Ramos & Igarashi 1

Problem/Solution Proposal Essay

By: Marisa Igarashi & Kaydee Anne Ramos

Kaydee Anne Ramos & Marisa Igarashi

Yuasa
Expository Writing 2

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04 March, 2016
Equality is the Best Policy
Section One: Background
Ever notice how sports get more attention compared to other extracurricular activities? Or
how athletes seem to be the teachers pet in the classroom? Well like many people, they notice
the inequality amongst student groups on school campuses. This is not a new problem, as it has
been around ever since the beginning of time; one group is always favored over another. At
school, all teachers and the community within and outside of school shows some type of
favoritism. Every student has seen or experienced some type of favoritism. Its usually the more
popular group, such as sports, that gets favored. Students experience it as far back as elementary
school, as that one athletic kid is always looked upon by your peers and teachers. Then when
students get older, it is also seen in high school. Teachers are torn between whether to just give
the star player of the football team a passing grade, even though he is failing, in order for him to
play in the state championship game or to follow the ethics of giving students grades they
actually earn. Athletes are getting cut slack and getting the spotlight while the schools music
programs and math teams are barely even noticed. We see it at our schools, its always there and
it doesnt seem like this type of favoritism will be going away any time soon.

Section Two: Current Situation

But should fault be placed on teachers for showing favoritism? Its in human nature to
react or feel a certain way to a certain person or group of people. We are only human and do
respond differently to different children." (Sylvester). There isnt a specific way to fix this

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problem or eliminate favoritism as it is just a way of nature, but there have been attempts to
decrease and control favoritism in schools. One attempted solution is to provide the same amount
and same type of constructive attention to each student. I try to find something that each student
can be the star at for the class. (Saitz). With favoritism amongst certain students in high school,
especially athletes, they are always put in the spotlight and teachers often focus excessively on
them and their athletic achievements. But providing constructive attention to each student will let
students know that they are doing a good job, but will also let students know that they are part of
the class and known by the teacher.
Another attempted solution is for teachers to push student athletes to have the same drive
and passion they have in sports into their academics (Bondy). Bondy (1991) argues that when a
student plays a sport, the teacher often looks at their athletic strengths rather than their academic
strengths. When a student athlete starts falling behind in class, often teachers will just give them
a passing grade in order to play (Schmidt). This causes teachers to cut some slack for those
students and give them grades they dont actually earn. But when teachers push student athletes
to perform well on tests as they do on the playing field, this allows for those students to earn
grades they actually work for. Having teachers push student athletes this way makes sure that
each student is working equally as hard in the classroom to get a passing grade.

Section Three: Proposed Solution

Favoritism goes way back. The New York Times reports in 1986 that a case of rule
bending was taken to the Federal courtroom. A football players grade was changed from an F to
a C under the teachers protest, therefore taking away the teachers freedom of speech (Schmidt).
Even at Mililani High School, teacher and marching band director Derek Kaapana explains that

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little things such as being recognized on the schools sign can show favoritism. Some athletic
sports get recognized on the sign, but some organizations dont; for example the marching band.
Inequality of students is a big issue in high school that is very overlooked, and not addressing
this issue can lead to a bad overall school experience. It can be inferred that student favoritism
alienates students, creates a caste system, and can cause resentment; that is the consequence of
playing favorites (Linsin). Nevertheless, that doesnt mean teachers and faculty cant show
appreciation towards students who have done a good job. To avert favoritism from snaking into
the classroom and school life, administration and teachers should strive to create a more equal
environment for all students. While equality can be subjected, the issue at hand can easily be
solved if teachers and faculty simply follow the rules and not deviate from the set rules. If the
administration and teachers resist the urge and knuckle down on giving everyone a fair chance
and not bending the rules, students will have equal opportunity. The reason why people let this
practice continue is simply out of human greed. Teachers and administrators want their star
athlete to play so the school can make a name. We can regulate this by having the teachers put
grades in a separate filing system, where grades cant be changed unless there is proof of a
mistake. We can also regulate the rule bending policy by having a complaint box, in which
students can voice their opinions about fairness in the classroom. Clifford Sjoergn, the
director of admissions at the University of Michigan and the chairman of the academic
testing and requirements committee of the N.C.A.A. states, To suggest that a university bend

the rules and keep an athlete enrolled merely because it will make a better postman of him is
irresponsible (Schmidt).
A survey was conducted where 13 students were asked questions regarding favoritism
amongst students at Mililani High School. 100% of those surveyed said that teachers,

