With all of the hustle and bustle of Niles North, it is easy for a story to fall through the cracks and be forgotten. One urgent tale from room 3015 has managed to be overlooked for several years. The whiteboards in Sarah Stucky’s ninth period economics class fail to erase on a daily basis, which has had a grave effect on the students’ learning.

When I heard about this, I paid the class a visit to see the whiteboard for my own eyes. I had never experienced an issue like this in my three years of high school, so I was interested to see if the rumors were in fact true. When I walked in the door, the students immediately became excited that their dilemma would finally get some well deserved coverage. After a few minutes, I saw first hand that the whiteboards barely erased at all. 

The economics course, a college level class, is complex enough without students having to worry about reading what the board says. The class utilizes a plethora of graphs detailing economic concepts. Several graphs are drawn every day, and each one takes up a sizable portion of the board.

Stucky has been dealing with the faulty board for quite some time. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VjeVPMNpmA&feature=youtu.be

“I started teaching in this classroom a couple years ago, and by the end of my first year I noticed that the boards weren’t erasing. I recently did a search in my email to figure out when the earliest I asked [for a replacement] was, and it turns out it was Spring of 2010,” Stucky Said.

Stucky’s frustration with the lack of new boards in the room is clear, but the students are also aggravated. At this point, the malfunctioning of the boards is something the students are accustomed to, and joke about regularly. Still, it continuously disrupts the classroom environment that both teacher and student strive to create.

“I’d say we waste about five to seven minutes a day on the whiteboard not erasing,” Alem Jukic, a senior in Stucky’s class, said.

The absurdity of this is evident, and the students feel their learning is actually being affected by the broken boards. As several individuals in the school have already been notified about the boards over the past few years, students also feel the solution is long overdue. Jay Patel, a junior in the economics class, voiced his opinions on the whiteboards.

“Learning has become harder with the inability of the whiteboard to erase. It inhibits learning. And at this point, it’s ridiculous,” Patel said.

The issue with the boards also echoes several concerns throughout the school regarding improper use of the budget. Additions are being made to the school while an issue like the whiteboards, which are necessary for class to function on a daily basis, is left unattended. Not to downplay the high-end facilities and opportunities Niles North High School is fortunate to have, students feel budget allocation could be improved.

“I’m seeing countless televisions added throughout the building, but small problems like a leaky locker room don’t get fixed for a really long time,” Sammy Schein, junior, said.

Hopefully, the economics class will receive a new whiteboard in the near future. At the moment, they will have to make do with the current one.