It often seems like some unspoken rule, that the goal of bettering education is to teach kids valuable skills at a younger age, so that they might have time to learn more while they are in school. Kids skip grades, take advanced classes and have private tutors so that they're always just a few steps ahead of normal.
In a way, it's sort of great. A smart child who wants to be a doctor, can get to college quicker and with more valuable skills and as a result they can graduate and go to med school quicker and become a successful doctor quicker. The kid was able to achieve their goals in little time. Still, I wonder, what- if anything- they had to sacrifice.
Say a school wanted to produce great authors for example. They saw that being a great author required writing skills to capture scenes and emotions, but also a great deal of imagination. The school could see that young children have endless supplies of imagination and as they get older the imagination seems to dwindle away. So, the school decides that the best solution is to try to teach kids writing skills at an earlier age. That way, young children could use their skills to capture their imaginative skills on paper and- voila!- Great authors!
But that's not the only way to go about the situation, which the school may or may not have missed. If it's just a matter of endless imagination and writing skill, then perhaps they could develop writing skills at the normal rate and work on teaching children how to keep their imaginations longer. That way instead of having children how are superb writers, they have adults who are highly imaginative. And voila once again- great authors!
Here's the thing, I was going to try to sound all unbiased right here, but as I was thinking I realized something. Advances in education are excellent and should never be overlooked, but while some children are able to pick up the pace and learn at a faster rate, others wont be able to keep up. Perhaps, introducing writing skills to children at an earlier age would benefit some children, but I can't imagine that it would benefit all. That's why I favor encouraging imagination.
Kids already have a great imagination. They're always making up stories and scenarios. Sometimes it's like they're living in a completely different world. Why not work with something they already have? That way, children aren't stressed by doing something they are just incapable of doing. Instead they are praised for doing something they already love to do.
Then the world is happy and filled with great authors. Voila! Perfect solution.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Words
Sometimes when you read a book it's ridiculously easy to find the quotes and passages that are popular. It's like, you'll just be reading and then you'll see this sentence and it's obvious that everyone who's ever read that sentence remembers it.
It really is amazing. Like, if I mention The Perks of Being a Wallflower to anyone who's read it, they'll know instantly what I'm talking about when I mention the part where they feel infinite. Obviously, that's good writing.
But, sometimes, you read something and you think that everyone would remember it, and they don't. It just so happens that there's a small passage in The Perks of Being a Wallflower, that I really like. I just searched for it on the Internet though and couldn't find it. Anyways, I flipped through my book and found it fairly quickly, but it surprised me that other people didn't seem to appreciate it as much as me. I personally think it's one of the best parts.
"So, tomorrow, I'm leaving. And I'm not going to let that happen again with anyone else. I'm going to do what I want to do. I'm going to be who I really am. And I'm going to figure out what that is. But right now I'm here with you. And I want to know where you are, what you need, and what you want to do."
Maybe, I just feel like I relate to Sam, because a couple pages earlier there's this conversation that just feels so much like my life.
" 'I'm really scared to be alone at college.'
'You are?' I asked. I never really thought of that before.
'Just like you're really scared to be alone here.'
'Okay.' I nodded
'So, I'll make you a deal. When things get to be too much at college, I'll call you, and when things get to be too much here, you call me.' "
Yeah, if I haven't ever mentioned this before, leaving is just as hard for the leaver as it is for the leavee. I've been both and I've never liked it.
Well, anyways, I think Sam is awesome. Perks of Being a Wallflower is awesome. Quotes are awesome. Yay to awesome!
It really is amazing. Like, if I mention The Perks of Being a Wallflower to anyone who's read it, they'll know instantly what I'm talking about when I mention the part where they feel infinite. Obviously, that's good writing.
But, sometimes, you read something and you think that everyone would remember it, and they don't. It just so happens that there's a small passage in The Perks of Being a Wallflower, that I really like. I just searched for it on the Internet though and couldn't find it. Anyways, I flipped through my book and found it fairly quickly, but it surprised me that other people didn't seem to appreciate it as much as me. I personally think it's one of the best parts.
"So, tomorrow, I'm leaving. And I'm not going to let that happen again with anyone else. I'm going to do what I want to do. I'm going to be who I really am. And I'm going to figure out what that is. But right now I'm here with you. And I want to know where you are, what you need, and what you want to do."
Maybe, I just feel like I relate to Sam, because a couple pages earlier there's this conversation that just feels so much like my life.
" 'I'm really scared to be alone at college.'
'You are?' I asked. I never really thought of that before.
'Just like you're really scared to be alone here.'
'Okay.' I nodded
'So, I'll make you a deal. When things get to be too much at college, I'll call you, and when things get to be too much here, you call me.' "
Yeah, if I haven't ever mentioned this before, leaving is just as hard for the leaver as it is for the leavee. I've been both and I've never liked it.
Well, anyways, I think Sam is awesome. Perks of Being a Wallflower is awesome. Quotes are awesome. Yay to awesome!
