by Taylor Throwe Opinions Editor _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Bringing guest speakers into the classroom gives students the unique opportunity to ask questions and experience a more comprehensive approach to the material they have been learning. It helps the students apply the knowledge they have gained to different contexts while enriching education. This year, Atholton United States Government teacher Mrs. Tache utilized this concept. She has brought two guest speakers to her classes, former journalist of The Baltimore Sun, David Simon as well as Sandra Wilkinson Pohutsky, the director of the major crimes unit for the U.S. Attorneys Office in Baltimore. Mr. Simon is also known as the writer and producer for “The Wire”, an HBO television series which focused on the role of mass media in society during its most recent season. “Mr. Simon has a unique perspective. I’m a huge fan of ‘The Wire’ and he has spoken and written widely about what’s going on in the cities. I brought him in to talk about America’s newsrooms. So many newspapers are shutting down and losing money. He has written extensively on this, so I brought him in to share his expertise,” said Mrs. Tache. Mr. Simon’s lecture fit into the class’s media discussions as he discussed the steady decline of journalism. “He expressed his disdain for so called ‘citizen journalists,’ who use their blogs to report the news, exempt from any standards of professionalism. Also, we talked about the consequences of not having a legitimate journalistic force in America,” said Ethan Simon, Simon’s son and a student in Mrs. Tache’s Government AP class. Mrs. Tache has been bringing speakers to the classroom throughout her career. Usually, she finds speakers when she discovers that her students’ parents have interesting jobs which are relevant to the curriculum. Bringing in a professional who has had firsthand experience is beneficial to the students and can sometimes broaden their mindset. “Mrs. Kelly’s son was in the Peace Corps and afterwards studied international development. After the AP kids finished their exam, I had him come in last year and talk about international development and globalization,” said Mrs. Tache. “It was interesting because I had the kids study the Millennium Development goals. He came in and said, ‘Oh, I think they’re awful.’ He had such a different point of view, but he opened up my eyes to things.” Mrs. Pohutsky was brought in to inform the government students of the roles of the prosecutor and the defense. She also discussed what it is like to run a wire on someone as well as what the courts need for search warrants. “Mrs. Pohutsky is a great speaker. She has stories that make things like the exclusionary rule come alive,” said Mrs. Tache. “Some classes have questions when it comes to criminal law, and I can’t answer all of those because I’m not a lawyer. I wanted to bring her in to address some of those questions.” The students have had positive reactions to the speakers this year and most have been greatly affected by their powerful discussions. “David Simon’s lecture was realistic in a way that many people are never exposed to, certainly not many high school students. I wouldn’t say it was fatalistic, but it wasn’t like the normally ignorant approach society has with regard to the future of its own institutions,” said Junior Ben Gramling, who attended one of the lectures. “It was easy to see that people were troubled by his predictions. He focused mainly on the future of newspapers, but it was clear that he places little faith in the ability of humans to resist their own greed for the betterment of society and the future.” Mrs. Tache’s speakers provide an enlightening experience for the students. Some people might hold negative connotations of police and lawyers, but bringing in personable speakers like Ms. Pohutsky disproves those common misconceptions. “She’s a great example that you don’t have to be some stodgy guy in a suit who has his nose in a book all the time,” said Mrs. Tache. |