I didn’t realize until now that my elementary school also treated Art blocks as the ‘fun’ and academic blocks to need more intellectual attention and focus in my elementary school too. As a young student, I felt the same way; arts and crafts were exciting while literature felt tiring. I remember afternoons had a bit more focus on P.E., music, and arts, but I can’t recall if these were taught during the morning period. However, it’s very clear that we shouldn’t create a hierarchy on which courses are more valuable than others (while difficulties vary), and that art is another form of valuable thinking that leads to deep reflective practices.
When I read the first paragraph under section on Null Curriculum, what came to mind wasn’t school but today’s media. Say, if your local or national media doesn’t report important global (or even specific local) events and situations, citizens remain uninformed and unaware. Omitting information can signal devaluation or ignorance, ultimately representing what the government or national media does not consider to be important.
Before reading this article, I thought of ‘school curriculum’ as the component of learning that is well-planned for students, but this was only at the surface-level of what it represents. Learning doesn’t just come from what is explicitly taught by teachers in class, but everything that the student notices and doesn’t notice. Biases can never be fully removed, but there are still so many areas of the curriculum that could be reconsidered to enrich student learning if we can identify all components of the curriculum. Within time constraints on each subject, it’s difficult for administrators to design curricula that fully captures its meaning, and for teachers to integrate it into their lessons and classroom practice.
I really enjoyed reading this. The way you noticed how art was treated as the “fun” subject while others were taken more seriously is such a relatable example of the hidden messages schools send. You captured well how that shaped your own experience of learning.
ReplyDeleteI thought your link between the null curriculum and media coverage was a really sharp connection. It’s not just schools that send messages through what’s left out — your point about news omissions made me stop and think about how this works in wider society too.
I also liked how you ended by reflecting on your own shift in understanding — moving from seeing curriculum as a plan on paper to realizing it’s so much bigger. That’s exactly the kind of growth this reading is meant to spark.
If you want to take it further, you could try adding a specific classroom moment — even a small one — to show how a teacher might deal with these hidden or missing lessons.