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administration and staff show favoritism to certain students and 100% of those surveyed think
that Mililani High School does not treat all students equally. 55.6% of those surveyed also said
that there is not an equal opportunity for amongst clubs and sports. Amongst those surveyed most
of them said that group that gets showed the most favoritism are the athletes.Many of the reasons
for favoritism they were put by surveyors were that athletes are more popular, the impact of
athletics and it bringing money and fame to the school, and the fact that athletes get grade
exceptions from teachers. The school and especially the adults of the school shouldn't see the
athletes as something greater than what it actually is, as it takes away attention from other groups
and students.
To show equality, one way can simply be to give equal funding opportunities to all clubs
and sports. A big problem, especially here at Mililani High School, is that not all sports and clubs
have enough money to succeed and need to spend extra time doing extra fundraisers to get
money that could easily be provided by the school. As previously stated, equality is subjective
and to give all clubs and sports the same amount of money is ironically not fair. Equal funding
opportunity is to give an amount that is necessary for the sport/club and not giving more than is
truly needed. For example, the cheer team needs more money than the anime club due to the fact
that cheerleaders need uniforms, transportation, etc.. Distribution of money can be controlled by
looking at previous expenses of all clubs and sports and adjust accordingly.
I became a little bitter toward those athletes who had it all while art classes were cut,
and dancers or drama students who had rehearsals late into the night were still expected to
perform academically (McMurray). All clubs and sports related to school need to be given fair
opportunities to facilities. Its common sense that the basketball team needs the gym and the
football team needs the football field, but its also common sense for the volleyball team to use

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the gym and the marching band to use the football field. Sports are seasonal, therefore making
access to facilities much easier as sports rotate seasons, but, some schools also share the facilities
on campus with community members further complicating facility usage. Mililani High School
is no exception. The community club basketball uses the gym on Sunday evenings. Because of
this, the MHS winterguard and winterline have to practice late into the night as we are the last
on the list for the gym. Not only does all clubs and sports need equal opportunity, but school
related sports and clubs need to be taken care of first. The school needs to take care of
themselves first before taking care of others.
Our solution is easy and feasible and ensures student equality. We ask that administrators
set up basic rules for all students and teachers to follow, such as having a set grade point average
in order to participate in school activities, to make students more equal. Teachers need to admit
having classroom favorites and give their attention equally to all students and to not teeter away
from the rules that are set by the administration. No rule bending. We also propose to have
funding disbursed accordingly throughout the school, give equal rights to things such as school
facilities, and to put the school first. The groups of people that would be involved are the school
faculty and administrators, students, and the community. Our solution can be made possible if
the administration and faculty can pull themselves together, follow the set rules, and put their
emotions and ego aside.
Section Four: Address Possible Objections
No proposal will be perfect, and the biggest problem with our solution is time and money.
There are a lot of sports and clubs that want access to places like the gym and the cafeteria and
there is not enough time in the day to have everyone on a schedule that doesnt include late night
meetings. There are already sports that are practicing at unconventional times at impractical

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places, and we wont be able to make everyone happy. Since the school will be putting itself
first, we might disappoint the community as they might not be able to use the schools facilities
anymore. Some sports and clubs might also have a hard time adjusting to having less funding.
Even though all sports and clubs are only going to get what they need and maybe then some,
certain groups might have to budget and adjust their spending. However, I dont think this should
be a huge issue as clubs and sports are getting what they need. If everyone is happy and getting
equal opportunities, then I dont see why we shouldnt work a little harder.
Section Five: Call to Action
Favoritism at school will always be an issue on campuses; it is simply human nature that
causes favoritism. But with this proposed solution, favoritism can have a smaller impact on
school campuses. Maybe teachers will be stricter on athletes on keeping up their grades, or music
and art programs will be given equal funding and facilities that are necessary to succeed. With
this solution, it will allow the limelight to shine on not only sports but all clubs at Mililani High
School. Without giving each group of students in sports and clubs equal access to facilities,
necessary funding and overall appreciation, favoritism will remain as the huge issue it is now.
People shouldnt look at sports when they think how great a school is. Schools should be looked
at from every angle; from sports to music to arts to after school clubs. Because the school
community as a whole is what makes a school great.

