EDITORIAL: Somewhere in America

Three teen girls send a powerful message through a spoken word.

Jessica Guzman

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A viral video from “The Queen Latifah Show” showcased three girls, Belissa Escobedo, Rhiannon McGavin and Zariya Allen, performing their ‘spoken word’ on the problems in today’s America. It covered many issues from what is going wrong inside to outside of the classroom. These three girls are determined to change the world by speaking their opinion.

In school, students learn to soak up all the knowledge displayed to them through the books read during class. The issue with this is that in not all classes in America are given the same opportunities to learn the same things. Other schools do not get to read the same books or learn the same material because their views are restricted when learning in the classroom. However, in school, students learn that knowledge learned during this time shapes kids to be more intelligent. With schools not allowing their students to read books such as “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “Catcher in the Rye,” it restricts their adaptation of different opinions and views that can formerly make one a better person in the future all because of risky vocabulary.

When it comes down to it, the teachers never taught pupils right from wrong at school. The teachers are solely required to teach students what they have to by the end of the semester to get the job done.

There are multiple issues in America concerning the lack of what students are learning, and the lessons these students actually do learn are not even taught in the classroom.

The lack of education is linked to ongoing issues outside of the classroom. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the poverty rate increased 12.2 percent in urban areas and 9.6 percent in rural areas. The poverty is constantly increasing and the teachers in the run down cities glorify the top students, but fail to recognize the students who work hard off school property. Instead, these students are looked down upon. They work day in and day out, but are only seen as bad students because they lack enthusiasm and work ethic. What the teachers fail to realize is that with the lack of education they have, they also lack work ethic in school. Students are now trying to live up to a social norm that cannot be reached in all areas. One can have the choice to either be a perfect student, a perfect child or have a perfect social life, but not all of these standards can be accomplished. How can young people be able to live up to all these high standards when they are taught that they cannot even have their own opinion?

The lessons students do learn are to sit down and take a test. Sit down and stay quiet. Sit down and do your work. Not learning the lessons they need to know.

Because of the restricted views students have in school they can never fully have their own developed opinion.

Watch Belissa Escobedo, Rhiannon McGavin and Zariya Allen, members of the Get Lit organization, perform “Somewhere in America”:

Youtube.com