I am a living book, The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. Like Fahrenheit 451 I am a dystopian novel set in a future that most people will not believe can happen. However, the point is that it can.
A books most basic purpose is to make us think and question. Reading is a privilege that enables us to access the ideas that others have so that we may think about them.
In The Handmaid's Tale Atwood shows us a world where women are broken down into groups based on function. They have no rights, can not read, and must only do things related to that function. Clothing is a long habit intended to hide them and keep them hidden from the world. It is presented as giving them freedom from the eyes of men, but it is really to make them invisible. The Habit is color-coded based on a woman's status/function in society. Handmaids wear red. They have the lowest rank. Wives wear blue and have the highest status, despite the fact that they are infertile.
The hardest hit in this are the Handmaids. They are the women who remain fertile despite the things that have caused infertility in the rest of the population. Clothed in red, they no longer have names and are called by a patronymic name that refers to the man they belong to at the moment. After they produce a child they are moved on to the next Commander to provide him and his wife with a child.
For me, this book is a warning to people not to take anything for granted. The country Offred, the handmaid telling the story, inhabits used to be the United States. People began to get frustrated with the freedoms others had that they did not approve of, especially freedom women were gaining, and overthrew the government and set up their own religiously guided government that purported to be Christian in theology. However, amongst the issues they faced was resistance from Christian denominations who worked in the underground.
One of the things that this story highlights is the hypocrisy of the people who are supposedly right and moral enough to lead....for example, a Handmaid is only to be impregnated during a 'ceremony' involving the Commander and his wife. However, in the desperation to have a child and gain more status the wives encourage handmaids to find other ways. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erLLJtoGLJE&feature=related
As the story is told you see more and more how things were taken away, but that some thins can not be stolen from people, they have to give them up. Things like courage, conviction, and hope. Despite her situation, Offred continues to wonder how she will escape and live again. She chooses to remember what life was like in the time before, when she could read, choose her clothes, and wear what she call "her shining name".
I would choose to be this book because too many people are complacent about how things are. Until it affects them personally too many people laugh off the actions of others. Unfortunately, if they find enough people who agree with them and not enough stand up for them, many of the things we take for granted will go down the drain.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Critical Thinking in Grade School
I think critical thinking should be taught in grade school. To many kids don't know how to problem solve, they only know how to follow directions that they have been given that match a situation. What happens if they find themselves in a unique situation? They won't have any idea how to think it through, or even that the answer might be outside the box.
I have a daughter in grade school. She asks me questions all day long, where I have to have the answer. It's not that I'm frustrated, it's that she doesn't even consider that she can think it through on her own. We were at the beach last weekend (a family trip to San Diego) and she came running up to me "Mommy I need water to rinse off my mask!" My response was along the lines of "Well, where is there some water?" I thought that she'd figure it out, but what I got back was "I don't know...and I need it." I have to admit I got a little frustrated, and pointed to the ocean and said "what do you call that? Maple Syrup?" It didn't even occur to her that there was water in the ocean, or even in the restroom, just that she needed water and I had to get it because she couldn't find it. She thought it had to come out of a bottle or faucet. BTW, she's 10. Interestingly enough, she had the problem solving ability to figure where to find help when her bus stop was changed and parents weren't notified (they dropped her off a block from where I worked and she figured since it's another school it would be a safe place to go).
Schools are beginning to debate teaching these skills, and I think that it can only enhance education. Where would science be if no one thought to question and reason and discover? It takes thinking skills to wonder how to survive on the moon, under the water, or even in the Amazon. No one solved a problem by thinking inside the box. Critical thinking skills teach people to look outside the box for other options. The most obvious potion is not always the right one, just the easiest to find. However, the schools are going with the easiest method, testing to see if students have the skills before they promote them. http://www.wvpubcast.org/newsarticle.aspx?id=8470
Here's an example; a math problem that tends to stump people on the first try.
Take 30, divide it by one half, then add 10. What's the answer?
