Pop Culture in Secondary Ed.

     The part of having the student researchers be "underachieving" in GPA or AP placement made this article really interesting to me. The students had more interest in this particular project, which was the hip-hop project. It is incredibly important to have a subject the student is interested in to have that student do their best work. This is said in the article, and it is still true regardless of when and where the student is taught. I love the seven guidelines the article has pointed towards teachers, administrators, and researchers. It was an easy way to get teachers involved and even gives examples of how teachers can integrate hip-hop into the classroom. I wanted to do something similar to this last quarter when "This is America" by Childish Gambino came out, but I was not sure how to approach the administration on a subject like this. I do believe it is important to bring in this culture into the classroom, because it is a large part of students' lives. This particular song had a lot to do with social injustice and had many references that took deep analyzing in the lyrics and music video to get the most meaning out of it. The other important factor is realizing that media and the music industry is not a neutral entity. By knowing what is being marketed and how, students can get a better understanding of the world around them, which I believe education in secondary should be about anyway. Linking curriculum to the happenings of the world around them is paramount for students to grow as people, not just sending them off into the world with some skills. The research of main stream media was also a great lesson. It made the points of finding credible sources and purpose seem important, which they are. This lesson is honestly needed for education advancing forward. We need more informed people and voters. This article just really spoke to me and made me feel better about my decision. I also hope to get this kind of flexibility at some point in my career to make these lesson plans a reality.