There are a small handful of people at IHS who know about a very small, very pink room at the very end of the E-wing. Although small and unassuming, this room is the deepest one can go into the chronicles of IHS. In that room, there are four average-looking filing cabinets that contain annals of IHS Tattler history, dating back 125 years. Here follows a selection.
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Note: The current Tattler does not necessarily endorse the opinions published in historical Tattlers.
June, 1898
Amusements
As amusements form such a considerable part of our lives, especially during our youth, perhaps a few words on the subject will not be amiss. It is an admitted fact that, for a city of its size, Ithaca has an unusual number of very fine entertainments. And yet when, as frequently happens, a fine concert or lecture has an extremely small audience while some cheap, vulgar farce draws a crowded house, it is surely time to stop and ask ourselves if we are not partly to blame for the state of affairs. The number of pupils in the High School is certainly sufficient to have some influence in matters of this sort.
Do we ever stop to think that our tastes in matters of amusement are sure indications of the quality of our minds? No one would like to admit his or her inability to appreciate really fine things, and yet this is constantly being shown in a very practical way. As our knowledge and appreciation of elevating and ennobling entertainments increase, we lose our taste for silly or vulgar pastimes. And even if we do feel rather wearied with our first efforts in this line, we are sure to be amply repaid later in life.
But perhaps we say we will cultivate our minds by means of good literature. It is a sad but true fact that the books in our public library which are most in demand and quickest worn out are not the works of such men as Scott and Thackeray. It is the sensational trash of the hour that is most in demand, especially by the young people; and how often we hear the remarks that the works of a standard author are dull and prosy! If we but thoroughly interest ourselves in music, literature, or art, our field of enjoyment will be much widened. This article is not intended for a sermon, but is written in the hope of making at least a few of us realize how very careless we are in the form of entertainment we seek. Select the best in all things, for we must always bear in mind that what we do now is to influence all the remainder of our lives. Let us hope that our High School pupils. Who have so many advantages offered them, will deserve the reputation of patronizing only the refined and elevating in all their amusements.
-A.
June, 1935
View Points: Hot Weather
With the arrival of warm weather the boys get too warm sitting around in school with neckties or sleeves down and heavy coats or sweaters on. Why cannot boys and men teachers come to school with shirts open at the neck, sleeves rolled up and still feel a bit dressed up? It is a great deal cooler studying that way, and we could keep our minds on our work.
-W. R.
June, 1940
The moon was high,
The road was dark,
A perfect place
To stop and park.
I gave a sigh,
I gave a moan,
I cursed the fates–
I was alone.
June, 1973
Letter to the Editor
This is sort of an open letter to everyone at Ithaca High School who really gives a damn about the environment we see five or so days a week. All our pretty words about stopping pollution “over there” are very nice, but one indication of our true feelings is how we take care of the grounds at IHS. by the standard, we are all a bunch of hypocrites.
I wouldn’t begrudge anyone an outdoor lunch in the Quad or a candy bar after school, but do we really have to leave the papers behind to spoil it for the next person? Perhaps it’s relaxing to have a smoke at noontime, but does everyone have to drop their butts by the sidewalk?
Admittedly. IHS is no pristine Alpine meadow, but it could be a lot less littered. Next time you go dump a piece of trash, look around—I’ll bet there’s a basket nearby. By using it, you’ll be showing a little bit of compassion for this good earth.
-Charles Breckheimer
June, 1977
Has IHS really changed in the last 25 years?
When you think of the Ithaca High School 25 years ago, what sort of images come to mind? Maybe the 50’s as they are depicted on Happy Days—bobby socks and greased back hair and all the fun gathering around the jukebox?
Actually, believe it or not, high school kids had lots of work to do, about the same as we do know. And along with everyday school life, there were student discipline and studying problems, just as there are today.
How have these problems changed within our school from past to present? I found out by interviewing four teachers, all who have been teaching for many years: Mrs. Ryan (in the English department), Mr. Johnson (in chemistry), Dr. Zien (in physics), and Mr. Pfaff (in history). They have been teaching at IHS 16, 17, 25, and 28 years respectively.
My first question was: Overall, how has the student discipline problem changed in your classroom since you began teaching at IHS? All the answers were the same—it hasn’t. This surprised me, so I asked them about discipline in the hallways.
According to the teachers, students in the hall are more open—they are either more friendly or more unpleasant than they were 15 years ago.
The teachers I talked to also felt, in general, that there has been an increase in cyclical or apathetic attitudes over the years. Doc Zien explained that teachers simply don’t know who many of the students are today, so they cannot report them. With an increase in the ratio between teacher and students, the relationship—especially in the halls—is more impersonal. Neither student nor teacher can identify each other.
“Kids know this,” Doc Zien said. “They work things up, then stand back and laugh.”
Mr Pfaff agreed. “Everyone of the teachers 25 years ago was conscious of every student, even if not his or her own,” he said. “But then there were only about 1,000 students at IHS.”
Study Habits
What about student’s study habits and motivation to seek extra help? Here the teachers I talked to had plenty to say. I wrote down the choicest comments, knowing well that I was blushing when I heard them.
Mr. Pfaff said, studying is something new to students. They have poorer skills than before. “There is less reading and more T.V.” Mrs. Ryan observed, “This is an oral generation, and writing is not emphasized. Students have more difficulty learning the classics, and come in more for extra help as a result.”
Mr. Johnson feels that the number of students who come in has always been a “slim majority.” Doc Zien said (and I was especially embarrassed during this interview), “Kids’ study habits have gotten worse; they don’t know how to study. They say ‘Why should we work? It’s a waste of time.’ I need to curve grades more now.”
“There are other things to occupy students now,” Doc Zien went on. “They are more knowledgeable about current events, but they don’t use their heads. THey come in for extra help because they don’t study right.”
The teachers offered other reasons for changes in students’ study habits. Mrs. Ryan noted that in addition to more outside activities, a student today has more freedom from the family. “Less time spent at home usually means less time spent on homework,” she said. Doc Zien pointed out that more students work now, resulting in reduced homework time.
Mr. Johnson feels IHS is developing a “big city atmosphere,” which makes it more impersonal than most High Schools. This impersonal nature (growing with many students) is disturbing to students, and is probably, he feels, a cause for the increase in discipline problems and for the decrease in desire to work.
Mr. Pfaff explained the change as something linked directly to the students’ feelings. “They have less respect for themselves, and therefore are less tolerant of others,” he said. He also related the change to a reduction in the closeness of school-family relationships.
Have you thought of some theories yourself? If so apply them to IHS 15 to 25 years from now and make a guess what the average student will be like.
But keep in mind Doc Zien’s quote on the younger generation: “Kids will always be kids.”
-Toni Wasmuth
SO glad to see this column continue!