Carly's Ramblings Blog - Style

Heroes of Pop Culture, Educational System & Social Media

Today's blogs....

Blog City – Day 279

Prompt: In movies and fiction, cartoonish heroes and characters such as Rambo, Batman, Indiana Jones, Wonder Woman and The Warrior Princess Zena charm the audiences. Why do you think is this popularity of cartoonish heroes, and why are they so loved in popular culture?

Is it cartoonish or a stereotype or archetype that we feel drawn to? We secretly want to be them or be like them. They cut to the heart of good conquering evil. Right over wrong. It is a satisfying finish as they always prevail and overcome the obstacles thrown at them.

Since our world is never so black and white, cut and dried, I think we feel drawn to these heroes as a way of dealing with the complexities the world throws at us. They are simple and satisfying in their predictability.

Welcome To My Reality – Week Fifty – One

2. Choose one thing you would change about the current education system and why.

Having worked in the educational system most of my adult life I have seen trends come and go. Some, I see as helpful and benefiting the greater whole, some I see changing things and we will take years to see the full effects.

Presently I have two concerns. One relates to full time Kindergarten. The other relates to the play sense nature of Kindergarten and how it impacts the students as they move into grade one.

First, full day Kindergarten. It is a long day. Classes are large and many of the junior Kindies are only three years old when they start. Some of them are just not ready.

Kindergarten for me was half a day, everyday and we had a nap time. These little guys are go, go, go. By the end of the day they are done and so are the teachers. There are also around 27 children in each class with a teacher and an early childhood educator.

When I did my practicum teaching ten years ago, Kindergarten was a bit more structured than it is now. Children had blocks of time to play and explore, but there were also more structured learning times and a 'teacher job' that had students try something each day to see where they were advancing. It was also only half days. Now it is a free for all all day long. What is taught is based on student interest... that is good and not so good. It also makes it more of a transition when the students go on to grade one. Some do not know how to hold a pencil (because that did not interest them) and one grade one teacher told me a student said, "I am done with this. I don't want to do it anymore." when given classroom work that was supposed to be done by all.

Not sure how I would change this except maybe to have senior Kindies do a bit more structured things to get them ready for grade one and junior Kindies be more play based. They all need to learn the social aspects. I had one teacher tell me that the students were great on technology but were not so great socially. Oh such a pickle it all is. And there is also the element of socio-economic elements - some children know more because their families can give them more access to things, other children have no idea. If they have no idea how are they to know they may be interested in it unless a teacher introduces the concepts.

3. What is your opinion on video games?

Everything in moderation. Personally, I am not a player of video games, but my husband enjoys them. He tends to play only when the weather gets cold and miserable outside and very often in the winter evenings. He has a healthy balance of fun playing and getting his work and responsibilities accomplished before hand.

Some people who get lost in the video game world may lose a sense of reality and feel disconnected. Some violent games may cause them to act aggressively, but for others it can be cathartic. I think that depends on the person.
That is why I say, everything in moderation and know your own limits.

5. How do you think social media and smart phones have affected social etiquette?

I like face to face contact. I like the social interaction of a group of people or one to one. I like observing people and getting a sense of them in the real not the artificial. You cannot hide as well when you are in direct contact, eye to eye interaction. I not a huge fan of phone conversations, either. I prefer to see the real live person.

Social media and smart phones are a double edged sword. There are benefits and repercussions that effect us all.

I like social media and smart phones for their convenience, but I worry that the younger generation will get lost in the polite intricacies of face to face communication. I think it harms us in ways we have yet to see or fully acknowledge.

Some people are so tied to their devices they are lost without them. They check them constantly and never get a moments piece from the byplay of their lives. We do not have to be in on every little thing. Stories are developed from not being in on everything. Wait for it. The anticipation is sweet. This immediacy, the 'got to know now' frenzy is diminishing us as a whole and that saddens me.

I think it is important to put a cap on social media and cell phone use. Have times when those devices are put away. Encourage face to face interaction. Talk, listen, play off the grid.

What drives me around the bend is seeing people on their phones when having a meal with others. I always think - enjoy the interaction with the people you are with, not the ones not there. If they could not make it, it is their loss. Don't let them in and impinge on your face to face time. Give the people you are with your time and attention. They deserve it.

This is particularly a sore spot with me for me when an adult does it around a child. Give that child your attention. Talk and listen. Connect. That time you take, will give back to you in the future. Tuning them out and focusing on the wee screen teaches them they are not important, teaches them to do the same thing to others and diminishes us and our social fabric. I have also read parents have been found to have a shorter fuse when dealing with children when they are on their devices.

It is different when a group gets together and surfs or writes together. I have gone to get togethers that we have done just that - we do talk and share what we find. Communication rises about and around what we discover on the devices themselves.

NaNoWriMo write ins are like that - we talk, then settle in to write, then reconnect afterward. I find the write ins are more social, but writing still happens. And writing with like minded people is such fun. I get a boost to my writing motivation and get meet others with similar interests.

So in some ways it can bring people together, but we must be careful how much we let it invade our lives.