1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:14,600 Welcome to Students Incorporated, a podcast exploring the topics of business, education, 2 00:00:14,600 --> 00:00:16,160 technology and design. 3 00:00:16,160 --> 00:00:17,600 I'm your host, Mr. Jason. 4 00:00:17,600 --> 00:00:23,960 Join me weekly as my team and I produce content that's informative, positive, fun and uplifting. 5 00:00:23,960 --> 00:00:28,440 Episodes include student conversations, interviews with thought leaders and inspirational stories 6 00:00:28,440 --> 00:00:30,040 with an international flavor. 7 00:00:30,040 --> 00:00:34,000 This podcast is created and produced with the help of students from the International 8 00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:36,800 Community School of Bangkok. 9 00:00:36,800 --> 00:00:41,520 In today's episode, we dive into the topic of politics. 10 00:00:41,520 --> 00:00:46,160 I know what you're thinking, I thought this show was steering clear of politics. 11 00:00:46,160 --> 00:00:47,160 Well we are. 12 00:00:47,160 --> 00:00:51,160 We're still committed to not getting into the larger political hot topics of our time. 13 00:00:51,160 --> 00:00:55,360 However in this episode, we'll talk about the topic and function of the Student Council 14 00:00:55,360 --> 00:01:00,000 with two of its members and then we've asked these two members to hold an on air debate. 15 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:03,840 But before we get into our first segment, let's hear our quote of the day and get some headline 16 00:01:03,840 --> 00:01:04,840 news. 17 00:01:04,840 --> 00:01:07,560 Our quote of the day comes from Doug Franklin. 18 00:01:07,560 --> 00:01:12,840 He's quoted to have said, leadership is not about top down decisions, but it's about caring 19 00:01:12,840 --> 00:01:15,020 for people and their dreams. 20 00:01:15,020 --> 00:01:19,920 This quote suggests that effective leadership is not solely about making decisions from 21 00:01:19,920 --> 00:01:26,580 a position of authority, but rather it involves empathetic understanding and supporting individuals 22 00:01:26,580 --> 00:01:27,580 and their aspirations. 23 00:01:27,580 --> 00:01:32,880 It implies that a leader should prioritize the well-being and aspirations of their team 24 00:01:32,880 --> 00:01:37,240 members, fostering an environment of trust and motivation. 25 00:01:37,240 --> 00:01:41,400 And here are some global political news that have been taking most of the airwaves for 26 00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:43,200 the last week or so. 27 00:01:43,200 --> 00:01:47,400 Here's some news from the U.S. Following dissatisfaction from the Republican Party, 28 00:01:47,400 --> 00:01:52,120 Kevin McCarthy has been removed from his position as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives 29 00:01:52,120 --> 00:01:53,700 by six votes. 30 00:01:53,700 --> 00:01:58,000 The outstaying follows a collaboration between McCarthy and the Democratic Party in order 31 00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:00,720 to avoid a U.S. government shutdown. 32 00:02:00,720 --> 00:02:03,760 This is the first time a House Speaker has been successfully vacated. 33 00:02:03,760 --> 00:02:07,240 An election to fill up the spot is still ongoing. 34 00:02:07,240 --> 00:02:12,300 Moving on, as tensions start rising with the Mexico 2024 general elections, there has been 35 00:02:12,300 --> 00:02:15,080 conflict among those in the political scene. 36 00:02:15,080 --> 00:02:19,400 Former President Fox, who is known for his controversial statements online, has recently 37 00:02:19,400 --> 00:02:23,320 posted yet another controversial statement against another leading candidate. 38 00:02:23,320 --> 00:02:28,120 However, experts are simply brushing off Fox's comments, stating that they are completely 39 00:02:28,120 --> 00:02:30,440 irrelevant in the Mexican political debate. 40 00:02:30,440 --> 00:02:35,760 Now, a surprise terrorist attack in southern Israel on October 7th has put Israel on a 41 00:02:35,760 --> 00:02:36,760 war footing. 42 00:02:36,760 --> 00:02:42,000 The horrific acts that were conducted have most of the international community outraged. 43 00:02:42,000 --> 00:02:46,400 The Middle East is in yet another regional conflict in which diplomacy will be one of 44 00:02:46,400 --> 00:02:52,240 the keys in helping mitigate tensions and establish peace. 