I was once told back in elementary school that my work was of low culture; this was due to the fact that I was using the subject matter of rap music. My teacher told me that because the music had swear words in it that it was wasn’t okay to use. She essentially was saying that rap music was low culture compared to my peers’ taste in music, which she considered high culture (she didn’t say it explicitly, but it was heavily implied). Being that I was a child, I simply listened to what my teacher told me and switched my topic to some pop song–for the particular song, I cannot remember–but looking back at it, I definitely should have stood my ground. I’m currently extremely passionate about hip-hop music–I even make some music every week–and thinking about my teacher’s previous actions makes me value my education from that class less. Completely limiting a child from their interests at a very young, susceptible age could drastically change one’s passions in life later down the line. I’m glad that act didn’t prohibit my hip-hop listening hobby, but I’m just surprised that a teacher could do something like that. Reflecting on my past certainly made me appreciate Dyson’s point as some of her topics directly translated into my life.