Most people take 30, divide it in half to make 15, then add 10 to get 25-and they're wrong. Why are they wrong? It's the most obvious answer in many ways...until you read carefully and think it through. Take a minute and do it over.....
Take 30, divide it by one half (multiply the reciprocal) and get 60, then add 10. The answer is 70. It wasn't that simple, was it? How did you reason it out? Did you go back and think through old math classes? How did you get it?
Another of my daughters is in 8th grade. She came to me tonight with a math problem that had her really frustrated and upset. She had a fraction that she had to divide by another fraction to get the solution, but it was set up as a complex fraction. She knew how to do the problem, but she could not reason out the way to solve it. She didn't even think to set it up as a regular division problem until I told her she could. She was stumped. If she had better reasoning skills she might have saved herself a lot of headaches, and now the point of the little math quiz has emerged. Did you think that it might, or just write it off?
Reasoning is a skill that will help kids do better in school too. If they don't know the answers by rote, there would be the possibility that they could reason it out. If they don't understand the way a teacher explains a math procedure, they might be able to think it through. Also, kids might actually enjoy school more if they were able to think things through rather than write rote answers that teachers have provided. Is it more fun to figure out a puzzle, or to have someone show you how?
Kids are receptive to learning these skills, if video games are any indication. My ten-year-old plays games where she has to figure out what to do next, and how to use her tools and game possesions to accomplish her goals. In one game, her hat is also a boat. She had to figure out which of the things she had could be used that way. It's her favorite game on that system.
Of course, it helps if you have teachers that know how to reason, and many adults don't. http://www.criticalthinking.org/page.cfm?PageID=603&CategoryID=69
When the adults around them can't reason, how can we expect kids too? This is another reason why critical thinking skill need to begins in grade school-so that parents and teachers have the skill and use it out of habit. Many people look at the critical thinking requirements for a degree and groan, they don't even see the value. People who don't go to college don't even get the chance to decide if it has value.
People need these skills more than even in this economy too. Finding ways to keep things working, stretch money further, adapt things to do other jobs, all require thinking skills that people don't have much of the time.
Critical thinking skills are needed in grade school for various reasons, not limited to a better education for our kids, and better functioning adults. People who can think accomplish great things, and why should they be limited to what it takes to do those great things by how old they are?
I have a daughter in grade school. She asks me questions all day long, where I have to have the answer. It's not that I'm frustrated, it's that she doesn't even consider that she can think it through on her own. We were at the beach last weekend (a family trip to San Diego) and she came running up to me "Mommy I need water to rinse off my mask!" My response was along the lines of "Well, where is there some water?" I thought that she'd figure it out, but what I got back was "I don't know...and I need it." I have to admit I got a little frustrated, and pointed to the ocean and said "what do you call that? Maple Syrup?" It didn't even occur to her that there was water in the ocean, or even in the restroom, just that she needed water and I had to get it because she couldn't find it. She thought it had to come out of a bottle or faucet. BTW, she's 10. Interestingly enough, she had the problem solving ability to figure where to find help when her bus stop was changed and parents weren't notified (they dropped her off a block from where I worked and she figured since it's another school it would be a safe place to go).
Schools are beginning to debate teaching these skills, and I think that it can only enhance education. Where would science be if no one thought to question and reason and discover? It takes thinking skills to wonder how to survive on the moon, under the water, or even in the Amazon. No one solved a problem by thinking inside the box. Critical thinking skills teach people to look outside the box for other options. The most obvious potion is not always the right one, just the easiest to find. However, the schools are going with the easiest method, testing to see if students have the skills before they promote them. http://www.wvpubcast.org/newsarticle.aspx?id=8470
Here's an example; a math problem that tends to stump people on the first try.
Take 30, divide it by one half, then add 10. What's the answer?
Most people take 30, divide it in half to make 15, then add 10 to get 25-and they're wrong. Why are they wrong? It's the most obvious answer in many ways...until you read carefully and think it through. Take a minute and do it over.....
