The Cardinal Times Spring 2021 Issue

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PAGE 4 • The Cardinal Times, SPRING, 2021 FEATURESPolitics: Can it be avoided in classrooms?By JADEN SCHIFFHAUERHow are political influences involved or avoided in classrooms?Graphic by HOLDEN KILBANESince the beginning of 2021 alone, numerouscurrent events, political discoursesand controversial ideologies have come tothe forefront of the American public’s discussions.As a result of such a culture, studentsand teachers have begun to grapplewith classroom conversations dealing withthese issues.Despite the immediacy of these dialogues,actually holding them can be a difficulttask to navigate. Rules such as thosecontained within Oregon law ORS 260.432provide regulation, preventing teachers andother public employees from “[promoting]In early February, the safe park programwas proposed by City Commissioner DanRyan, who oversees Portland’s Housing Bureau,the Joint Office of Homeless Servicesand the Bureau of Development Services.“The idea is that [the safe park program]would be so that people who live in theirvehicles could park somewhere safe and beable to have access to the basic amenities...basic things that we take for granted,” saysYesenia Carrillo, who is in charge of ConstituentRelations for Ryan as well as beingRyan’s Policy and Communications Advisor.According to Portland city officials, theparking lots would have access to servicesthat the houseless community can utilize tomove towards more stable housing in thefuture.“[There would be] a bit of support tohelp people identify where they could getservices that might help them get back intoan apartment,” says Marc Jolin, Director ofthe Joint Office of Homeless Services, “andthen there are other ‘safe park programs’that are a little more intensively supported.For folks who are sort of maybe longer termliving in their vehicles, maybe they’re livingin an RV, and then they have more barriersto getting off of the streets.”or [opposing] any political committee or[promoting] or [opposing] the nominationor election of a candidate, the gathering ofsignatures on an initiative, referendum orrecall petition, the adoption of a measure orthe recall of a public office holder while onthe job during working hours.”Even so, junior Rohan Yamin has foundthat this year has created a greater deal ofthese kinds of conversations.“I have definitely had more politicalbaseddiscussions this year over previousyears,” says Yamin. “Starting with the BlackLives Matter protests, most teachers haveA similar safe park program is currentlyused in other major cities such as Los Angeles,CA. And according to the Safe ParkLA web, after just five years in operation,approximately 25% of the houseless populationin LA are now staying in city-protectedsafe parking lots.While this idea may be a new considerationfor Portland’s city officials, it has beenpresent in the community for a long time.“The idea is definitely something thatmany of our community partners have beenthinking about and advocating for, but [thesafe park program] was not something thatthe government agents have pursued,” saysCarrillo. “This has been an idea that’s beenamongst the community for a long time.”The same concept is currently used withinfaith-based organizations. The PortlandZoning Code under section 33.920.470.Ballows for three vehicles to be parked in areligious institution’s parking lot per nightas long as they have access to sanitary facilities.“There have been partnerships in thepast with different faith based organizationswho wanted to make their parkinglots available for people who are living intheir vehicles,” says Carillo.While a safe park program has yet to beacknowledged and offered a space to talkabout the current political climate.”Some teachers feel that the weight ofhaving conversations about politics andcurrent events falls more upon some thanothers.Political Economy and History teacherDr. Rion Roberts notes that the bulk ofthese discussions often occur within certainclasses.“Not all teachers have the ability to engagein that, because they don’t have thetraining in social science analysis,” he says.“Language arts teachers have it a littlerough, math teachers avoid the conversationtotally, so disproportionately we endup getting stuck in social sciences as beingthe place where we talk about politics.”Social Sciences teacher and soccer coachSam Roberson agrees that such discussionsare common within the classes that heteaches.“In Political Economics we spend the firstfull semester talking about nothing otherthan politics,” he says. “It’s a daily conversationfor us… In addition to planned dailydiscussions, I start every class with a chancefor student check in…. During the first severalminutes of class students can bring up,talk about, or ask questions about anythingthat’s going on in the news or their world.Much of the time it’s about breaking newsor controversial topics.”Some teachers outside of Social Sciences,such as Amanda Elliott who teachesEnglish and Theory of Knowledge (TOK),notes that similar conversations sometimestake place in her classes too.“I had a couple of classes after the Jan. 6events, for example, or the election whereI asked if we needed to talk or if we shouldimplemented in Portland, the city is currentlytaking proposals for additional formsof alternate housing that can be incorporatedinto the Portland plan.