Zero Tolerance Policies
Zero tolerance policy is a law that was created initially to deter any weapons from being brought to school. The policy's main aim was to eliminate any conduct not desired by imposing severe punishment when the stated rules got broken by students — initially, the zero-tolerance policy aimed at doing away with any weapons in the school premises. The system afterward extended to eliminating both legal and illegal medication. The zero-tolerance policy to an extent interferes with the students' rights when the school administration decides to search the student's body (Koone, 2016). This searching act violates the fourth amendment right of the student hence not respecting their privacy.
However, in some cases, the school may not violate any student's right when enforcing the zero-tolerance policy. A good example is when a minor has contraceptive pills. The school ought to confiscate them and also treat the matter with utmost privacy so as not to violate the fourth amendment (Koone, 2016). To some extent, the court may place no meaningful constitutional limit on policies regarding the constitution, but again when conventional wisdom comes to play, the zero-tolerance policies and treatment on students that is deemed harsh can get struck down by the court. Zero tolerance policies interfere with the students' rights when not conducted properly.
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No-Zero Policy
Most teachers tend to award zeros to students that turn in their work late. Students should not get awarded zeros, but instead, their grades should be incomplete so as they get forced to complete the given assignment (Walker, 2016). There are various reasons why awarding zeros to students is not appropriate. When a student gets awarded a zero, his or her performance does not reflect accurately. The zero shows that the work was not completed but does not indicate the strength and weakness of the student in a particular subject.
Also, when an instructor decides to award a mark instead of a zero, it acts as a motivation for some students to not give up and keep pushing on. The lack of motivation in most cases is as a result of some students going through various problems at home making the keep struggling to complete assignments (Walker, 2016). Assigning of grades is good since it helps a student to gauge their areas of strength and weakness. The implication of beyond assigning categories is that a student's academic achievement should get differentiated from their attitude and behavior by the tutors.
Virtual Schooling
Virtual schooling is the process of learning most or all of your courses in an online school. Initially, they started as correspondence courses have incorporated advanced technology in the online delivery systems and can provide educational opportunities regardless of the distance. Virtual school is an exciting idea though in my opinion, the children should attend the public school first mostly during the early age before opting for them (Barbour, 2015). The reason behind this statement is that the kids will get to first interact with the people at a personal level and get to play with stones and grass instead of learning to use smartphones at a tender age. Young kids need to have an environment that is not continuously distracted. Kids need to learn to focus first since a virtual environment is an embodiment of distraction and can make a child get lost easily.
There are various advantages and disadvantages of learning in a virtual school. One advantage is that virtual school is very flexible. The flexibility of virtual schools allows the students to study at their own pace considering their busy schedules. Also, there is no going to class since a student can learn from home (Barbour, 2015). Additionally, virtual school students do not have to pay for rooms or boards; hence its cost is less compared to other schools. Virtual schooling disadvantages include students who do not get to have a social life and a day to day interaction with other students as compared to campus life. Also, students must have an internet connection with a personal computer for them to learn. Lastly, for course works to get completed, students need the self-discipline to meet deadlines.
21st Century Skills
The 21st-century classroom skills are based on four key areas that are collaborating as a team, being creative and imaginative, and the ability to think critically and solve problems. In an educational setting, my personal experience with 21st-century skill is that they provide a successful learning framework in class hence making the students keep learning and thrive in the outside world where changes are always constant. The 21st-century skills are slowly getting embraced and integrated into the classroom setup. The skills are essential in ensuring that the students succeed in their future careers (Makuma, 2016). The schools that embrace the 21st-century skills, for example, use an option known as ‘Edmodo' an innovative technique that intermarries it with the conventional teaching methods. This technique promotes a positive and constructive language through the interaction of students on social media forums where they discuss assignments and school projects.
In my own experience, 21st-century skills are proving to be essential in the nurturing and growth process of students. The skills offer an opportunity for students to think critically, solve problems and also become more imaginative and creative when tackling new activities.
References
Barbour. MK, (2015) Real-time virtual teaching: Lessons learned from a case study in a rural school
Koonce, G. L. (Ed.). (2018). Taking sides: clashing views on educational issues expanded (19th Ed.). Maryland: McGraw Hill Publishers.
Makuma. TS, (2016) Embracing the 21st Century Skills to Enhance the University Teaching & Learning Environment
Walker, T. (2016) Teachers divided over controversial ‘No-Zero’ grading policy. National education association.
