---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The content of the curriculum should…"
description: "\"The content of the curriculum should never exclude the realities of the very students who must intellectually wrestle with it. When students study all ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/450/johnnetta-b-cole-29372_curriculum_the-content-of-the-curriculum-should-nev_2716768.jpg"
---

#  The content of the curriculum should never exclude the…

![“The content of the curriculum should never exclude the realities of the very students who must intellectually wrestle with it. When students study all worlds except their own, they are miseducated.” quote by Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/450/johnnetta-b-cole-29372_curriculum_the-content-of-the-curriculum-should-nev_2716768.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/450/johnnetta-b-cole-29372_curriculum_the-content-of-the-curriculum-should-nev_2716768.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/450/johnnetta-b-cole-29372_curriculum_the-content-of-the-curriculum-should-nev_2716768.jpg)

> “The content of the curriculum should never exclude the realities of the very students who must intellectually wrestle with it. When students study all worlds except their own, they are miseducated.”

[Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Curricula must reflect students' lived realities; ignoring them leads to miseducation and disengagement.

**In simple terms:** Teach what students experience.

Key Takeaway

Integrate students' perspectives into lessons.

Themes

education identity inclusion relevance

Mood

empathetic critical

Type

educational activist

When to use this quote

- classroom teaching
- policy making
- community workshops

Key Concepts

pedagogy social justice curriculum design

Questions to Reflect On

- How can curricula become more inclusive?
- What voices are currently missing?

A Different Perspective

Implementation can face institutional resistance.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Content Curriculum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/content-curriculum-2850391/) [Curriculum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/curriculum/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Education reform](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education-reform/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Realities Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realities-students-2206036/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/students/) [Students Intellectually](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/students-intellectually-2850389/) [Study](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/study/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Worlds Miseducated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worlds-miseducated-2850390/)

## Related quotes

> [I think educational systems have to be more nimble, have to be more adapted to today's realities where students can go in different directions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-azevedo/i-think-educational-systems-have-to-be-more-nimble-have-to-be-more/)

[Roberto Azevedo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-azevedo/)

> [In an age when schools are facing significant budgetary restraints, there is a greater need than ever to make chess available to as many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-kasparov/in-an-age-when-schools-are-facing-significant-budgetary-restraints/)

[Garry Kasparov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-kasparov/)

> [Chuck Swindoll is somebody who I've read a lot over the years and have used his curriculum when I've taught Sunday school classes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-thune/chuck-swindoll-is-somebody-who-i-ve-read-a-lot-over-the-years-and/)

[John Thune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-thune/)

> [The motives of these parents vary, many parents don't like the curriculum being taught to their kids, or are wary of the threat of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-istook/the-motives-of-these-parents-vary-many-parents-don-t-like-the/)

[Ernest Istook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-istook/)

> [But since there is but one aim for the entire state, it follows that education must be one and the same for all, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/but-since-there-is-but-one-aim-for-the-entire-state-it-follows-that/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

> [Not to teach the whole curriculum is to give up on the whole man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/not-to-teach-the-whole-curriculum-is-to-give-up-on-the-whole-man/)

[Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/)

> [Inna the school and the college and the institution. The curriculum that I get is European.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/capleton/inna-the-school-and-the-college-and-the-institution-the-curriculum/)

[Capleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/capleton/)

> [Without music in schools' curriculum, there is a void for young people to express, explore, and experience music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rodgers/without-music-in-schools-curriculum-there-is-a-void-for-young-people/)

[Paul Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rodgers/)

> [I think my deepest criticism of the educational system . . . is that it's all based upon a distrust of the student. Don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-rogers/i-think-my-deepest-criticism-of-the-educational-system-is-that-it-s/)

[Carl Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-rogers/)

> [I would argue that the charter schools are really good at building programming and curriculum around the issues and the interests of the kids…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-baker/i-would-argue-that-the-charter-schools-are-really-good-at-building/)

[Charlie Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-baker/)

