Media literacy is not about a lesson plan, a list or menu of options, a resource or an individual event or personality. Rather, media literacy is about a process of engagement, one that offers the opportunity for reflection, interrogation, and debate (Macedo & Steniberg, 2007).

(Carr, 2009, p. 9)

This study on media education and critical analysis of the media was very striking. Thinking back to my own education, I did not have much experience with media analysis in K-12. It was in my undergraduate years that I even became aware of white privilege and power structures within our society. I echo the main point that it is essential for us to teach media literacy in schools today. Media literacy sounds like another educational buzzword that adds to the ever-growing list of what teachers today are tasked with. However, I am a strong believer in the importance of media literacy. In our strained political season, we see firsthand the importance of analyzing our media and questioning the status quo. Teachers should feel competent in understanding the media through continued support, such as professional development workshops. Teachers should also feel empowered to challenge students to analyze their own consumption of media to see what power structures are in place and how they can challenge what they are told. I feel that in many schools, teachers may feel afraid to talk about controversial topics because they don’t want to rock the boat. But, how can we empower our students to challenge the status quo, if we do no teach them how to critically analyze the media that surrounds them?