As a new elementary music teacher, I was eager to connect with my students, so I handed out sticky notes and pencils, asking each student to write down their favorite song. My intention was twofold: to show that I valued their interests and to engage them with music they enjoyed, using their favorite songs to teach music standards.
Excitedly, my students wrote down titles spanning country, pop, rap, and rock. Armed with hundreds of song suggestions, I sat down to listen to each one. Half an hour later, I realized that I had made an impossible task for myself. The songs were too varied, and some were just not appropriate for the classroom.
Over time, I learned that my original approach—tailoring my curriculum to align with my students’ interests—was flawed. In reality, students’ academic interests and desires need to be nurtured and shaped to appreciate knowledge that lies beyond their immediate experiences. Education is a gift, and instructional time is too valuable to be left solely to the whims of children.
Shaping Students’ Interests
While it is crucial not to stifle the natural individuality of each student, there is considerable evidence that students’ academic interests need to be cultivated. Left unchecked, young children may choose foods that are easy but lack nutritional value. For instance, a two-year-old might prefer Goldfish crackers and apple juice over a balanced meal. While this will fill their stomach, it will not nourish them properly. Similarly, students, if left to their own devices, may gravitate toward entertainment that does little to expand their knowledge. Just as young children need guidance in selecting healthy foods, students need guidance in choosing academic content that will nurture their intellectual growth.
Russell Kirk famously said that while children might read comics on their own, it is the responsibility of adults to guide them toward more enriching works, such as Shakespeare. This is one of the fundamental purposes of schooling—to expose students to knowledge beyond their current understanding and interests.
Educators Doug Lemov, Colleen Driggs, and Erica Woolway address the issue of student choice in their book Reading Reconsidered. They observed that English teachers have increasingly allowed students to select their reading materials within specific reading levels, under the assumption that student choice will foster motivation. While this approach can be useful in some contexts, it risks prioritizing personal preferences over the broader goal of intellectual development.
This shift toward a more “student-directed” curriculum is part of a larger educational trend. In The Abolition of Man, C.S. Lewis criticized the change from a knowledge-rich, teacher-guided curriculum to one focused on student autonomy. He argued that traditional education involved teachers modeling appropriate behavior for students, while the newer approach simply observed and catered to students’ preferences, without encouraging growth in areas beyond their immediate desires.
In recent years, “student-centered” or “student-directed” instruction has become popular, especially in the context of culturally responsive education. Critics of the traditional canon argue that works by Western authors, philosophers, and musicians reflect a narrow and outdated worldview, which does not resonate with today’s increasingly diverse student population. They argue that students, particularly those from minority backgrounds, should be given the freedom to choose texts that reflect their identities and values. But while it’s important to offer diverse perspectives, it’s equally important to guide students toward the broader intellectual traditions that have shaped our culture.
The challenge, then, is not to discard the canon of great works in favor of trendy or self-serving choices, but to balance respect for student identity with the responsibility to offer them a well-rounded, intellectually rigorous education.