‘Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift — that’s why it’s called the present” is often attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt.

If today is a gift, then students deserve the tools to understand the world they’re living in. Our world is always changing. Through this change, it has become evident that it is crucial the children in our society are informed about current events.

Peoria Academy Journalism Club believes that middle schoolers should be educated on current events, as well as historical ones. This is because there are many conspiracies and much misinformation surrounding these topics. For instance, many students encounter false celebrity news or exaggerated science claims online without realizing they’re inaccurate. These classes could help students create an educated opinion based on what they understand and what aligns with their values.

Despite this need, as far as we are aware, not many schools provide a positive space that feels safe to discuss these current events. Teaching these topics can encourage students to develop their own opinions. However, it is important to facilitate students in finding their voices on a particular issue without the teacher’s political viewpoint influencing them.

The only question now is What is the balance; where should we place the line?

This concern is especially significant given that in the United States there is a large percentage of students who are not aware of current events happening in the world. Many of these students are not informed of how to distinguish real and fake information. According to a report by the News Literacy Project, most teens on social media encounter conspiracy theories and are inclined to believe one or more of them.

As middle school students, we are beginning to form who we are. Learning about current issues and creating an opinion is a part of this transition. It is important to know this information for a multitude of reasons. It helps us understand worldwide and national events. Furthermore, it will help create well-rounded students and future voters. In addition, getting multiple perspectives about these topics helps us have a wider knowledge of how everyone in the world views certain situations. Getting opinions from not just your parents but also from your teachers and classmates helps show how people’s different experiences shape their opinions. This understanding of different perspectives can help us shape an extraordinary future.

Achieving this kind of future requires teachers to create learning environments where these discussions can happen safely and thoughtfully. We propose that this type of curriculum could be taught similarly to a world religion class. In that setting, the teacher presents what different groups believe while keeping their own opinions separate. In the same way, a current events class would focus on explaining what is happening in our government and why these events are occurring. When topics have multiple viewpoints, teachers would present both sides fairly, regardless of their personal beliefs.

It is not only essential to understand how this would work in a classroom but to know what students actually want.

While there aren’t many credible sources with recently published articles (within the last couple of years) detailing statistics specifically about discussing current-day events with students, we do have opinions of peers inside and outside of the Peoria Academy classrooms. Within our school there is a major portion of students in our eighth grade who either have formed their own political opinions or show curiosity in the topics. As middle schoolers at Peoria Academy we would like to be taught more about current issues happening in the world, not just at home, but in a school setting as well. Instead of not talking about current events and leaving middle schoolers uninformed, we should encourage discussion of modern issues in a classroom.

We are aware that this is not a normality with all middle school students, but in our class, it is. What we would like to see in our classes is the possibility to discuss news and current events. We want to see all sides of a story, and have the ability to form our own opinions outside of those that we learn from our parents. The ability to do that, form our own opinions, is invaluable for a middle schooler. It teaches critical thinking, independence, and skills that are necessary as we grow into adults.

By Emelia Stevenson, Iyla Robinson, Lea Lagache, Ammini Guzzardo, Amelie Egan