> [In some suburban schools, the curriculum is chock-full of rigorous A.P. courses and the parking lot glitters with pricey SUVs, but one doesn't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfie-kohn/in-some-suburban-schools-the-curriculum-is-chock-full-of-rigorous-a-p/)

[Alfie Kohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfie-kohn/)

> [A strong accountability system needs to broaden, not narrow, the curriculum. That cannot happen if you only have accountability without adequate school funding. Until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-gelber/a-strong-accountability-system-needs-to-broaden-not-narrow-the/)

[Dan Gelber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-gelber/)

> [The school curriculum today, particularly American history, is a shame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/the-school-curriculum-today-particularly-american-history-is-a-shame/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [The unfortunate, yet truly exciting thing about your life, is that there is no core curriculum. The entire place is an elective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/the-unfortunate-yet-truly-exciting-thing-about-your-life-is-that/)

[Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/)

> [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

## More by Johnnetta B. Cole

> [if we center our lives on BMWs, RVs, VCRs, PCs and the other acronyms of consumerism, we cannot expect our children to do otherwise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/if-we-center-our-lives-on-bmws-rvs-vcrs-pcs-and-the-other-acronyms-of/)

[Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/)

> [The ultimate expression of generosity is not in giving of what you have, but in giving of who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/the-ultimate-expression-of-generosity-is-not-in-giving-of-what-you/)

[Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/)

> [the trouble with a woman standing behind her man is that she can't see where she is going!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/the-trouble-with-a-woman-standing-behind-her-man-is-that-she-can-t/)

[Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/)

> [The woman who bore me is no longer alive, but I seem to be her daughter in increasingly profound ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/the-woman-who-bore-me-is-no-longer-alive-but-i-seem-to-be-her/)

[Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/)

> [What you give ought to be in direct relationship to what you've received. If you have been blessed with a great deal, then you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/what-you-give-ought-to-be-in-direct-relationship-to-what-you-ve/)

[Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/)

> [The histories of the poor and the powerless are as important as those of their conquerors, their colonizers, their kings and queens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/the-histories-of-the-poor-and-the-powerless-are-as-important-as-those/)

[Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/)

> [The more we pull together toward a new day, the less it matters what pushed us apart in the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/the-more-we-pull-together-toward-a-new-day-the-less-it-matters-what/)

[Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/)

> [There are not many of us African American Sister Presidents, and those of us who are in this field do not have an easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/there-are-not-many-of-us-african-american-sister-presidents-and-those/)

[Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/)

> [If folks can learn to be racist, then they can learn to be anti racist. If being sexist ain't genetic, then, dad gum, people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/if-folks-can-learn-to-be-racist-then-they-can-learn-to-be-anti-racist/)

[Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/)

> [Now, if you want to know my secret love, it is to be able to serve as an example.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/now-if-you-want-to-know-my-secret-love-it-is-to-be-able-to-serve-as/)

[Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/)

> [An education that teaches you to understand something about the world has done only half of the assignment. The other half is to teach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/an-education-that-teaches-you-to-understand-something-about-the-world/)

[Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/)

> [racism is alive and doing too well in America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/racism-is-alive-and-doing-too-well-in-america/)

[Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/)

> [Crisis' seems to be too mild a word to describe conditions in countless African-American communities. It is beyond crisis when in the richest nation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/crisis-seems-to-be-too-mild-a-word-to-describe-conditions-in/)

[Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/)

> [Show me someone content with mediocrity and I'll show you someone destined for failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/show-me-someone-content-with-mediocrity-and-i-ll-show-you-someone/)

[Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/)

> [Faced with what seems like an impossible task, a group of folks will do well to remember the African proverb: When spider webs unite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/faced-with-what-seems-like-an-impossible-task-a-group-of-folks-will/)

[Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/)

[Explore all 18 Johnnetta B. Cole quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/)

## More Curriculum quotes

> [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [Love is the supreme form of communication. In the hierarchy of needs, love stands as the supreme developing agent of the humanity of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-montagu/love-is-the-supreme-form-of-communication-in-the-hierarchy-of-needs/)

