A high school math teacher solves a problem that adds up to controversy.
You do the math: A teacher's printing cost is over $500 a year. His budget is only $316. What should the teacher do?
Tom Farber, a math instructor at Rancho Bernardo High School in San Diego, decided to sell ad space on his student's quizzes and tests to make up the difference.
"Tough times call for tough actions," Farber says. And the plan worked. The ads, selling for $10 for a quiz, $20 for a chapter test, $30 for a semester final, have already sold out for the semester. The ads, that do not include graphics, only consist of one line of text at the bottom of a page. Local dentist Dr. Stephen Henry paid to have "Brace yourself for a great semester!" at the bottom of one test. Other "ads" are inspirational messages paid for by parents, similar to what appears in yearbooks.
Selling ads in schools is nothing new. These days they appear on buses and gymnasiums. Last year a school in Orlando, Florida sold ad space to McDonald's on their report cards.
On the surface, Farber's solution to his budget problem might seem fairly benign. But psychologist Susan Linn, director of Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood and author of "The Case For Make-Believe: Saving Play in a Commercialized World," told momlogic the practice is far from harmless."We need to draw a line at any kind of commercialism in schools. The purpose of school is to teach logical thinking -- one of the purposes of advertising is to subvert logical thinking."
Lynn says she has no problem with the inspirational messages that appeared on tests, but is critical of any kind of brand advertising. "This is the tiny tip of a really huge iceberg," warns Linn. "by allowing small local business to advertise on tests, it sanctions other kinds of advertising."
But she agrees the math teacher Farber is in a terrible situation. "Our lack of support of public education is a disgrace. But there are other creative solutions to the problem."
Do you think kids should be subjected to advertising in school?
|
previous:
Grandmother from Hell
|
Email6 comments so far | Post a comment now >>
|  |
|||||||||||||||
|
advertisement
|
||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||
 Momlogic wants to give you a break — we'll pamper you with a spa treatment, dinner and babysitting!!
Enter Here |
||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||
|
advertisement
|
