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HomeMy WebLinkAbout8-9 PRF StudentStudent Copy Form 8-9 © 2007 University of Oregon Anthony had never really enjoyed physical education classes. It wasn’t that he didn’t like playing sports. Quite honestly, he loved basketball, and you never had to ask him twice to join in on a game of soccer, but somehow his classes at school were different. Part of the problem, he figured, was that during school he really had no choice about whether he wanted to play or not. Whatever was on the schedule for the day absolutely had to be played, and participation was not optional. Now that he was in eighth grade, however, Anthony was determined to approach the issue with greater maturity. First, he wrote up a petition, asking for a change in how classes were run. Once a week, he suggested, students should be able to vote on what sport to play. And, if they all earned superior behavior points all semester long, he suggested that they be allowed to pick the activity for the entire final week of the term. Once the petition was completely written, Anthony circulated it around to all his classmates, collecting as many signatures as he could. As soon as he had gotten everyone to sign who wanted to, he brought the appeal to his teacher. At first, she had a hard time believing her eyes. For years, Anthony had complained about how things were run without ever doing anything to change things. She found it surprising that he was suddenly approaching the issue so maturely. It seemed as though her surprise ended up being a good thing for Anthony, though. Rather than simply dismissing his suggestion as foolish, she decided to consider it carefully. She brought the idea to the principal, and they agreed to give it a try. The very next day, the two of them announced to the school that they would try to implement Anthony’s suggestions.