45 00:02:52,240 --> 00:02:54,160 Thank you for the quote and the news. 46 00:02:54,160 --> 00:02:55,800 Now let's get into our first segment. 47 00:02:55,800 --> 00:03:01,200 I'm joined by co-hosts Premi and Chania and two student council members, Xander and 48 00:03:01,200 --> 00:03:02,200 Gusty. 49 00:03:02,200 --> 00:03:03,200 Chania will get us started. 50 00:03:03,200 --> 00:03:04,840 Welcome to the show. 51 00:03:04,840 --> 00:03:09,000 Please introduce yourself and let us know what grade you're in and how many years you've 52 00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:10,640 been at ICS. 53 00:03:10,640 --> 00:03:12,000 So hi, my name is Xander. 54 00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:15,120 I'm currently the president for the student council here at ICS. 55 00:03:15,120 --> 00:03:18,680 I've been here since K4 for so now about 14 years. 56 00:03:18,680 --> 00:03:20,320 Hi, my name is Gusty. 57 00:03:20,320 --> 00:03:21,720 I'm in grade 12 as well. 58 00:03:21,720 --> 00:03:24,240 I'm the student council vice president. 59 00:03:24,240 --> 00:03:26,680 I've been here since K5. 60 00:03:26,680 --> 00:03:28,240 So this is my 13th year. 61 00:03:28,240 --> 00:03:29,240 All right. 62 00:03:29,240 --> 00:03:30,240 Thank you so much. 63 00:03:30,240 --> 00:03:34,760 Our first get to know you question is what is your favorite subject in school and why? 64 00:03:34,760 --> 00:03:35,840 That's a great question. 65 00:03:35,840 --> 00:03:42,040 So for me personally, there's many subjects I do like, so my interests often span politics, 66 00:03:42,040 --> 00:03:44,040 business, economics. 67 00:03:44,040 --> 00:03:50,000 But I think my most favorite class that might be shockingly not even from those categories 68 00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:52,680 of subjects is AP psychology. 69 00:03:52,680 --> 00:03:58,120 So I think there's a lot of like interesting concepts that I was learning with Mrs. Julia. 70 00:03:58,120 --> 00:04:01,800 And I think being able to put names to a lot of the phenomenons that we see in the world 71 00:04:01,800 --> 00:04:03,280 is quite interesting to me. 72 00:04:03,280 --> 00:04:10,640 And also, Mrs. Julia has a lot of games that are psychologically proof to make you interested 73 00:04:10,640 --> 00:04:11,640 in the subject. 74 00:04:11,640 --> 00:04:13,920 So I think that's my favorite subject at the moment. 75 00:04:13,920 --> 00:04:16,440 For me, I like AP physics the most. 76 00:04:16,440 --> 00:04:20,960 Xander is normally the humanities kid and I'm the STEM kid of us two. 77 00:04:20,960 --> 00:04:26,720 So I like AP physics because mainly because of how hands on it is with all the labs and 78 00:04:26,720 --> 00:04:27,720 whatnot. 79 00:04:27,720 --> 00:04:28,720 They're all really fun. 80 00:04:28,720 --> 00:04:29,720 I know Yen Hao might disagree. 81 00:04:29,720 --> 00:04:34,560 I really like AP physics because of the fun activities we get to do such as throwing water 82 00:04:34,560 --> 00:04:36,360 off the fourth floor. 83 00:04:36,360 --> 00:04:38,880 And one more get to know you question. 84 00:04:38,880 --> 00:04:45,440 If you were to be president or prime minister for just one month, what would you do? 85 00:04:45,440 --> 00:04:50,160 So the joke answer that I have is that I would do what Joe Biden has, which is a button on 86 00:04:50,160 --> 00:04:52,200 his desk when he presses it. 87 00:04:52,200 --> 00:04:55,080 Someone would deliver ice cream in under 10 seconds. 88 00:04:55,080 --> 00:04:59,720 But the more serious answer is something I'm doing related to my community service project 89 00:04:59,720 --> 00:05:03,920 for capstone, which is I'm currently working with the Thailand Department of Corrections 90 00:05:03,920 --> 00:05:06,160 to help incarcerated individuals. 91 00:05:06,160 --> 00:05:10,760 I think as president or prime minister, I would have the power to give individuals parole, 92 00:05:10,760 --> 00:05:13,800 especially in the cases where they were wrongfully convicted. 93 00:05:13,800 --> 00:05:16,240 So that would be the first thing I would prioritize. 94 00:05:16,240 --> 00:05:17,240 That's really inspiring. 95 00:05:17,240 --> 00:05:18,240 Yeah, okay. 96 00:05:18,240 --> 00:05:22,040 By my response, I think you could tell who prepared the response and who's freestyling. 97 00:05:22,040 --> 00:05:31,520 But I would get rid of ROTC, something that I, Xander and Yen-Hao all dislike. 