Take 30, divide it by one half (multiply the reciprocal) and get 60, then add 10. The answer is 70. It wasn't that simple, was it? How did you reason it out? Did you go back and think through old math classes? How did you get it?
Another of my daughters is in 8th grade. She came to me tonight with a math problem that had her really frustrated and upset. She had a fraction that she had to divide by another fraction to get the solution, but it was set up as a complex fraction. She knew how to do the problem, but she could not reason out the way to solve it. She didn't even think to set it up as a regular division problem until I told her she could. She was stumped. If she had better reasoning skills she might have saved herself a lot of headaches, and now the point of the little math quiz has emerged. Did you think that it might, or just write it off?
Reasoning is a skill that will help kids do better in school too. If they don't know the answers by rote, there would be the possibility that they could reason it out. If they don't understand the way a teacher explains a math procedure, they might be able to think it through. Also, kids might actually enjoy school more if they were able to think things through rather than write rote answers that teachers have provided. Is it more fun to figure out a puzzle, or to have someone show you how?
Kids are receptive to learning these skills, if video games are any indication. My ten-year-old plays games where she has to figure out what to do next, and how to use her tools and game possesions to accomplish her goals. In one game, her hat is also a boat. She had to figure out which of the things she had could be used that way. It's her favorite game on that system.
Of course, it helps if you have teachers that know how to reason, and many adults don't. http://www.criticalthinking.org/page.cfm?PageID=603&CategoryID=69
When the adults around them can't reason, how can we expect kids too? This is another reason why critical thinking skill need to begins in grade school-so that parents and teachers have the skill and use it out of habit. Many people look at the critical thinking requirements for a degree and groan, they don't even see the value. People who don't go to college don't even get the chance to decide if it has value.
People need these skills more than even in this economy too. Finding ways to keep things working, stretch money further, adapt things to do other jobs, all require thinking skills that people don't have much of the time.
Critical thinking skills are needed in grade school for various reasons, not limited to a better education for our kids, and better functioning adults. People who can think accomplish great things, and why should they be limited to what it takes to do those great things by how old they are?
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Is Shopping Patriotc??
Considering the state of our economy and the fact that we are a free market system, I can see why there are those that would think that to spend money through shopping would be patriotic since it contributes to the economy. I do not agree with this point of view. Certain things are funded through taxes collected from purchases and services, and though people who own retail businesses are able to consume more as a result of a better income, I see it as far more patriotic to consider things before you shop.
Since a lot of government programs are funded though various taxes, it stands to reason that shopping will benefit the recipients of those programs. Does it make you patriotic to contribute to them? Not really, as you have no choice. People will always need things that will be taxed when purchased. This will not change.
I propose that it's patriotic to live within your means. Many people who "shop" as a hobby buy things they don't really need. In our society there is a trend towards everything being bigger and better. Cell phones are replaced every two years, fashions change radically every season, and many people feel that computers, ipods, etc. need to be upgraded every time a new model comes out. Once upon a time products were advertised as a way to enhance your life. Now it seems that every ad proclaims not that you need the products, but that you have it and need a new one. The problem is that many people use credit to acquire the American Dream. This leads to big problems when the economy is in the state it's in now. Many people carry huge debt loads, then when jobs are lost they have no savings or any way to pay it back. This leads to more people getting unemployment and other assistance. This comes from the federal and state government. The money you put into the economy by overspending has been put back out. If you live within your means and manage to save, then if you loose your job you are at least a little more secure. You have some time to find a job, and you need less money to maintain your standard of living because you aren't carrying any debt.
Here's and example. You have a terrific job. You go out and sign a lease on a great apartment. You buy a new car and make payments every month. You need clothes for work so you charge a bunch on your credit card, along with stuff you need for the apartment, like dishes, furniture etc. Suddenly you are carrying a debt of about $30,000. Then your company lays you off. Now what? Do you file for unemployment? Declare bankruptcy and cost the economy money in unrecoverable debt and unemployment benefits?
