Thank you for your answer. I’m not so sure it is a divisive issue for the students, they seem to have little context or interest. If the purpose of AP courses is just to pass the AP test then there’s already a lot of pointless materials and discussions, current events are not less relevant by comparison. Or maybe they are? I don’t know who should make this decision (I’ve added this to the question).
Before I started teaching I would have thought that at the AP level students should, even briefly, learn to analyze conflicts and write about them in a nuanced and researched way. Now that I’m behind the curtain I see it’s mostly up to individual teachers and a quick conversation in the teacher’s lounge will often decide what is and isn’t taught. It was somewhat alarming. Is it just me?
Do you still think students should learn to analyze conflicts and write about them in a nuanced and researched way? I think answering that question will lead you to the answer to your original question.
Of course and if it were up to me students would do so by studying the War of the Ring by reading and analyzing Tolkien but I don’t think that would be as useful for their academic and professional careers as studying current events. The original question is who should make such decisions?
My humble opinion is that teachers should make such decisions. From my own education I’ve come to think that the best education comes from enthusiastic teachers.
Thank you for your answer. I’m not so sure it is a divisive issue for the students, they seem to have little context or interest. If the purpose of AP courses is just to pass the AP test then there’s already a lot of pointless materials and discussions, current events are not less relevant by comparison. Or maybe they are? I don’t know who should make this decision (I’ve added this to the question).
Before I started teaching I would have thought that at the AP level students should, even briefly, learn to analyze conflicts and write about them in a nuanced and researched way. Now that I’m behind the curtain I see it’s mostly up to individual teachers and a quick conversation in the teacher’s lounge will often decide what is and isn’t taught. It was somewhat alarming. Is it just me?
Do you still think students should learn to analyze conflicts and write about them in a nuanced and researched way? I think answering that question will lead you to the answer to your original question.
Of course and if it were up to me students would do so by studying the War of the Ring by reading and analyzing Tolkien but I don’t think that would be as useful for their academic and professional careers as studying current events. The original question is who should make such decisions?
My humble opinion is that teachers should make such decisions. From my own education I’ve come to think that the best education comes from enthusiastic teachers.