98 00:05:31,520 --> 00:05:35,200 It's a waste of a Saturday and I don't think we're going to wage any wars against any 99 00:05:35,200 --> 00:05:36,200 country soon. 100 00:05:36,200 --> 00:05:38,200 So I think that's fair. 101 00:05:38,200 --> 00:05:39,600 Oh, well, okay. 102 00:05:39,600 --> 00:05:42,520 Moving on to some questions about the student council. 103 00:05:42,520 --> 00:05:46,040 What role do you currently hold and can you explain what responsibilities come with that 104 00:05:46,040 --> 00:05:47,040 role? 105 00:05:47,040 --> 00:05:48,040 Yeah, for sure. 106 00:05:48,040 --> 00:05:53,040 So, I'm the president, as I mentioned in the introduction, and the two main jobs that 107 00:05:53,040 --> 00:05:56,240 I have is firstly, I lead a lot of the meetings that we have. 108 00:05:56,240 --> 00:06:01,640 So we have meetings every single day one during lunchtime after chapel. 109 00:06:01,640 --> 00:06:07,720 And I do talking like 80% of the time and the other 20% is Gusty's interjections. 110 00:06:07,720 --> 00:06:13,040 And I often do things like plan details for student council and keep everybody on track. 111 00:06:13,040 --> 00:06:18,400 Secondly, though, I also do a lot of communication within and outside of the student council. 112 00:06:18,400 --> 00:06:21,800 So I talk to a lot of administrators about various school events. 113 00:06:21,800 --> 00:06:26,680 I also contact things like hotels for the banquet that we're going to be having in 114 00:06:26,680 --> 00:06:27,680 April. 115 00:06:27,680 --> 00:06:32,720 Yeah, so my role as the vice president is kind of as Xander's right hand man. 116 00:06:32,720 --> 00:06:37,880 As Xander said already, my 20% of interjections during meetings really, you know, really, 117 00:06:37,880 --> 00:06:39,240 really helps. 118 00:06:39,240 --> 00:06:44,080 But I think my main role is really behind the scenes with the Google Forms and Google 119 00:06:44,080 --> 00:06:45,080 Sheets. 120 00:06:45,080 --> 00:06:48,420 That's where I don't want to brag, but that's where I shine. 121 00:06:48,420 --> 00:06:54,680 So I handle a lot of the logistics side of the student council. 122 00:06:54,680 --> 00:07:00,280 Continuing on with the topic of roles on the student council, what are the other roles 123 00:07:00,280 --> 00:07:06,040 associated with the student council and what responsibilities do those roles have? 124 00:07:06,040 --> 00:07:09,920 So broadly, there are four more roles that exist in student council. 125 00:07:09,920 --> 00:07:13,840 So the first is secretary, which everyone also votes for. 126 00:07:13,840 --> 00:07:18,600 So these individuals, Minjae this year, keeps track of all of the meeting notes that we 127 00:07:18,600 --> 00:07:20,000 have every single week. 128 00:07:20,000 --> 00:07:22,720 And they also help us contact anything that we need help with. 129 00:07:22,720 --> 00:07:28,880 So for instance, if we need help with hosting ICS got talent, which shameless plug is happening 130 00:07:28,880 --> 00:07:35,760 in a few weeks in October, then I would say that these individuals or Minjae helps contact 131 00:07:35,760 --> 00:07:40,840 Mr. Micah, for instance, and plan out things or send all the list of the acts that he needs 132 00:07:40,840 --> 00:07:41,840 to prepare for. 133 00:07:41,840 --> 00:07:46,460 We also have a treasurer who keeps track of all of the money that we have. 134 00:07:46,460 --> 00:07:50,920 And they also deal with things like having a QR code to help make it more accessible 135 00:07:50,920 --> 00:07:55,680 to a lot of individuals, given that we're now in quote unquote, the digital age where 136 00:07:55,680 --> 00:07:59,840 everyone has everyone and their mother has their own bank account online. 137 00:07:59,840 --> 00:08:03,440 So I think that also helps with like making transactions as well. 138 00:08:03,440 --> 00:08:06,800 Yeah, so I'm going to talk about the PRs and reps. 139 00:08:06,800 --> 00:08:09,960 The PRs are really the unsung heroes of student council. 140 00:08:09,960 --> 00:08:12,120 They do so much behind the scenes. 141 00:08:12,120 --> 00:08:15,960 They do all the art, all of the social media stuff. 142 00:08:15,960 --> 00:08:21,240 They also help out with buying physical objects such as shirts or getting connections. 143 00:08:21,240 --> 00:08:26,120 And in the PR group as well, we have a new committee this year for the sponsorship committee, 144 00:08:26,120 --> 00:08:29,920 which we yoinked Yoel from the senior council over. 145 00:08:29,920 --> 00:08:35,920 And he's helping us with some sponsorships for events such as ICS Got Talent or Banquet. 