Recently, students and teachers have been saying that some of the school’s textbooks and novels are in bad shape and are becoming outdated. They give their opinions on said books, why news books should be bought and try to get rules on books established.
In the ninth grade, the books that are beginning to have some physical discrepancies are the 1994 editions of To Kill A Mockingbird.
“They’re just too damaged, the binding are all falling apart,” ninth grade student Nick Bryan said.
Also, some of the ninth grade civics books are beginning to have physical damage and outdated material. Ninth grade civics teachers John Chesney and Jeff Shultz also believe that the books need to be updated.
“I think the information is outdated,” Chesney said.
“There could be updated information on leaders and political strategies,” Shultz said.
The books are 13 years old and are missing new information about the government. An example is the fact that there are now 15 executive departments, the books are missing the Department of Homeland Security, which was established in 2002, two years after the books were published. Also, the books use pictures of representatives, senators and others legislators and judiciaries from the early to late 1990’s, some who no longer serve.
Even though the information may be outdated, some have complained that the book is physically outdated. This includes torn pages, writing through the books, loose bindings and cover damages. Chesney and Shultz agreed that the school should enact stricter rules on the textbooks so they can last as long as possible.
“We are getting new books next year for civics,” Shultz said.
Textbooks and technology such as a computers help the learning process and make it easier for students to use their books. Many of the new books the school buys have online access to the book, Chesney and Shultz think this expenditure of money is worth it.
“(Spending money on books is worth it) especially when it comes to technology linked to the text,” Shultz said.
“We are getting new books next year for civics,” Shultz said.
When an eighth grade student was asked, Nate Adams talked about the textbooks used in the Technology Education (Tech. Ed.) classes. In agreement with Adams was eighth grade student Brandon Imler.
“The pages are missing and people have written all through the books,” Adams said.
“They’re old, really old, and they’re worn out,” Imler said.
“(This year,)Eighth grade English teacher received new literature books,” literacy coach and English teacher Keri Harrington said.
In addition, the seventh grade English books are supposedly old or outdated as well. Although the curriculum of the books are okay according to seventh grader Haley Patterson, the physical damage is noticeable.
“There’s ripped out pages, and there’s writing all through them,” Patterson said.
“We are getting books in seventh grade for all English students and they are grammar books and they come with an online component. Also, ninth grade students will have new vocabulary books next year,” Harrington said.
