Anyone who’s been to Minne knows they’re just about the only building that still uses chalkboards. Which might be a small thing, and while many students might wonder, why care? It’s not that big of a deal, some students have expressed their wish for Minne to have whiteboards over chalkboards. This small thing does have an effect on the people who have to use them.
Many schools around Minnesota used whiteboards, and for many education majors who have class in Minne, having to write on chalkboards makes them feel like they don’t “really get the actual practice that we needed with the whiteboards,” Rachel Smith, a secondary education major shared. Another education major, Avery Gobe, shared “as a secondary education major who has my main methods courses in Minné, I think it will be beneficial to have whiteboards, because chalkboards just aren’t realistic for my future career.” Not being able to practice on the equipment that is used throughout grade schools works against education majors with classes in this building.
Something like this would benefit all students, not just education majors. With whiteboards being able to bring a variety of different colors, which Grobe said would “allow for better notes,” students can differentiate between different information easier. Chalkboards just don’t allow for the same color coordination for student’s minds to associate with. Grobe added that many students are used to using whiteboards, which are more common, and as such they would have a much easier time writing on whiteboards.
“Even if you’re not a teaching major and you want to present, you’re going to have to write on a blackboard. That takes a lot of skill and takes a lot of practice to actually write on a chalkboard,” Smith stated. The lack of whiteboards in Minné affects all students at the end of that day whether you are writing on it or taking notes off of it.
Both whiteboards and chalkboards have their advantages and disadvantages though, as all things do. When asked about the topic Grobe shared “whiteboards markers could stay on the board, but also the chalk doesn’t erase very well either.” Despite the fact that they are pretty equal on this front, many of the complaints voiced were regarding chalkboards. Additionally, Smith described how not hearing the squeaking sound of chalk might help students focus better, as sounds like these often lead to distraction making it hard to focus. Anyone who has to write on one of the chalkboards often runs into the problem of “[having] lots of chalk in the room or lots of pieces of chalk, but they’re all used and little nubs,” Grobe said when describing the common problem found in class.
All in all, it seems like students in Minne would benefit from not having to use chalkboards, education major or not. Not to mention these same complaints these students have would benefit professors as well. Whiteboards are used throughout Minnesota schools, and though it may seem like an insignificant issue it would remove a minor inconvenience from everybody’s life.