146 00:08:35,920 --> 00:08:39,440 And last but not least, we have the PRs who were elected by their own grade. 147 00:08:39,440 --> 00:08:42,400 Oh, sorry, reps who were elected by their own grade. 148 00:08:42,400 --> 00:08:46,340 So as for reps, these are the liaisons within each individual grade. 149 00:08:46,340 --> 00:08:51,760 So everybody votes on them the prior year or in the case of upcoming eighth graders, 150 00:08:51,760 --> 00:08:54,380 you voted at the beginning of your ninth grade year. 151 00:08:54,380 --> 00:08:58,640 And usually these individuals communicate through line, through email to everybody within 152 00:08:58,640 --> 00:09:03,040 their grade about potential events that's coming up so that everybody, nobody is left 153 00:09:03,040 --> 00:09:04,040 behind. 154 00:09:04,040 --> 00:09:08,120 And I think that's crucial in terms of school wide events, things like Spirit Week, where 155 00:09:08,120 --> 00:09:11,800 everyone needs to know what themes is coming up so they can also dress up accordingly as 156 00:09:11,800 --> 00:09:12,800 well. 157 00:09:12,800 --> 00:09:13,800 All right. 158 00:09:13,800 --> 00:09:14,800 Thank you so much. 159 00:09:14,800 --> 00:09:18,480 And I do feel like so many of the times, like if you're not directly involved in the student 160 00:09:18,480 --> 00:09:23,480 council, you might not know what each title and what roles does each title have to do. 161 00:09:23,480 --> 00:09:25,480 So that's really helpful and insightful. 162 00:09:25,480 --> 00:09:26,480 Thank you. 163 00:09:26,480 --> 00:09:30,400 And now diving into a more personal question, what inspired you to become involved with 164 00:09:30,400 --> 00:09:32,400 the student council? 165 00:09:32,400 --> 00:09:37,420 So context, I've been in the student council for two years. 166 00:09:37,420 --> 00:09:42,140 The first year I did it because I felt as if I just wanted to give back to the community 167 00:09:42,140 --> 00:09:44,560 that raised me for such a long time. 168 00:09:44,560 --> 00:09:49,000 But I think upon being part of the student council, I think what made me stay was the 169 00:09:49,000 --> 00:09:53,940 group of individuals who are so incredibly driven to make school a pleasant experience. 170 00:09:53,940 --> 00:10:00,440 So originally, I wasn't going to run for president, as many people probably wouldn't know. 171 00:10:00,440 --> 00:10:03,600 I was only going to do student council for one year. 172 00:10:03,600 --> 00:10:08,420 But as an 11th grade rep, when I literally shared blood, sweat, and tears with every 173 00:10:08,420 --> 00:10:13,920 single one of other members in the student council during hosting things like banquet 174 00:10:13,920 --> 00:10:18,520 or ICS Got Talent, I feel like the level of camaraderie made me want to stay for one more 175 00:10:18,520 --> 00:10:23,840 year or at the very least, be president and help give back to like help create that same 176 00:10:23,840 --> 00:10:26,160 environment for future generations as well. 177 00:10:26,160 --> 00:10:30,360 Yeah, for me, I think Xander hit on a lot of the points that I want to talk about, which 178 00:10:30,360 --> 00:10:35,400 are the sense of camaraderie, the spirit that we all have together, the suffering with each 179 00:10:35,400 --> 00:10:36,400 other. 180 00:10:36,400 --> 00:10:42,120 But what drove me to run for vice president this year was just to finally have a position 181 00:10:42,120 --> 00:10:43,560 that can make an impact. 182 00:10:43,560 --> 00:10:49,840 I was the rep in 10th grade, but I felt like my voice wasn't as heard in the student council. 183 00:10:49,840 --> 00:10:55,960 So I want to come back for one more year to try to get my voice heard or try to actually 184 00:10:55,960 --> 00:10:58,040 make an impact on the student council. 185 00:10:58,040 --> 00:11:00,840 Now on to some challenges. 186 00:11:00,840 --> 00:11:05,820 What kind of challenges does the student council face throughout the year? 187 00:11:05,820 --> 00:11:11,560 I think the biggest one is deadlines and not just any deadlines, but specifically small 188 00:11:11,560 --> 00:11:15,120 internal deadlines that's very easy for you to forget about. 189 00:11:15,120 --> 00:11:21,160 So for instance, sending an email to one particular teacher might not cross your mind until two 190 00:11:21,160 --> 00:11:22,400 days before the event. 