Beyond the Classroom: The Importance of Discussing Curriculum at Home

BY Noreen Awan

Issaquah School District Parent

Asking your child about their school day usually lends simple responses like, “Good,” “Nothing,” or “I don’t know.” Rarely do they share more than that. They seldom talk about the specific subjects they learned in class. Often, we as parents don’t have the time to ask. Or our questions are asked without real intention and meaning. Our schools are becoming more diverse. As we start to question the validity of certain long-standing global perspectives, now is the time to have conversations at home that are pointed and purposeful.

When our students enter their classrooms, they are often exposed to subject matters that might be completely new to them. Other times, our students might have their own personal or familial connection to something they’re learning in class. Even more importantly, our students might disagree with what is being presented in class or what’s written in the curriculum itself. When a student feels a personal connection to a subject matter, it’s a pivotal moment to welcome a conversation about it at home.

As we work hard to move towards a more culturally competent and culturally sensitive curriculum, it is important to recognize that our student’s personal and cultural experiences play an important part in their classroom environment. Conversely, they may be exposed to narratives that highlight biased attitudes or long-held prejudices in the curriculum or classroom that have not been countered before. Students may also disagree with or be negatively impacted by those perspectives. Oftentimes, addressing conflicting views in the classroom can help counter prejudice and discrimination.

Discussing global and historical events and topics at home is vital to helping our students be active learners and participants in the classroom. We must ensure that our students are also aware of their own culture, histories, and events that are personal to them. Encouraging them to raise their hand and advocate for themselves, share their own personal history, or correct what is being taught in a classroom may not be easy. However, creating a safe space and a toolkit to better educate them is a vital first step. By laying the foundations at home, we can begin to not only build our students’ knowledge of the world but help them develop skills in critical thinking.

We can start by creating a space that is encouraging and open to discussion and varying opinions. Expose your student to current affairs or world events. Balance opinions while grounding them in history. Encourage them to read, listen, or watch reputable news outlets or listen to podcasts. Ensure that your student looks out for biases and skewed perspectives. Once you have created a safe space to have these discussions, they will be better prepared and well-informed to tackle difficult topics presented in the classroom. The aim should be to develop active, empathetic, and culturally sensitive learners.

Educate yourself on the syllabus and the curriculum that your student is learning. Ask your student ageappropriate questions about what topics or events they are learning in the classroom. Ask them what they know about it. Leave the conversation fluid so you can comfortably ask each other questions. Share your personal or family history regarding the subject and how it impacted your life or that of your family or country.

Look for the humanitarian side of the story to create empathy and understanding. Be open to talking about difficulties or trauma experienced. Discuss the people who led movements for positive change. Help them understand the impact of the event and varying perspectives so that they are informed and knowledgeable.

Center the conversations around the voices of marginalized people. Talk about the systemic barriers they faced and, in many cases, continue to face. These include barriers such as racism, colonialism, and supremacist ideologies. Creating awareness will help our students be well-versed in these matters. It will also motivate them to be citizens who help dismantle these barriers and create systems for change.

Encouraging our students to have meaningful conversations at home is a sure gateway to better understanding their own lives and the lives of others. Creating this foundation will hopefully teach them to be observant, perceptive, and active in their own communities as well as the greater world in which they live.