshman we should have watched it, it probably would have made us more aware of things going on at the school, rather than finding out the day before it happened.
T. Dow • Aug 26, 2011 at 2:50 pm
Last year I never knew what clubs were having meetings and what events were going on after school because I missed the simulcast all the time. I would prefer that our first period teacher had to show it right after the announcements on the intercom, or even put the morning announcements on the simulcast. That would force the teachers to show it and no one would be left out of the loop. If everyone one was shown the simulcast Im sure more people would attend more events and there would be more people in all of the different clubs.
Jackson Mankewitz • May 10, 2011 at 6:45 pm
I really hate how my 2nd period teacher doesn’t play it because she claims that she doesn’t have the Johnson folder on her computer. It is her responsibility to show us simulcast so she needs to find how to show it to us, or I am going to have more than just an “issue” with her. It is rediculous because this teacher has been neglecting to do this all year, even though we tell her every week that she needs to do something about this, and my entire class has missed so many announcements this year and it is extremely frustrating.
Jackie NEMETHH • Mar 30, 2011 at 5:37 am
MRS ENSIMNGERR IS FAMOUSSS!!!
Julian • Mar 23, 2011 at 1:18 pm
I agree, my 2nd period teacher rarely shows simulcast. I always find myself reminding them but it never works and they just get annoyed of me, too.
Brooks Scharff • Nov 14, 2010 at 6:05 am
If your teacher isn’t showing Simulcast, you need to kindly remind them why they have 3 minutes added onto their period. If they still refuse, you need to tell your AP or Mr. Echard.
Marlene • Nov 10, 2010 at 8:56 pm
I seen Simulcast maybe twice all year and when people talk about things, I always feel slightly out of the loop. When we were having Red Ribbon Week, I couldn’t dress up on Monday because I didn’t know about it. Same with Homecoming. I didn’t find out about the Homecoming theme until I bought my ticket and I feel like I miss out on opporunities to get involved at Johnson because I never know about them. It is obnoxious.
Emory • Nov 5, 2010 at 7:53 pm
This annoys the heck out of me because I help make simulcast and we put alot of effort in it but it doesn’t get shown. FYI for all of you to know I was the one (with the help of Bridget) who made the Sandwich commercial for Unity Club! 🙂