191 00:11:22,400 --> 00:11:27,120 And that might cause you needing to scramble to write one and send it out. 192 00:11:27,120 --> 00:11:32,320 But I think what uniquely helps with that is Gussie's position as vice president, where 193 00:11:32,320 --> 00:11:37,320 he also does a lot of things with Google Sheets to have the itinerary of everything we have 194 00:11:37,320 --> 00:11:39,280 to do for a particular event. 195 00:11:39,280 --> 00:11:43,960 And in doing so, it makes it so easy for everyone to see what they have to do. 196 00:11:43,960 --> 00:11:49,280 But yeah, for sure, internal deadlines are what is going to destroy or make or break 197 00:11:49,280 --> 00:11:50,600 any student council. 198 00:11:50,600 --> 00:11:54,920 Okay, this is ironic because Xander just praised me about how organized I am with my itinerary 199 00:11:54,920 --> 00:11:58,720 because I forgot to email Miss Jen. 200 00:11:58,720 --> 00:12:04,840 Another role or problem that we may have in student council is definitely the money situation. 201 00:12:04,840 --> 00:12:09,360 Yeah, we make a lot from ICS Got Talent, but we also lose a lot from Banquet. 202 00:12:09,360 --> 00:12:14,840 So we really try to even that out so we don't make a loss from our year. 203 00:12:14,840 --> 00:12:20,440 So that's why we brought on Alon Yoel to form the sponsorship committee as well, just to 204 00:12:20,440 --> 00:12:22,720 make sure we have enough money for next year as well. 205 00:12:22,720 --> 00:12:24,560 Those would be some hard challenges. 206 00:12:24,560 --> 00:12:28,920 All right, and we know that coordinating and working with so many different groups can 207 00:12:28,920 --> 00:12:30,020 be a challenge as well. 208 00:12:30,020 --> 00:12:34,200 In what ways does the student council collaborate with school administrators, teachers, and 209 00:12:34,200 --> 00:12:38,360 other community members in order to promote positive improvements within the school? 210 00:12:38,360 --> 00:12:42,160 So I think the first word that comes to mind is communication. 211 00:12:42,160 --> 00:12:46,560 So in particular, what we do a lot is not just communicate as I previously mentioned 212 00:12:46,560 --> 00:12:50,200 internally, but we also communicate with other individuals. 213 00:12:50,200 --> 00:12:55,680 So a great example is Spirit Week where we had to contact the middle school principal, 214 00:12:55,680 --> 00:13:00,160 Mrs. Karen, and also the elementary school principal, Mrs. Donnie, in order to be able 215 00:13:00,160 --> 00:13:05,480 to coordinate things like themes and days with them so that ICS is able to have a schoolwide 216 00:13:05,480 --> 00:13:08,760 spirit and not just a high school spirit. 217 00:13:08,760 --> 00:13:13,600 And I think in those instances, it showcases how communication is a key component of the 218 00:13:13,600 --> 00:13:19,480 student council where we have to not only be on track, but we also have to be good liaisons 219 00:13:19,480 --> 00:13:24,560 between middle school, high school, and every single facet of the ICS community. 220 00:13:24,560 --> 00:13:28,600 I also want to point out the fact that it is the student council and it's made for students. 221 00:13:28,600 --> 00:13:34,160 So I believe that collaboration or the student council helping out the student body is an 222 00:13:34,160 --> 00:13:40,680 important role in which, for example, we have tried to open up the cafe in the ARC back 223 00:13:40,680 --> 00:13:42,800 up to the students even during school times. 224 00:13:42,800 --> 00:13:46,840 So we are doing stuff for the student body, not just for us. 225 00:13:46,840 --> 00:13:52,120 And to end this first segment, could you talk about any major projects or events that the 226 00:13:52,120 --> 00:13:54,240 student council has organized? 227 00:13:54,240 --> 00:13:59,640 So we have ICS Got Talent obviously coming up soon, but something I want to spotlight 228 00:13:59,640 --> 00:14:05,260 or something I really enjoyed was working with the administrators for preview day. 229 00:14:05,260 --> 00:14:09,400 So for, we did this two times this year. 230 00:14:09,400 --> 00:14:14,600 So we gave parents an introduction and a tour to ICS and we walked around with them, took 231 00:14:14,600 --> 00:14:15,600 them on the tour. 232 00:14:15,600 --> 00:14:20,600 And I think this event was particularly memorable for me because that's when you feel as if 233 00:14:20,600 --> 00:14:25,840 you are actually a mascot for ICS and you actually feel involved in the community. 