By Louis (Zhang Langge) from 2401

Good morning, respected teachers and dear fellow students! I'm Louis from 2401.

It's an honor to stand here today at our flag-raising ceremony and share my thoughts on the question: Should Students Design Their Own Curriculum?

Let's start with why this matters. Right now, our curriculum is mostly shaped by educators—and while their expertise is invaluable, we students are the ones who live with the results every day.  When we have a voice in designing what we learn, magic happens. For example, a student passionate about climate action might push for more lessons on sustainability; someone interested in tech could advocate for coding workshops. This personalized approach makes learning feel like our journey, not just a checklist of tasks. It also builds responsibility: when we choose our own topics, we're more likely to show up, ask questions, and take pride in our progress. Most importantly, our input can make the curriculum feel more relevant—adding topics like mental health literacy or digital citizenship, which matter deeply to our generation but often  get overlooked.

But let's be honest: full student control isn't the answer. Teachers and curriculum designers have spent years studying how to build foundational knowledge—skills like math, writing, and critical thinking that we'll need for college and life, even if they don't feel "exciting" right now. If we had free rein, we might skip those essential subjects, leaving ourselves underprepared. There's also the issue of fairness: not all students have the same access to resources or guidance to design a balanced curriculum. And we need structure to ensure everyone meets academic standards, so we're all on a level playing field.