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Cabin Fever
I've heard people say that when you go off to college, you shouldn't talk with your friends and family from back home for a while. You need to settle in to your new place, meet new people, grow your new roots. Going away is an opportunity to grow in so many ways.
But to go away and really grow, you have to suffer that bit of homesickness. You have to learn to adapt to that new environment. If you don't call back home every five seconds, then you adapt quickly. You learn fast and soon a place that seemed foreign is like another home. That's why traveling is so important. It teaches you how to learn, adapt and grow. It teaches you the things you can't be taught in class.
It's not easy though. Life is short, right? So why give up even a single moment you could share with your loved ones? Because, there's more out there. Because, they want you to be happy, and who could be happy not knowing, when they know there's so much else to know? Because, it's completely and totally worth it.
Home is important. It's absolutely, positively essential to have that place you can go back to and feel safe. There has to be something constant in life and that's what home is. Still, to really grow and learn you have to get away from home. You have to get out of your comfort zone and not waste any time in doing so.
You need to make mistakes, meet strange people, try things you'd never think to try, go places you didn't know existed. You need to have adventures and possibly even some near death experiences. You need to travel, because you'll be better for doing so.
The problem with home and friends and family is that they hold you back. They've given you adventures and fun and happiness, but it's always sort of the same, because they're the same old people. They all get boring. And even though you still love them and it's heartbreaking to think about leaving them, you need to get away from them, because they're holding you back. It's not just them though- it's who you are around them. I speak from experience when I say that you'll do things you never would have done with any of your friends from home around, when you travel.
To give up a year of time at home is heartbreaking. To give up a year in a foreign place is heartbreaking. The trouble is figuring out which is more heartbreaking. The answer is always, to give up a year in a foreign place. Let's be honest. By the time anyone is old enough to travel on their own and are old enough to have a place that's definitely home and has been for many years, we know home well. If life really is short, then it's time to get on living. Wouldn't it be horrible to have people say at your funeral, "She was a nice girl, who stayed at home a lot"? I'd rather be "An adventurous, crazy, slightly impossible girl, who was always wandering off to the strangest places. She knew the world and made many friends."
There's so much more to see. I think when I go off to all those far away places, I'll be sadder to leave than anyone will be to see me go, but I absolutely have to do it. The cabin fever will kill me before homesickness ever will.
But to go away and really grow, you have to suffer that bit of homesickness. You have to learn to adapt to that new environment. If you don't call back home every five seconds, then you adapt quickly. You learn fast and soon a place that seemed foreign is like another home. That's why traveling is so important. It teaches you how to learn, adapt and grow. It teaches you the things you can't be taught in class.
It's not easy though. Life is short, right? So why give up even a single moment you could share with your loved ones? Because, there's more out there. Because, they want you to be happy, and who could be happy not knowing, when they know there's so much else to know? Because, it's completely and totally worth it.
Home is important. It's absolutely, positively essential to have that place you can go back to and feel safe. There has to be something constant in life and that's what home is. Still, to really grow and learn you have to get away from home. You have to get out of your comfort zone and not waste any time in doing so.
You need to make mistakes, meet strange people, try things you'd never think to try, go places you didn't know existed. You need to have adventures and possibly even some near death experiences. You need to travel, because you'll be better for doing so.
The problem with home and friends and family is that they hold you back. They've given you adventures and fun and happiness, but it's always sort of the same, because they're the same old people. They all get boring. And even though you still love them and it's heartbreaking to think about leaving them, you need to get away from them, because they're holding you back. It's not just them though- it's who you are around them. I speak from experience when I say that you'll do things you never would have done with any of your friends from home around, when you travel.
To give up a year of time at home is heartbreaking. To give up a year in a foreign place is heartbreaking. The trouble is figuring out which is more heartbreaking. The answer is always, to give up a year in a foreign place. Let's be honest. By the time anyone is old enough to travel on their own and are old enough to have a place that's definitely home and has been for many years, we know home well. If life really is short, then it's time to get on living. Wouldn't it be horrible to have people say at your funeral, "She was a nice girl, who stayed at home a lot"? I'd rather be "An adventurous, crazy, slightly impossible girl, who was always wandering off to the strangest places. She knew the world and made many friends."
There's so much more to see. I think when I go off to all those far away places, I'll be sadder to leave than anyone will be to see me go, but I absolutely have to do it. The cabin fever will kill me before homesickness ever will.
Friday, July 2, 2010
History and Psychology of Young Women's Fashion
In the 1920's, there were quite a few people who were not fond of the flapper girls. Their skirts and hair were too short. They spent too much time partying. The things they did were considered irresponsible and immature.
As a female today, it's hard not to love those flapper girls. They were the girls who finally said, "Enough is enough" and started acting and dressing the way they wanted to act and dress. They didn't care if their skirt was too short, because- to them- it wasn't. They were independent and confident. Of course, this is a bit of a generalization. There are always people in every group who aren't exactly who they claim to be. There, of course, were girls who were insecure and needy- just looking for attention and after their own selfish goals.