234 00:14:25,840 --> 00:14:31,200 Because oftentimes working in the student council can seem a bit isolated at times or 235 00:14:31,200 --> 00:14:35,280 if like feels as if you're your own island of group of individuals. 236 00:14:35,280 --> 00:14:39,240 But when you're actually able to immerse yourself within those environments, that's when you 237 00:14:39,240 --> 00:14:42,120 feel the true impact you have as a student council. 238 00:14:42,120 --> 00:14:43,120 Yeah. 239 00:14:43,120 --> 00:14:48,080 And what Zander forgot to mention was he made two amazing speeches for preview day. 240 00:14:48,080 --> 00:14:54,220 But one of the major projects that I don't believe Zander mentioned was Banquet. 241 00:14:54,220 --> 00:14:57,480 We hold Banquet for the joy of the students. 242 00:14:57,480 --> 00:15:01,200 And as I said before, we make a loss from it, but I believe it's a loss we're willing 243 00:15:01,200 --> 00:15:06,820 to make to see everyone smile, be happy, or maybe even dance around. 244 00:15:06,820 --> 00:15:11,880 So it is something that I feel like brings the high school community closer together. 245 00:15:11,880 --> 00:15:15,100 So it's again, a loss we're willing to make. 246 00:15:15,100 --> 00:15:17,140 And that concludes our first segment. 247 00:15:17,140 --> 00:15:27,220 We'll be right back with our second segment right after this short announcement. 248 00:15:27,220 --> 00:15:28,440 Welcome back from a break. 249 00:15:28,440 --> 00:15:32,520 Hopefully you got some rest and spent time with friends and families. 250 00:15:32,520 --> 00:15:36,440 Our volleyball and soccer season is almost over for this school year. 251 00:15:36,440 --> 00:15:40,360 Thanks to our fantastic athletes for all the hard work you've done for ICS. 252 00:15:40,360 --> 00:15:46,040 Oh, by the way, congratulations to the boys varsity soccer team for winning first place 253 00:15:46,040 --> 00:15:48,040 in the ACSC tournament. 254 00:15:48,040 --> 00:15:50,080 Our basketball season is coming soon. 255 00:15:50,080 --> 00:15:54,280 Remember to support them as well in our next sports season. 256 00:15:54,280 --> 00:15:57,960 Moving on to theater, our Seussical the musical is coming up. 257 00:15:57,960 --> 00:16:00,720 Don't forget everyone, Seussical tickets are out. 258 00:16:00,720 --> 00:16:04,400 Show day is on November 22nd and 23rd. 259 00:16:04,400 --> 00:16:08,360 Come support our ICS actors and actresses. 260 00:16:08,360 --> 00:16:10,640 We are back with Zander and Gusty. 261 00:16:10,640 --> 00:16:14,960 In this segment, they have both agreed to hold a debate over two political topics that 262 00:16:14,960 --> 00:16:16,380 are relevant to our school. 263 00:16:16,380 --> 00:16:20,280 In order to make this as real as possible, they have already been given the topics, but 264 00:16:20,280 --> 00:16:23,320 they do not yet know which side they'll be debating. 265 00:16:23,320 --> 00:16:25,120 Okay, Premi will get us started. 266 00:16:25,120 --> 00:16:26,720 Our first prompt is this. 267 00:16:26,720 --> 00:16:30,400 Should students only be allowed to attend school for four days of the week? 268 00:16:30,400 --> 00:16:35,080 And Zander, you are arguing for, so you are arguing that yes, students should be allowed 269 00:16:35,080 --> 00:16:38,640 to attend four days of the week and Gusty, you will be arguing against. 270 00:16:38,640 --> 00:16:44,040 I think the main reason why students should only have four days weeks, us four days school 271 00:16:44,040 --> 00:16:49,200 days of school is because I think it gives kids a lot of time to be able to rest and 272 00:16:49,200 --> 00:16:51,200 catch up on missing work. 273 00:16:51,200 --> 00:16:55,200 And even if it's the case that teachers are going to assign more homework, I think that 274 00:16:55,200 --> 00:17:00,240 allowed kids to go at their own pace, whereas in school, they're confined to the classroom 275 00:17:00,240 --> 00:17:03,160 and confined to a time limit like this debate. 276 00:17:03,160 --> 00:17:09,360 I am first of all nervous because I'm debating as a Thai national team member, but also I 277 00:17:09,360 --> 00:17:15,080 believe that a five day school week is superior because the point of going to school is to 278 00:17:15,080 --> 00:17:19,400 learn and if you go there for only four days a week, you're getting either a limited number 279 00:17:19,400 --> 00:17:23,080 of classes or those classes will have to be really rushed. 280 00:17:23,080 --> 00:17:26,160 So you won't have time to understand the content well enough. 