Hello! My name is Ashlyn I’m Emma Lewis.

Bergethon.

I’m Sarissa Bryant. And I’m Eric Michals. We are

students at Frank W. Cox High
School in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
We are currently in our second year
of the Virginia Teachers for
Tomorrow program.
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We would like to begin by sharing With that being said, we would like
our connection to this dilemma. We to share our findings in regards to
are from a school that values its the ethical dilemma presented to
athletics and we are extremely us.
proud of our 53 state titles of which
52 are in sports. Within our school,
20 - 25% of the teachers are Cox
alumni and understand how
important sporting events are for
not only the students, but the whole
community.

We found it of the utmost How do school sports, not just

importance to speak with teachers football, affect students’ grades?
in regards to this dilemma so we How do you see this effect?
could ask their opinion on the issue.
We asked them a few questions.
What should Ms. Lopez do and
what would you do in this situation?
If you were to put yourself in the
opposite role, what should they do?
After speaking with staff within our
own school, our chapter came to a
consensus. We would first like to
mention that as future teachers, we
would first talk privately with the
football coach to inform him that we
find it very inappropriate and
unprofessional to approach a
coworker asking for a grade to be
changed for an unethical reason.
We are choosing to look past this
right now, in order to help the
student.
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What are your thoughts on student
athletes?
Here is what they had to say.
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Our chapter decided that we would
give the student the opportunity to
makeup an assignment or complete
an alternate assignment that would
hopefully increase his grade in the
English class. To be sure this issue
doesn’t happen next quarter, Ms.
Lopez should schedule a parent-
teacher conference- with the
football coach and teachers in
attendance- so the player’s parents
are aware that their child had a
failing grade.
The player should make time to
speak to his teacher privately. As a
teacher, he or she would
understand that football is a major
part of this student's life, as it will
influence his future, so the teacher
should give him the opportunity to
complete other assignments.
School shouldn’t just be about
grades; it should be about preparing
kids for life and the real world and
this student completing these
assignments on his own time will
show the teacher that he has the
ability to succeed while being a
student athlete.
We believe Ms. Lopez should offer
football related assignments to the
player in order to spark the
student’s interest and motivate him
to complete the assignments. We
would also offer the assignment to
the entire class as extra credit
because the other students should
receive the same opportunities.
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Some may believe an extra
assignment should not be given
because the student should have
been aware of his grades before
the situation arose.
We received multiple perspectives
from the coaches and teachers we
spoke with and took those points
into consideration.
We found that just speaking to
teachers within our school was not
enough to support our opinion.
Therefore, we completed more
research using the articles provided
by Educators Rising.
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An argument can be made that Ms.
Lopez should not give the student
an alternate, or extra credit
assignment because he should
have completed them the first time
and he should be responsible for
his grade even with his busy
schedule as a student athlete.
As stated in the article, “High
School Athletes Gain Lifetime
Benefits,” some positive outcomes
of students involved in sporting
activities include more leadership
roles, higher pay in the future, and
increased self-confidence.
In the article, “The Case Against
High School Sports,” we learned
some of the benefits of high-school
athletics. These include lessons in
sportsmanship, perseverance, time
management, and of course school
spirit.
We as students, and future
teachers, believe that the player
should have been aware of his
declining grades. As a way to
ensure that students are constantly
aware of their grades, we suggest
that all sports have a biweekly
sheet they must fill out including the
class name, teacher name, grade,
teacher signature, and any notes
the teacher would like to include.
This is especially important
because he understands how
important his football career is to
his future.
According to the same source, we
found that the activities the player
participates in during his high
school career are the ones he will
never forget. These activities are
what pave the way for students’
lives, whether it is the career of a
student or life in general.
 Slide change

Winston Churchill, a former British If you have any questions, feel free
Prime Minister once said, to reach out through the emails
“Continuous effort, not strength or provided on the screen. Thank you!
intelligence, is the key to unlocking
our potential.” We believe that
success is all about perseverance.
The player must put forth
continuous effort in order to be
successful in sports and academics.
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