New example. You have a terrific job. You think about where you can live and decide roommates would be a good thing. You need a car to get to work, so you look around and find a good used one and pay with cash you have saved. You decide to put a certain amount aside every month just in case there's a problem with the car or something. You watch sales for clothes, hitting thrift stores and swapping with friends to be appropriately dressed for work. Because you have roommates you all share the burden of furnishing the apartment, and buy used stuff and accept hand-me-downs. Your company folds and you loose your job. However, you have some savings, owe nothing on your car, and can manage to make your rent for a few months while you find another job. You don't need unemployment or any other governmental assistance.
To me, that's patriotism. Not being a drain on the economy because you thought ahead. If shopping is patriotic, it follows that spending more and more money will help the economy, then that the economy will get better and better, and that spending beyond your means with continue to help the economy. The flaw in this theory is that everyone has a limited amount of money and if you can not pay for what you buy the economy will collapse.
Shopping is not patriotic unless you have the means to pay.
Here are some links that support frugality: http://frugalforlife.blogspot.com/
http://thenonconsumeradvocate.com/2010/05/amy-dacyczyn-of-the-tightwad-gazette/
and on that comments on the subject exactly: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/03/AR2008100301977.html
Since a lot of government programs are funded though various taxes, it stands to reason that shopping will benefit the recipients of those programs. Does it make you patriotic to contribute to them? Not really, as you have no choice. People will always need things that will be taxed when purchased. This will not change.
I propose that it's patriotic to live within your means. Many people who "shop" as a hobby buy things they don't really need. In our society there is a trend towards everything being bigger and better. Cell phones are replaced every two years, fashions change radically every season, and many people feel that computers, ipods, etc. need to be upgraded every time a new model comes out. Once upon a time products were advertised as a way to enhance your life. Now it seems that every ad proclaims not that you need the products, but that you have it and need a new one. The problem is that many people use credit to acquire the American Dream. This leads to big problems when the economy is in the state it's in now. Many people carry huge debt loads, then when jobs are lost they have no savings or any way to pay it back. This leads to more people getting unemployment and other assistance. This comes from the federal and state government. The money you put into the economy by overspending has been put back out. If you live within your means and manage to save, then if you loose your job you are at least a little more secure. You have some time to find a job, and you need less money to maintain your standard of living because you aren't carrying any debt.
Here's and example. You have a terrific job. You go out and sign a lease on a great apartment. You buy a new car and make payments every month. You need clothes for work so you charge a bunch on your credit card, along with stuff you need for the apartment, like dishes, furniture etc. Suddenly you are carrying a debt of about $30,000. Then your company lays you off. Now what? Do you file for unemployment? Declare bankruptcy and cost the economy money in unrecoverable debt and unemployment benefits?
New example. You have a terrific job. You think about where you can live and decide roommates would be a good thing. You need a car to get to work, so you look around and find a good used one and pay with cash you have saved. You decide to put a certain amount aside every month just in case there's a problem with the car or something. You watch sales for clothes, hitting thrift stores and swapping with friends to be appropriately dressed for work. Because you have roommates you all share the burden of furnishing the apartment, and buy used stuff and accept hand-me-downs. Your company folds and you loose your job. However, you have some savings, owe nothing on your car, and can manage to make your rent for a few months while you find another job. You don't need unemployment or any other governmental assistance.
To me, that's patriotism. Not being a drain on the economy because you thought ahead. If shopping is patriotic, it follows that spending more and more money will help the economy, then that the economy will get better and better, and that spending beyond your means with continue to help the economy. The flaw in this theory is that everyone has a limited amount of money and if you can not pay for what you buy the economy will collapse.
Shopping is not patriotic unless you have the means to pay.
Here are some links that support frugality: http://frugalforlife.blogspot.com/
http://thenonconsumeradvocate.com/2010/05/amy-dacyczyn-of-the-tightwad-gazette/
and on that comments on the subject exactly: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/03/AR2008100301977.html
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