“Once we see those proposals, we’ll havea better idea of both what type of safe parkwe’re going to be offering, and what thescale of that safe park will be,” says Jolin.Portland has implemented other outdoorhousing solutions during the COVID-19pandemic that provide a tent, bed, sleepingbag and other hygienic amenities to accommodatecrowded shelters. According to theOregonian, one focuses on the LGBTQ+community, one on people of color and anotherthat is for everyone, but prioritizesolder folks. City officials say safe park is asimilar, less expensive alternative.“One of the advantages of the safe parkprograms over any other shelter strategiesthat we have is that folks have their vehiclesso we’re not having to invest in sleepingstructures or shelter beds,” says Jolin. “It’sless expensive, especially in the short-termmodel of providing some support to folks.”Jolin says another potential benefit to thesafe park program is its ability to accommodatethose who are chronically homeless,or those who aren’t looking for shelteror permanent housing. This may be due tojust get on with things,” she says. “Most studentsjust want to get started, but in TOK,we have groups studying political RLS [reallife situations], so we’ll have discussionsthere. Some students are looking at vaccinations,masks, the Jan. 6 events, and theWhite House Columbus Day press release.”Students at Lincoln have come to understandsuch conversations, with both teacherand student participants, as a commonpart of their educations. Junior TuckerBowerfind has experienced many politicaldialogues within the classroom.“I have found that, in general, these typesof discussions have been relatively commonin both in-person and in virtual classes,”he said. “I find that these sorts of discussionstend to happen the most in classesthat make space for check-ins and whatnot,where a student will mention some currentevent having to do with politics. Teachersare almost always willing to engage withimportant topics that are raised to somelevel.”Students such as Bowerfind have foundthat teachers will tend to limit how theyspeak about their own beliefs.“Most teachers are careful about whatthey choose to say in class about politicalissues, but I definitely have had experienceswith teachers voicing strong opinionson matters that they care about,” he says.“Even if they don’t say what their beliefs areoutright, I think it’s impossible for them tocompletely keep their personal biases relatingto politics out of their teaching or justconversations.”Continued on Cardinaltimes.orgNew safe park program could help Portland’s houselessBy HADLEY STEELEhaving a bad experience at a shelter, wantingto stay with their pet or worries aboutbeing separated from their partner.“You’re still going to find folks who arecamping— when you talk to them aboutshelter, their initial reaction is going to be[that they] don’t really want to go. We tryvery hard to help them understand what’sdifferent about shelter now, and that mightbe a better fit than they think. And then wealso just recognize that we need to keepworking on different strategies that mightbe better,” says Jolin.Advocates say everyone living as a houselessperson has a different experience andmay need a different path to permanenthousing. City officials say Portland is workingto accommodate these differences inneeds, and the safe park program may be astep in that direction.“It can be dangerous to be sleeping unsheltered.We want to be able to offer peoplesome basic safety and stability thatallows them to both be safe tonight,” saysJolin. “But to have that sense of support,that allows them to focus on the work theyneed to do to get back into permanenthousing because it takes work.”
FEATURES The Cardinal Times, SPRING, 2021 • PAGE 5Lets Talk Mental Health: Mental health and academicpressureBy GRACIE PIXTONWhether online or in-person, Lincoln’sacademics come with a great deal of pressure.Students have not attended in-personclasses since March of 2020; however,when we were in school, the academicstrain that we were under was apparent.It was not uncommon throughout myhigh school career to walk down a hallwayand see students crying over a grade or panickingover a test. Lincoln students have becomeso desensitized to the academic strainthat they are under that no one even battedan eye when they found themselves, ortheir peers, crippling under the pressure.So let’s talk about it. I think that it is importantto recognize what this hypercompetitiveacademic atmosphere is doing toour health emotionally, mentally and evenphysically.Let’s talk about how academic pressureaffects our emotional health.School environments tend to promotethe idea that a student’s worth is in directcorrelation with their academic standing.This causes students to associate the contentof their character with the letter gradethat they see on the paper. This mindsetcan be extremely detrimental to their emotionalhealth. Pressuring them to excel intheir academic performance by pushingOn ReadingRomanceBy GABBY SHAFFERGabby Shaffer is a junior at Lincoln. Her newcolumn will focus on the Romance Book Club atLincoln, as well as the joy that many people findin romace novels.Photo by GABBY SHAFFERI first began reading romance because ofLincoln librarian Lori Lieberman. She recommendeda book called Again, But Better.I read this without knowing it would sparkmy interest in romance novels.From that point on, I devoured almostanything I could get my hands on.This love of romance novels (the ever-soreliable happy ending, the swoon-worthymoments and everything in-between) hasthemselves far beyond their limits will nothelp them to grow into emotionally matureadults.