The Importance Of Hip Hop In School

Since the 1980s hip-hop has influenced the world greatly. Artists like Tupac and Biggie have helped make hip-hop the mainstream phenomena it is today. The hip-hop culture is everywhere today and it affects people of all ages. In discussions of hip-hop, one controversial issue has been hip-hop 's place in school. On the one hand, many teachers argue against using hip-hop in schools to educate young students because of the negative messages hip-hop music conveys. On the other hand, other teachers contends hip-hop is a good resource to educate students. From this perspective, educators notice that among students hip-hop is widely popular. Students look up to hip-hop artists and spend their free time listening to hip-hop music. The radio, TV, and

Hip-hop is not just a type of music that people sing. It is a culture that teachers can teach their students. School is where kids learn about different ways people make meaning to their life and hip-hop should not be an exception. One high school students states, “Hip-hop is a culture and it’s just like learning about the Aztecs or the Mayans. We learn the origin, customs, and traditions [of hip-hop] (Mooney).” Anyone familiar to with hip-hop should agree that hip-hop is a culture and with any culture there are things to be learned. If educators avoid hip-hop in classrooms, kids are losing out on important discussions about modern cultures. Some may disagree about including hip-hop in the curriculum, but hip-hop is very useful in education. Hip-hop is not just good for teaching kids; some songs can lead to meaningful discussions. Many artists have songs that are uplifting and are socially conscious. By including these songs, students can have meaningful discussions about the messages hip-hop conveys (Mooney). Hip-hop can lead to discussions about important issues society faces today since most songs deal with social issues. Thus, kids are more in-tune with society from discussions about hip-hop. Although including hip-hop in schools today may seem trivial, it is in fact crucial in today’s concern over students being aware of the larger world around them. Including hip-hop makes kids more aware and better analyzers of the world

Hip-hop driven classes allow kids to be more engaged into what they are learning which makes students more educated. Additionally, hip-hop’s culture can teach kids about the hardships of life they may not experience which makes the students more socially aware. Educators want nothing more then their students to be interested in what they are learning which is why hip-hop should be included in their classes. Although some stick educators and parents may fear for the worst when hip-hop is incorporated in their students lives, they should worry because hip-hop can have a positive influence in the lives of young students. Despite the discussion of hip-hop’s place in education may seem trivial, it is in fact crucial in terms of today’s concern over what students are exposed to. Kids today are so invested in social media and they are swayed easily by the words of what celebrities say; this alarms parents which makes them want to guard them from anything that may steer them in the wrong direction. Hip-hop music can be controversial at times, but this does not mean parents and educators should prevent them from seeing hip-hop’s educational value. Thus, hip-hop inclusion in education should be celebrated by students, teachers, and parents because in the end students are becoming better educated