Entering senior year, English class begins to look a little different. Of course students are expected to write papers, read books and study grammar, yet in some regards the class begins to follow the lines of a humanities course. Such a course would outline the subject of human nature and society. The major topic being that of gender, race and sexuality. It has been brought to light that there are students as well as their parents who are against talking about these subjects in the classroom. This naturally leads to the question of if we should have these units in the first place.
My personal view on this issue is that we indeed should have these units in school. It is no secret that our current social climate has been changing rapidly with more people expressing themselves and being more true to how they feel. However, this change can oftentimes go over the heads of many people. This may lead to issues of further prejudice and unconscious bias. It is clear that many people do not learn about accepting all people at home, and can be outlined by the sheer amount of backlash teachers get from parents for teaching this unit. Thus, these units may prove to be a positive as it will educate students on these topics at school. Failure to teach individuals about these issues will only perpetuate their preconceptions and bias. If our goal here at Dana is to create a safe and inclusive space, it is imperative that students have these conversations about race, gender and sexuality as to educate them on these topics and normalize these ideas. It is easier to accept and embrace that which we are familiar with and understand.
Author: Dean Cornett
