Advocate Approach
The switch to daily Advocate brings good and bad sides
May 7, 2014
It has slithered into students’ daily school schedules, it has given students the chance to get work done, it has taken away time from students’ classes – it’s Advocate. Of course, making Advocate a daily thing might have raised some controversy at first, but overall it’s the best and worst of both worlds. Advocate is either a big road block in students’ lives or it’s like the holy grail for all procrastinators.
A daily Advocate raises some of its own issues, especially when students are forced into selected classes and can’t really leave at all. This eliminates the chance to get tutoring done with teachers that actually teach the particular class that a student may need help on. It’s like the idea of iChoose Advocate has been completely eradicated for the sake of an everyday Advocate. On top of this, Advocate has eaten up big holes in core classes like history and math. Students that have AP classes or any class for that matter have had their classes shortened to adjust for a class where most people just sit around and have social hour. There are important tests for the core classes at each grade level and those should take top priority in a school day. Everyday Advocate was intended to help AP students and kids struggling with STARR, but this isn’t working on all levels. Some students weren’t placed in their needed classes and they aren’t allowed to leave their Advocate to get the help they need.
Despite its flaws, Advocate has quite a few positive things for students. Everyday Advocate gives students the chance to work independently on homework or projects without many interruptions. This gives students the chance to pass the classes they’re in or get better grades in classes they struggle with. Most every teacher in the school has one computer in their classroom. This gives students without internet access the time they need to finish online projects and assignments. On the down side, usually more than one person needs a computer and that’s a huge part of the problem with Advocate and only getting one day of iChoose. Lastly, having Advocate every day gives students a breather. Even if that’s not what Advocate is for, it’s a stress free zone for students to relax and even read a book if they’d like.
Everyday Advocate deserves praise, but it also needs to be fixed up a bit. It’s like an old car, beautiful when done right. In order to fix the issues, iChoose Advocate should be two to three days of the week so all students can work with the teachers they really need help from. Advocate brings so much help and relief to students in need; a few small changes could alleviate problems and really make the tutorial program successful.
