Being educated about current events isn’t social media’s responsibility, it’s the school’s. But at ETHS, this focus is barely addressed.

In the last month, news feeds, Twitter streams and TV headlines were blowing up with news. Charlie Hebdo, free community college, controversy in the NFL were just a few of the flares that tore across the nation. But were any of these stories, let alone the thousands of others, ever brought up and thoroughly discussed in class?

Current events discussion is another tool that can connect a classroom and broaden a student’s knowledge on the world around them; however, it is a tool that has been lost here at Evanston.

We understand that ETHS has made strides in the right direction. Teachers are incorporating more current events into their periods, there’s a new modern history option for sophomores, but there are still concerns. Shouldn’t all kids have access to these important discussions about world news? Shouldn’t we not limit what we talk about to a defined curriculum? Shouldn’t we debate events regardless of religious, ethnic and gender censorship?

We at the Evanstonian feel like yes is the answer to all these questions, and that more opportunities should be added to educate students about the world around them. That could be teacher-led debates in lunchrooms every month, designated time for students to connect what they are doing in class to world around them, or simply a discussion based class that focuses only on current events. Log off Facebook and Twitter now, it’s our job to keep you informed.