WHEN THE BELL RINGS ... {TUNE IN TO EDUCATION} (TV)
Summary
This television news special focuses on the social and academic problems facing teenagers, focusing on three specific North Carolina high schools. Host Pam Saulsby explains that North Carolina has tested badly on student performance as of late, and in Wendell, Andy Ebert travels to school with his sister Emily, having skipped the previous day, and explains the process of evading trouble with a parent note. He reveals that he is currently in trouble because of a prank and admits that he is not motivated to strive for higher grades. In Hillsborough, senior Kelly Rorie participates in a vocational class in which he helps to construct a new school building, explaining that he had difficulty in lecture-based lessons, and several teachers comment on the need for alternative education. In Fayetteville, senior Roddy Williams does well in his classes, supported by his parents, but the principal notes that it is the struggling students who need the attention. Other students discuss receiving a "multicultural education," attempting to break down the barriers of race, and they watch the Civil War film "Glory" (1989). They observe that feelings of loneliness and ostracization cause some teens to seek attention in harmful ways, including violent acts, noting that only negative stories about their school make the news, thus giving them an unfairly dismal public image.
The principal explains the school's strict policies about violence, and Williams takes part in a mediation in which he and another student help their classmates with conflict resolution. Another issue is teen pregnancy; one girl talks about her young child while the school nurse comments on the unusually large number of pregnant girls within the school. Dr. Sharon Van Horn talks about attempting to promote abstinence, though the school also provides assistance for pregnant girls to stay in school and remain healthy, also urging them not to repeat their mistakes. Many students maintain jobs as well as a full-time school career in order to afford cars and other expensive purchases, and the principal criticizes the kids' focus on technology, which he finds distracts them from academics. When asked, the students stress the need for qualified teachers, noting their preference for interactive lessons rather than dull lectures, and one teacher displays her "hands-on" methods of teaching math, pointing out that the students enjoy learning in groups and can retain the information more thoroughly through such methods. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: WRAL (Raleigh, NC)
- DATE: March 4, 1993
- RUNNING TIME: 1:00:00
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:49377
- GENRE: Specials
- SUBJECT HEADING: Specials; Teenagers; High school
- SERIES RUN: TV - WRAL, 1993
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Susan Dahlin … Producer
- David Creech … Field Producer
- Pam Saulsby … Host
- Andy Ebert
- Emily Ebert
- Kelly Rorie
- Sharon Van Horn
- Roddy Williams