281 00:17:26,160 --> 00:17:31,160 So I believe even though spreading it out into five days is more days of learning for 282 00:17:31,160 --> 00:17:34,960 a student, it is more beneficial for the student and for the purpose of the school. 283 00:17:34,960 --> 00:17:39,200 If I'm responding to that, I would say that the purpose of school is to be able to provide 284 00:17:39,200 --> 00:17:42,520 kids with the best learning experience as possible. 285 00:17:42,520 --> 00:17:46,880 And given the different permutations of how kids want to learn, whether they're visual 286 00:17:46,880 --> 00:17:50,960 learners, whether they're audio learners, being able to go online and learn through 287 00:17:50,960 --> 00:17:57,120 like the internet for example, allows kids to experience school in a more open way. 288 00:17:57,120 --> 00:18:00,160 And in that respect allows kids to also explore things like creativity. 289 00:18:00,160 --> 00:18:05,480 Okay, I just want to say Zadar and I have both done online pre-calculus and both of 290 00:18:05,480 --> 00:18:06,520 us hated it. 291 00:18:06,520 --> 00:18:11,760 We both cannot understand anything because we did not have a proper teacher or anyone 292 00:18:11,760 --> 00:18:13,320 to guide us through the course. 293 00:18:13,320 --> 00:18:18,060 So I believe, I think Zander agrees with his own statement, but because I believe teachers 294 00:18:18,060 --> 00:18:20,560 are essential to the learning process. 295 00:18:20,560 --> 00:18:21,800 I beg to differ. 296 00:18:21,800 --> 00:18:23,380 So I actually took two courses. 297 00:18:23,380 --> 00:18:28,320 So I took online pre-calculus and also online French. 298 00:18:28,320 --> 00:18:30,120 Actually online French was pretty good. 299 00:18:30,120 --> 00:18:32,360 So I would say it depends on the subject. 300 00:18:32,360 --> 00:18:35,100 It just happens to be that I hate math. 301 00:18:35,100 --> 00:18:37,760 And as previously mentioned, I love humanities. 302 00:18:37,760 --> 00:18:41,120 So I think that's a lie that Gusty is just making. 303 00:18:41,120 --> 00:18:43,040 So you should never trust Gusty. 304 00:18:43,040 --> 00:18:47,080 I don't know why Zander thinks that him taking French online is special because so did I. 305 00:18:47,080 --> 00:18:52,200 I think for people like me who also struggle with deadlines, online learning is a horrible 306 00:18:52,200 --> 00:18:58,780 idea because we have, there's no accountability or any form of, any form of like someone checking 307 00:18:58,780 --> 00:19:01,920 in on you to make sure you're actually working on your assignments. 308 00:19:01,920 --> 00:19:04,280 So procrastination hits you really hard. 309 00:19:04,280 --> 00:19:08,840 All right, wrapping up this prompt and moving on to the next one. 310 00:19:08,840 --> 00:19:11,080 Should schools mandate uniforms? 311 00:19:11,080 --> 00:19:14,720 Gusty, you are for and Zander, you're against. 312 00:19:14,720 --> 00:19:19,800 Man, I feel like I'm the bad time, the bad guy both times. 313 00:19:19,800 --> 00:19:20,800 But okay, sure. 314 00:19:20,800 --> 00:19:30,200 I do think that school uniforms are necessary because it gives all students a sense of community. 315 00:19:30,200 --> 00:19:35,760 It gives everyone kind of just something that they can agree on or that is similar between 316 00:19:35,760 --> 00:19:37,040 all of them. 317 00:19:37,040 --> 00:19:42,080 Because in a school where there's such a diverse community, there should be at least one thing 318 00:19:42,080 --> 00:19:44,800 that brings them together, which is school spirit. 319 00:19:44,800 --> 00:19:50,320 And the best way to bring school spirit to everyone is through a uniform. 320 00:19:50,320 --> 00:19:55,440 I personally think that community and like fostering it can happen in other ways. 321 00:19:55,440 --> 00:20:00,140 Hence why we have the student council and not the student outfits council. 322 00:20:00,140 --> 00:20:05,720 But more importantly, I would say that being able to wear what you want also is a way for 323 00:20:05,720 --> 00:20:08,960 individuals to experience like freedom of expression. 324 00:20:08,960 --> 00:20:13,640 But it also allows kids to be able to decorate their own lives with what they want and kind 325 00:20:13,640 --> 00:20:18,080 of live through like, and when they take photos, they're able to see the different eras of 326 00:20:18,080 --> 00:20:21,080 their life and the different periods of time they go through. 