What is worth learning?

     The question "what is worth learning?" is one future educators should have on their minds. The answer will vary from teacher to teacher and will have to adhere to the rules of whichever educational philosophy the district of your choosing follows. In my opinion, there is nothing not worth learning, especially in today's society. Explicit curriculum is taught in every classroom, it is the intended plans, objectives, and content the school expects you to teach. Its' focus is mainly aimed towards reading and writing skills. The null curriculum is the pieces of history that are relevant but didn't make the cut to get taught directly in the lesson plan. The hidden curriculum is the information that lies under the surface of what is being taught. It's full of ideological meaning and can be inferred based on your own experiences. 

    Teachers will always teach the explicit curriculum, but they get to choose whether or not they bring the null curriculum or the hidden curriculum to their student's attention. I think it's a good idea to share pieces of information from both the null and hidden curriculum to a certain extent, based on the student's maturity level. Sharing information from both will allow the students to draw their own conclusions on many situations in history instead of just being told what's right and what's wrong. I personally didn't learn about many important parts of history until college and it has changed my perspectives on many subjects in a positive way and I think it should be taught sooner in the educational system. 

How can schools be more equitable?

There are many ways a school can be more equitable, but in my opinion, equity starts with the educator and should not be confused with equality. In making your school more equitable you're attempting to show the students that not everyone is the same, or grew up the same, or have had the same opportunities and resources available to them, therefore we should not all be treated or helped in the same ways. Establishing your classroom as an inclusive environment early on in the school year will promote mutual respect, effective relationships, and clear communication among students and open their minds to multiple different perspectives and worldviews, highlighting our differences and similarities. Involving students more in the classroom environment and curriculum will not only enhance student engagement by creating more meaningful learning content while also promoting working as a team to come to a mutual agreement, but it will also help you as a teacher recognize how individual students learn the best and the ways in which you can accommodate your teaching style to better fit your student's needs. Reflecting on your own beliefs is also an effective way to become more equitable for your students. Being able to listen, talk about, and reflect on others' perspectives as well as your own, will increase your worldview and not just make you a better teacher, but a better person in general. Schools that prioritize equity over equality are also promoting their students to reach their full potentials. Every student deserves a truly equal opportunity in the educational system to succeed regardless of their circumstance. 

What Rights Should Be Protected for Students and Teachers?

 The Supreme Court ruled in 1969 that students do not lose their rights to freedom of speech or expression while at school. However, in many of the cases we learned about in module 6, the school system still finds ways to try to limit and breach those basic rights. Dress codes are, in my own personal opinion, one of the biggest breaches in freedom of expression. Not only in the sense of what you get to wear, but in who gets to wear what. Many schools have different expectations in appearance among males and females in the school setting. For example, the high school I attended permitted girls to wear earrings, but would not allow the boys to wear them. Boys could not have hair longer than the collar of their shirts, designs cut into their hair, or hair accessories, while girls' length didn't matter and both boys and girls could only have natural colored hair. Many times, what you wear, the color of your hair, whether you identify as male or female, is a form of expression. Not only do these examples from my prior school limit students' freedom of expression, but they also exhibit gender discrimination. Enforcing such limiting rules can cause harm to the student's well-being by repressing them from being their true self. I understand some restrictions are necessary and need to be in place to keep student's expressions appropriate for the setting, but as long as it's not exposing provocative language//pictures, and not exposing an inappropriate amount of skin, I feel like students should be free to fully express themselves with personal style no matter the gender.

I believe teachers should be protected to have full academic freedom in the classroom and not be expected to follow the model curricula the school may have incorporated. Having teachers follow a curriculum can be repressing the true potential they have to teach their class. I think a curriculum model could be a good outline of what the school expects the teacher to teach, but should not dictate how they teach. Full academic freedom will give the teacher a chance to form relationships with her students and determine what they already know and bridge the gap to where they need to be in a way she best sees fit and most effective.