What is Worth Learning?

What is worth learning? 

I think that this question is such a prevalent one right now in the world of education. There is such a divide when it comes to a lot of things in the education field, but one that comes to mind during this time is the one that has been created due to differing opinions on the teaching of Critical Race Theory (CRT), in K-12. Critical Race Theory is an academic concept that basically says that racism goes beyond prejudice thoughts and is something that is embedded in the law. I have thought a lot about the argument surrounding the teaching of CRT and I think that there is already so much censorship in our school system, so banning CRT in K-12 schools would be adding more fuel to the fire. 

There are many flaws associated with each type of curriculum, but this leads me to the problem with null curriculum, the curriculum where the experiences and stories of many are ignored, a lot of times, deliberately. This can be very damaging to the identities of many students, especially those that are apart of underserved communities. When the stories of the historical figures that look like them are ignored, they will feel ignored. 

The issue with only using an explicit approach to teaching a lesson, is that there seems like there is no room for opinion and expression. There are set rules and expectations that a teacher sets out for their students; a lot of times these rules are a way to get students to conform to the way that they believe a student should look or behave and this ultimately leads to a hidden curriculum. I believe that every perspective is worth learning because it challenges students to think outside of what they have been conditioned to believe. 

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