327 00:20:21,080 --> 00:20:25,200 I think at least allows you to see that you went through that phase. 328 00:20:25,200 --> 00:20:32,400 I just want to say your argument of bringing of letting everyone show their own eras is 329 00:20:32,400 --> 00:20:39,880 not a great argument if people have eras that one, they're going to regret or two, are offensive 330 00:20:39,880 --> 00:20:41,360 or in any way harmful. 331 00:20:41,360 --> 00:20:45,760 I feel like if they're allowed to express their ideas or their opinions in a way that 332 00:20:45,760 --> 00:20:50,640 is harmful to others through free dress, I don't believe that it's good to have in a 333 00:20:50,640 --> 00:20:51,640 school setting. 334 00:20:51,640 --> 00:20:56,480 Obviously, there are limitations to what you can wear, so in the United States, for instance, 335 00:20:56,480 --> 00:21:02,040 where there are like no dress code, no uniform, people still have dress codes that they have 336 00:21:02,040 --> 00:21:03,040 to follow. 337 00:21:03,040 --> 00:21:07,680 So I don't think people will show up in offensive clothing necessarily. 338 00:21:07,680 --> 00:21:12,360 But I think in general, what that also ensures is that freedom of expression for kids is 339 00:21:12,360 --> 00:21:17,460 something that kids can partake in and is at least an option that they can undertake. 340 00:21:17,460 --> 00:21:21,800 So perhaps maybe a good compromise between the two is if there's school uniforms, but 341 00:21:21,800 --> 00:21:23,600 you don't have to wear it if you don't want to. 342 00:21:23,600 --> 00:21:27,680 So it's basically free dress day every day, but with uniforms. 343 00:21:27,680 --> 00:21:35,620 Sure, but wearing uniforms is a more economically smart option because you have one set of clothes 344 00:21:35,620 --> 00:21:41,360 or at least multiple sets of the same clothes that you are forced to buy, but you don't 345 00:21:41,360 --> 00:21:46,920 need to think about buying anything else or trying to be creative, which may cost more 346 00:21:46,920 --> 00:21:48,040 money. 347 00:21:48,040 --> 00:21:56,640 So I believe wearing a school uniform is better for those who may not have enough money to 348 00:21:56,640 --> 00:21:59,920 spend on clothes that they really want to wear. 349 00:21:59,920 --> 00:22:04,360 I definitely think that's a valid point to make about the economic aspect of this. 350 00:22:04,360 --> 00:22:09,440 But I think we also have to consider that oftentimes, at least at ICS, the shirts that 351 00:22:09,440 --> 00:22:13,000 you wear, the pants that you wear can often be very costly. 352 00:22:13,000 --> 00:22:18,000 And imposing such a stringent standard for everyone to follow means that families who 353 00:22:18,000 --> 00:22:22,900 are financially distressed for an individual, for example, aren't able to buy those clothing. 354 00:22:22,900 --> 00:22:27,520 So allowing them to also opt into cheaper clothing and be able to wear that also allows 355 00:22:27,520 --> 00:22:32,740 them to access clothing in the same way for like expression, for instance. 356 00:22:32,740 --> 00:22:34,640 Thank you so much for that fun debate. 357 00:22:34,640 --> 00:22:35,640 There you have it. 358 00:22:35,640 --> 00:22:41,260 Xander and Gusty have demonstrated that differing viewpoints and opinions can be logically discussed 359 00:22:41,260 --> 00:22:42,940 while maintaining a cool head. 360 00:22:42,940 --> 00:22:54,440 So thank you guys. 361 00:22:54,440 --> 00:22:59,720 As we end this episode, remember that the ability to rationally and respectively debate 362 00:22:59,720 --> 00:23:04,480 different topics is an important skill to master, especially with today's wide spectrum 363 00:23:04,480 --> 00:23:07,120 of politically charged opinions and beliefs. 364 00:23:07,120 --> 00:23:12,120 Stay tuned for our next episode as we record and release a live interview with the former 365 00:23:12,120 --> 00:23:14,220 professional American football player. 366 00:23:14,220 --> 00:23:19,320 As always, this podcast would not be possible without the hard work and support of our international 367 00:23:19,320 --> 00:23:21,080 student production team. 368 00:23:21,080 --> 00:23:26,800 All music and sound effects are courtesy of Pixabay.com, a vibrant community of creatives 369 00:23:26,800 --> 00:23:30,680 sharing copyright free images, videos, and music. 370 00:23:30,680 --> 00:23:33,080 And we are signing off until next time. 371 00:23:33,080 --> 00:23:49,640 Be your Students Incorporated, because your voice matters.