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Annotated Bibliography:
"Brief Setback for College Gladiators." The New York Times. The New York Times, 18 Feb.
1986. Web. 11 Mar. 2016.
This article explains the problems teachers go through when dealing with a student
athlete that doesnt perform well in the classroom. The article tells the story of how a teacher
refused to change the failing grades of five of her students, who were also athletes. This teacher
protested against favortism and changing the students grades which caused her to be dismissed
from the University. This article stresses the problem with student athletes not working equally
as hard in the classroom as they do in their sports.
Bondy, Filip. "Graduation: A Star's Difficult Passage." The New York Times. The New York
Times, 24 June 1991. Web. 11 Mar. 2016.

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Filip Bondy explains the story of how a high school basketball player struggles to balance
his athletic talents with academics. This article explains how this student played impressively on
the court but fell behind in his school work; causing teachers to treat him differently from other
students. This athlete recieved grades that he didnt actually earn and teachers gave him passing
grades when he was actually failing just so he could play during season. The article continues
with how teachers had to push him to perform in the classroom just as well as he preformed on
the court in order for him to get a passing grade; a grade he actually earned.
Kaapana, Derek. Personal Interview. 13 Mar. 2016.
Kaapana states how he has personally seen favoritism at MHS. Kaapana is the MHS
marching band director and band teacher. He goes to talk about small things that we can do to
prevent favoritism from happening in the school.
Linsin, Michael. "Why Playing Favorites Is Bad For Classroom Management." Smart
Classroom

Management. N.p., 29 Oct. 2011. Web. 04 Mar. 2016.

This article is mainly about favoritism in an elementary school setting. The author
talks about how a few lucky students are given the privilege of become favorites and are
allowed to do things like help out around the classroom. Favorite students also get
different reactions from teachers than the unlucky ones, such as a warm smile compared
to half a glance. This article also lists reasons why one shouldnt have favorites and talks
about how playing favorites can lead to a caste system and things like that.
McMurray, Morgan. "Athlete Favoritism 101: A+ For Everyone! - Law Street (TM)."
Law Street (TM). N.p., 23 Oct. 2014. Web. 04 Mar. 2016.
The author comes from a visual and performing arts family and talks about the athlete
favoritism at UNC. She states that you cant compare the skills of a soccer player vs a ballerina,

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and that because of that, there shouldnt be any favorites in the classroom. She goes on to talk
about some of the unfair treatment that athletes get, such as one paragraph essays that are given
the score of an A-.
Schmidt, William E. "BENDING THE RULES FOR STUDENT ATHLETES." The New York
Times. The New York Times, 13 Jan. 1986. Web. 04 Mar. 2016.
This article is about a court case that happened two decades ago. A college professor was
forced to change the grade of an athlete student from an F to a C. The professor said that her
rights were violated and sued. Not only did this happen, but also a football player was allowed to
remain in a remedial course for another year because he scored the winning touchdown in a
football game.
Survey Conducted Amongst Mililani High School Students
A survey was conducted amongst Mililani High School Students regarding the equality of
students at the school. The questions asked were of multiple choice with responses of yes or
no as well as short responses which asked who favortism is showed to, why they think that is
how and how the problem should be addressed. From those surveyed 100% said that the
administration, teacher and staff dont treat students equally and all of them said that students are
not treated equally.
Sylvester, Lisa. "When a Teacher Plays Favorites." CNN. Cable News Network, 27 Sept.
2012. Web. 04 Mar. 2016.
This article explains the problem that all students as well as parents see in the classroom;
teacher playing favorites. Sylvester explains that when students become a victim of teacher
favoritism, it can often be demoralizing to students to not be the recieving side of the

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favortism. She then explains that people shouldnt see that it is all of the teachers fault that
favortism is showed; people just respond differently to other people.

Works Cited
Bondy, Filip. "Graduation: A Star's Difficult Passage." The New York Times. The New York
Times, 24 June 1991. Web. 11 Mar. 2016.
Kaapana Derek. Personal Interview. 13 Mar. 2016.
Linsin, Michael. "Why Playing Favorites Is Bad For Classroom Management." Smart
Classroom

Management. N.p., 29 Oct. 2011. Web. 04 Mar. 2016.

McMurray, Morgan. "Athlete Favoritism 101: A+ For Everyone! - Law Street (TM)."
Law Street (TM). N.p., 23 Oct. 2014. Web. 04 Mar. 2016.
Schmidt, William E. "BENDING THE RULES FOR STUDENT ATHLETES." The New
York

Times. The New York Times, 13 Jan. 1986. Web. 04 Mar. 2016.

Survey Conducted Amongst Mililani High School Students

Sylvester, Lisa. "When a Teacher Plays Favorites." CNN. Cable News Network, 27 Sept.
2012. Web. 04 Mar. 2016.