Hailey Siegrist

Staff Writer

@Hailey_Siegrist

When guest speakers come to our classes, they are expected to be giving appropriate lectures. Sometimes, however, these guests offer insight regarding items not relating to our specific class.

There has been times where all grade levels go to the lecture hall to hear about the Invisible Children charity. It has little to do with what we learn in class. Kids come around with jars for money, but most of the time they do not even know where that money is going.

If it does not have anything to do with a class that we are in, then we should not have to go listen to the speaker. It takes away the precious 52 minutes we have to do our work, so in return, we have more homework.

I have been to a class where it has wasted my time and I had no idea why I was even there. I take a science class and one day the classroom door it had a sign that told our class to go to the lecture hall. When I got there, I realized this was a lecture about how to become a vegetarian and why we should all try to be one.

As soon as we all took our seats my teacher said “I know that this has nothing to do with our class but I thought you guys might want to learn about this.” Then, a speaker promoting animal protection showed us pictures of what it was like to be locked up in a cage. At the end of the slideshow, he presented us with alternative vegan foods to eat.

I felt that he was trying to make us feel guilty about eating meat. I do feel bad for the animals but you cannot tell someone how they should choose to live their lives. Also he handed us a pamphlet about his lecture at the end of his presentation, giving us more information about what happens to the animals.

It is OK for people to be vegetarian and I have friends who are, but I do not feel like it was right for me to be listening to something that was trying to persuade me into There are lectures that I do like, if they have a real meaning to our everyday lives, or if it has to do with the class. The ones that have real something that I do not want.

The guest speaker did put on an informative presentation. It just had nothing to do with me and I felt weird being in there. I do not like to feel like I am being forced into situations like that.

After talking to my teacher, she told me that her other classes were learning about the environment and animals. “I did not want to leave my [other] class out. This lecture was for anyone who wanted to listen, I did not want to get a sub and make my class do an assignment,” she said.

I do not think our guest speaker meant it in a bad way, as he was just trying to make us realize what really goes on behind the food. I get that if you are passionate about something and want to share your interests, but you should not make it to where students are feeling forced to do what information you are telling them.

“It was not my intention to make students feel this way,” my teacher said. “I just think it is something that all students should be aware about, such as foods they are eating.”

It was just not suited for my science class. No relevance was made to our subject.

meaning are the kinds that remind us to stay away from drugs and emphasize relevant teen issues like the Shattered Dreams program does. Those are everyday struggles for us and people