Still, every single one of those girls- the good and bad- changed history. And no, the flapper girls, weren't the only women to change history. I'm sure there have been women who've changed history since before history was even recorded. Suffragettes, spies, doctors, scientists, musicians, etc. have all changed history for better or worse.
What I appreciate most about the flapper girls, is what they did to change history. A bunch of ordinary girls decided to make a fashion statement and in doing so, they changed the world. It may sound a bit ridiculous- I mean, some girls dressed a bit provocatively and it actually mattered- but, it really is true.
To say I'm not passionate about fashion would be a lie, because I could probably write a book on fashion and how it makes me feel. Still, I'm not exactly the type of person you'd think of as an aspiring fashionista*. I strive for comfort and usually something that kind of matches. Clothing can be so much more than a way to cover your body though.
I find it difficult to think of a fashion magazine without thinking of vanity. Fashion is vain, but that's a good thing. When I get dressed in the morning and look in the mirror, I'm not looking to make sure I'm wearing an outfit worthy of impressing anyone else. I'm looking, because I want to see how good I look. It's a means of expressing yourself, in whatever way you choose.
Sure, other people can judge you based on how you choose to express yourself and that's not always a good thing. For example, many young women are judged poorly for wearing short skirts or skimpy outfits. Many people would say that wearing such clothing is degrading, but only if the woman wearing the clothing chooses to make it such. There are many powerful, independent and inspiring women who wear "skimpy" clothing. Cordelia Chase and Faith from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, are definitely noticeable in their tight fitting, high fashion clothing, but they're both most known for their completely confident, kick ass attitudes.
The masses of young women (who aren't dressed much better than their skimpy counterparts in their Hollister and Abercrombie wardrobes), could use a bit of an attitude adjustment. Don't we need more confident women, instead of a bunch of silly little girls who swoon over vampires? Isn't it better to stand out and be different, even if it's by wearing a slightly provocative outfit? I think, yes.
I think I'm going to wear whatever the hell I want to wear. Fashion statements can even make history, while blending in with the crowd has never done anything of any importance.
*I hate the word "fashionista" so much that it makes me cringe. I honestly don't know why I even thought of using it, but I did and now it just feels like it fits there pretty well. I think I'm pretty much going to swear never to use the word "fashionista" seriously ever again.
As a female today, it's hard not to love those flapper girls. They were the girls who finally said, "Enough is enough" and started acting and dressing the way they wanted to act and dress. They didn't care if their skirt was too short, because- to them- it wasn't. They were independent and confident. Of course, this is a bit of a generalization. There are always people in every group who aren't exactly who they claim to be. There, of course, were girls who were insecure and needy- just looking for attention and after their own selfish goals.
Still, every single one of those girls- the good and bad- changed history. And no, the flapper girls, weren't the only women to change history. I'm sure there have been women who've changed history since before history was even recorded. Suffragettes, spies, doctors, scientists, musicians, etc. have all changed history for better or worse.
What I appreciate most about the flapper girls, is what they did to change history. A bunch of ordinary girls decided to make a fashion statement and in doing so, they changed the world. It may sound a bit ridiculous- I mean, some girls dressed a bit provocatively and it actually mattered- but, it really is true.
To say I'm not passionate about fashion would be a lie, because I could probably write a book on fashion and how it makes me feel. Still, I'm not exactly the type of person you'd think of as an aspiring fashionista*. I strive for comfort and usually something that kind of matches. Clothing can be so much more than a way to cover your body though.
I find it difficult to think of a fashion magazine without thinking of vanity. Fashion is vain, but that's a good thing. When I get dressed in the morning and look in the mirror, I'm not looking to make sure I'm wearing an outfit worthy of impressing anyone else. I'm looking, because I want to see how good I look. It's a means of expressing yourself, in whatever way you choose.
Sure, other people can judge you based on how you choose to express yourself and that's not always a good thing. For example, many young women are judged poorly for wearing short skirts or skimpy outfits. Many people would say that wearing such clothing is degrading, but only if the woman wearing the clothing chooses to make it such. There are many powerful, independent and inspiring women who wear "skimpy" clothing. Cordelia Chase and Faith from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, are definitely noticeable in their tight fitting, high fashion clothing, but they're both most known for their completely confident, kick ass attitudes.
The masses of young women (who aren't dressed much better than their skimpy counterparts in their Hollister and Abercrombie wardrobes), could use a bit of an attitude adjustment. Don't we need more confident women, instead of a bunch of silly little girls who swoon over vampires? Isn't it better to stand out and be different, even if it's by wearing a slightly provocative outfit? I think, yes.
I think I'm going to wear whatever the hell I want to wear. Fashion statements can even make history, while blending in with the crowd has never done anything of any importance.
*I hate the word "fashionista" so much that it makes me cringe. I honestly don't know why I even thought of using it, but I did and now it just feels like it fits there pretty well. I think I'm pretty much going to swear never to use the word "fashionista" seriously ever again.