“This causes students toassociate the content oftheir character with theletter grade that they see ontheir paper.”~ Gracie PixtonSenioronly flourished during the pandemic.Because I enjoy the genre so much, Istarted the Lincoln Romance Book Clubwith the help of Lieberman in early 2020.We wanted to share romance and destigmatizethe genre at the high school level. Iended up absolutely loving the genre andclub, and it’s been one of the best experiencesand decisions I’ve made.The main purpose of this column willbe to discuss various topics relating to the“We wanted to shareromance and destigmatizethe genre at the high schoollevel.”~ Gabby ShafferJuniorromance book world. Many people judgeromance as “trashy” or not as good as othergenres and carefully avoid reading anythingclassified as romance. My hope is tobegin to demonstrate the joy that this genrebrings to so many people.The pieces in this series will includebook recommendations, reviews and mythoughts on the goings-on of the romanceworld.I know that each person has a differenttaste in books. I get that. If I can get oneperson to read a romance novel after readingmy column, I have done my job!Academic pressure also affects our mentalhealth.Stress and school are highly intertwined.There is a lot expected of high school students.I know many who have had to balancesports, a job, IB classes and maintaina social life. This expectation to do it all andto do it all perfectly can lead to a lot of anxietyand stress. According to the Pew ResearchCenter, 70% of teens say that anxietyand depression are major issues in their agegroup in the communities they live in.The intense hypercompetitive naturewithin the Lincoln community can also affectour physical well-being.According to the National Institution ofMental Health, overwhelming amounts oflong term stress can have detrimental physicaleffects on the body. Prolonged stresscan cause damage to the immune, digestive,cardiovascular and sleep systems. Thiscan lead to digestive issues, headaches,sleeplessness, sadness or irritability. Whenstudents are experiencing these negativeside effects of stress, it becomes difficult forthem to do well in school. When it is difficultfor them to do well in school, they becomemore stressed. Do you see the viciouscycle that we have created?Many within the Lincoln communitythat are striving for academic validation.As college admissions continue to becomemore selective and tuition prices continueto rise, students are trying harder in schoolnow more than ever. This creates a toxic Gracie Pixton is a senior at Lincoln. Her newenvironment in which students are trying column will focus on the impacts, support andharder and harder and receiving less and experiences of mental health in our community.less recognition.Photo by CARRIE MINNSTeachers should not be discouraging studentsfrom failing in a classroom setting.should be just as much about developingAs strange as that sounds, failure is whatstudents into emotionally mature adults asleads to the most growth. We need to takeit is about helping them to succeed academically.the pressure of students to succeed at everyacademic challenge they take on. SchoolLooking forward tolife after CovidBy HENRY REULANDThe Coronavirus has taken over our lives for overa year now, so students reflect on the things theyare hopeful to do again soon.Graphic by Holden KilbaneFrom buffets to handshakes, COVID-19has taken away so many aspects of the lifewe all considered normal just 12 monthsago. As vaccines start rolling out to thepublic and the conclusion of the pandemicpossibly seems within reach, it is hardnot to look forward to getting back some ofthe things we lost. Members of the Lincolncommunity are joining in the anticipationof a return to the things we love.For Sophomore Aarav Shah, he will belooking forward to reuniting with his familyacross seas.“I really want to be able to go to India,”said Shah. “Almost all of my family lives inone city there.”With that family over 6,000 miles away,it has been tough to maintain his relationshipsfor the duration of COVID-19.“I feel like I’m losing my bond with them,and I can’t wait to recreate that connectionwhen I finally get to see them,” said Shah.Shah is not the only one patiently awaitingthe opportunity to see family when thepandemic allows it. Travel restrictions andquarantine policies have restricted familyvisits in millions of households. Many arelooking forward to seeing family membersthat they have missed for so long when it issafe to do so. Sophomore Trevor Dix is oneof those people.“My family used to come up from [Corvallis]for Thanksgiving and Christmas andnot having them there has been hard,” saidDix. “Hopefully we can go down and seethem more soon.”Dix is also excited to do more simplethings when the pandemic is under control.“It sounds [basic], but just walking downtownwith a group of friends is something Iam looking forward to,” said Dix.For Dix, visiting local businesses and establishmentsis something he can’t wait todo. Similar to Dix, English teacher BarbaraBrown can’t wait to go and visit some of herfavorite stores.“[I am looking forward] to going to thriftstores again!” said Brown. “I used to go withmy daughters, or my friends, or myself.”Continued on Cardinaltimes.org
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