By Gil Alon
Managing Editor of Opinions
The WISE program at Newton South requires hard work for students to experience its many benefits and is not simply students dropping their classes.
Throughout the school year, many students are burdened with school work and extracurriculars, and even in the summer, many students have jobs and internships. Thus they are often left without significant time to enjoy and explore different hobbies and interests.
WISE allows fourth term seniors to drop some of their classes to complete a project or an internship. Working with teacher mentors and the three teachers who run the WISE program, Marla Weiner, Tonya Londino, and Jennifer Dolan, students receive guidance and contacts to assist them along the way.
The program was meant to broaden the student learning experience during a time when high school is almost over and thus many students begin to neglect their school work.
“It was meant to be a way to think about senior year differently to have a different learning experience, to take charge of your own learning in a different kind of way and to combat senioritis,” said Marla Wiener, one of the teachers at Newton South who run the WISE program.
This unique program hopes to refresh seniors who feel burned out from their three previous years of high school. When the motivation for schoolwork is low WISE provides a boost of energy. However, even though the program offers the opportunity to drop out of classes WISE still requires hard work.
First, students must present a proposal for their project or internship to deans and a committee of teachers to receive approval.
After approval, the students not only have to work on their projects or at their internships but also must complete two readings, write their own blogs and meet with their teacher mentor on a regular basis. With these requirements completed only then can the student be allowed to complete a final presentation. Finishing all these requirements determines if the student fails or passes WISE.
The teachers aid students along the way to ensure that the requirements do get completed on time.
“You can cop out [of WISE], although the advisers are good about not letting that happen. I think most of the time [the work] gets done and the teachers make it happen because if you don’t do work, you fail. You have to prove that you are actually doing something,” said Nick Fabrizio, a senior completing an internship through the WISE program.
The guidance the teachers provide make sure that the students are accountable for their learning. These safety nets that are built into the program ensure that the work gets done when students do not have the motivation to do so. Thus students are held accountable for work while participating in WISE.
Additionally, the hard work of WISE is not only in the set requirements but also learning how to be an independent learner.
“WISE allows kids to have a chance to practice being an independent learner. We say this is your project [or] this is your internship and these are the things you have to do for WISE but we have safety nets on figuring out how you are going to negotiate [your time]” said Wiener.
With no set deadlines other than the final presentation students must learn how to pace themselves to ensure that they complete their projects; however, since most students are completing projects that they choose, they are self-motivated to complete it.
“It’s nice to get to drop your classes but for me, I was doing something I loved and it pushed me even more. I was more dedicated than ever,” said Celia Snyder, a senior completing a photography project through WISE. “WISE is about pursuing a passion…and having an opportunity to drop a class is a pro but it’s not what WISE revolves around.”
The aspect of dropping classes is not the primary focus of WISE but rather an afternote as WISE focuses on taking a risk by pursuing a passion. Spending hours on one task requires discipline and this quality is harder to learn in a classroom. Thus to have that self-discipline for WISE when doing a project can be much harder than completing classroom assignments like students have been for years.
Additionally, Wiener comments that the stigma that students take WISE just to drop classes is not really a factor in WISE.
“We have students who are really struggling with mental health issues and they need WISE as a break,” said Wiener. “Most of the students take it seriously and there are some who use it to get out of a class, but they are required to do certain learning that goes on with WISE. You can’t just come to WISE and do whatever.”
WISE is not “no learning” but rather a different method of learning. For students who struggle with mental health issues, working at their own pace can provide the flexibility they need. For students who feel burnt out, WISE offers a refreshing change of pace.
These students need the program to have this opportunity, as students simply do not have the time to complete these extensive projects and internships on top of school. Additionally, the contacts that the WISE program offers makes it possible for students to get in touch with the correct people.
“Ms. Wiener was very helpful. She basically organized the whole thing. [WISE] wouldn’t run without her. She contacted Nancy Mendez who is the president of the division there and organized it all,” said Fabrizio, “I couldn’t have done it without her.”
