Popping the Bubble by Acacia

Popping the Bubble by Acacia - August 2015 Scholarship Essay

Students can become absorbed by their hobbies and schoolwork, just as adults can be absorbed by their interests and occupations. We need a class that would help students to see beyond those walls, to see the world and what it struggles with now. We need students to recognize the problems that need to be resolved in the world outside of school. We call these students the rising generation; we know that one day they will be the ones leading our nation, leading our communities, leading our grandchildren. Do they know it? And if they know it, do they feel it? I would want to institute a class about current events, topics of local, national, or international significance.

Current events can be difficult to understand and interpret, even for adults. Occasionally a history class will apply a relevant subject to trending issues or debates, but that is not the focus of the history class. Current events offer grounds for student-to-student discussions and debates, teaching them how to express disagreement appropriately and work towards group problem-solving. Not only would they become educated on news sources and formats, but they would learn to critically analyze the content for themselves and reach original conclusions about potential solutions.

Regardless of their future role in society, these students will be members of it. There are many dissenting voices abroad that suggest one extreme perspective or another. By teaching about current events and news platforms in school, students would be prepared to participate in society. They would be more educated, more aware as voters. They would be more responsible as citizens. They would be more prepared for life outside of school.

These students are going to shape the future of their communities, their nation, and their world. IT may be easy for them to see their life as a bubble, but a class like this would invite them see themselves very differently. If they do not know it, this is the way to tell them. If they do not feel it, this is the way to engage them.