Editor’s Note 

Reflecting. As the school year comes to an end, students will spend some time reflecting on what they have been taught. Whether it’s what they learned in class or from the real world. Freshmen have learned how to drive while seniors are becoming adults. They reflect on the content they’ve been taught by their teachers and think about when they will use it outside of school. 

Will I really need to know what the Pythagorean theorem is in order to become an elementary school teacher? I think about if I will remember what I learned in a couple of years when I am really narrowing down my degree. I will use the MLA format for essays but will I use my knowledge of World War 1 history? Although I have been taught many important lessons, there were a lot of lessons that I felt I am leaving high school without knowing. 

This issue’s package was inspired by a Facebook post on the Shawnee Heights Community group page. A freshman parent posted her concern about a book her child is reading titled, The Hate U Give. The post has since been deleted, but it was a picture of a page from the book that brought the concern.

This post sparked extensive banter both online and in the newspaper classroom about the content we are being taught. What are we learning in school? Is it preparing us for the real world or is it old content? Are books from before we were born worth the read? Are they about current events that teenagers go through every day? 

The Hate U Give covers an African-American girl who goes to a primarily white prep school. After an incident, she must find her voice and stand up for what she believes. This book was written in 2017 which makes it the most recently written book that a class reads. It covers a teenager from Gen Z which may be more relatable to other teenagers.

The book features scenes of mild sexual content which resulted in a conversation about the sexual education we’re taught in school. We learn about different infections which is beneficial but we do not learn about contraceptives. The school does not have a sexual education class but instead has the content covered in a class titled Teen Topics. 

I personally felt as if I was not taught enough about sexual education. The school promotes abstinence due to the state laws which I feel is unfair. A school can educate its students on contraceptives without promoting sexual behaviors. 

Consent is another part of sexual acts that is not discussed. Why don’t we learn about the levels of consent? Oftentimes people get coerced into sexual activity but don’t realize it’s assault due to their lack of education in consent.

This issue explores the literature we are taught as well as the sexual education that is offered. It covers the differences between healthy and unhealthy relationships among teenagers and debates whether or not social media plays a role in these discussions. 

*This is a reflection of the writer’s opinions and does not speak for the class as a whole.