[Ashley Montagu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-montagu/)

> [They don't really focus on that history here in America. I remember growing up as a kid, history class was very washed-over. They didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldis-hodge/they-don-t-really-focus-on-that-history-here-in-america-i-remember/)

[Aldis Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldis-hodge/)

> [The unfortunate, yet truly exciting thing about your life, is that there is no core curriculum. The entire place is an elective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/the-unfortunate-yet-truly-exciting-thing-about-your-life-is-that/)

[Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/)

> [To change the media, you're gonna have to totally throw out every journalism school and get rid of everybody in every newsroom, and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/to-change-the-media-you-re-gonna-have-to-totally-throw-out-every/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [The school curriculum today, particularly American history, is a shame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/the-school-curriculum-today-particularly-american-history-is-a-shame/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [A strong accountability system needs to broaden, not narrow, the curriculum. That cannot happen if you only have accountability without adequate school funding. Until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-gelber/a-strong-accountability-system-needs-to-broaden-not-narrow-the/)

[Dan Gelber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-gelber/)

> [In some suburban schools, the curriculum is chock-full of rigorous A.P. courses and the parking lot glitters with pricey SUVs, but one doesn't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfie-kohn/in-some-suburban-schools-the-curriculum-is-chock-full-of-rigorous-a-p/)

[Alfie Kohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfie-kohn/)

> [I would argue that the charter schools are really good at building programming and curriculum around the issues and the interests of the kids…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-baker/i-would-argue-that-the-charter-schools-are-really-good-at-building/)

[Charlie Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-baker/)

> [I do believe that when your child does poorly on a test, your first step should not necessarily be to attack the teacher or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-chua/i-do-believe-that-when-your-child-does-poorly-on-a-test-your-first/)

[Amy Chua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-chua/)

> [Everybody is unique. Compare not yourself with anybody else lest you spoil God's curriculum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baal-shem-tov/everybody-is-unique-compare-not-yourself-with-anybody-else-lest-you/)

[Baal Shem Tov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baal-shem-tov/)

> [As I have grown older I am more and more convinced that I have not grown up, that my powers have not come to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corra-may-harris/as-i-have-grown-older-i-am-more-and-more-convinced-that-i-have-not/)

[Corra May Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corra-may-harris/)

> [We need to challenge our own theology, challenge the curriculum of our Bible schools and our seminaries, and ask simple questions. Are we teaching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myles-munroe/we-need-to-challenge-our-own-theology-challenge-the-curriculum-of-our/)

[Myles Munroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myles-munroe/)

> [Now have two generations whose minds have been totally perverted, polluted, and destroyed by the American public education system, and, in particular, the history…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/now-have-two-generations-whose-minds-have-been-totally-perverted/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [Every relationship, every situation is part of a divinely created and highly specific curriculum for your soul growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/every-relationship-every-situation-is-part-of-a-divinely-created-and/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

[Browse all 280 Curriculum quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/curriculum/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The content of the curriculum should never exclude the realities of the very students who must intellectually wrestle with it. When students study all worlds except their own, they are miseducated.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Johnnetta B. Cole"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/the-content-of-the-curriculum-should-never-exclude-the-realities-of/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Curriculum"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/the-content-of-the-curriculum-should-never-exclude-the-realities-of/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/450/johnnetta-b-cole-29372_curriculum_the-content-of-the-curriculum-should-nev_2716768.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/450/johnnetta-b-cole-29372_curriculum_the-content-of-the-curriculum-should-nev_2716768.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/450/johnnetta-b-cole-29372_curriculum_the-content-of-the-curriculum-should-nev_2716768.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The content of the curriculum should never exclude the realities of the very students who must…” — Johnnetta B. Cole",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Johnnetta B. Cole",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The content of the curriculum should...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/the-content-of-the-curriculum-should-never-exclude-the-realities-of/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/the-content-of-the-curriculum-should-never-exclude-the-realities-of/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```