Taking On Popular Culture
The conversation with my typing students about suitable topics for the classroom took more courage to initiate than I expected, and went better, in general, than I expected.
I started by asking the students how they would define "pop culture." No one seemed to know, till I told them that one proper use of the term is simply as an abbreviation for popular culture. I said it's what most of the people in a given culture think well of, like, admire, cultivate, etc. Then I asked what they think of as being popular in American culture. One perceptive student answered, "Sports, actors and actresses, musicians." Exactly.
I hadn't actually planned to include musicians in the discussions and prohibitions, but I went on to talk about brain space and what we choose to fill our brain space with. I urged the students to think about whether what they are preoccupied with is something that will move them closer to where they wish to be in life. I also asked if there is value in being familiar with popular culture.
One person said, in effect, that when a person issues a prohibition, she/he (I'm being coy here.) wants to know that the "prohibitor" knows what he/she is talking about. In other words, if people are ignorant of something, they shouldn't presume to tell others how to act regarding that thing. There is some validity to this, of course, but to illustrate another side of the issue, I told about the time our exchange student wanted to buy Eminem recordings and we took him to a book/music store where such things were sold.
None of us were very knowledgeable about this particular musician, although we were pretty sure he wasn't our kind. Hiromi and I both walked over to the display of his music and began to peruse the lyrics. Horrors.
Hiromi promptly told our "son" that the lyrics are really bad, and he doesn't think he should fill his mind with that. The student answered by saying that he doesn't listen to the lyrics. In his case, that may have been true, given his lack of familiarity with the English language. In class I went on to say that some things are so bad that we all know very well that they're far on the other side of a line we should never cross, and we need never apologize for knowing little or nothing about them. Students gave assent to this.
Other things, however, are less clear. Yet, we all know that a line exists somewhere, and staying on the right side of that line is important. Leaving a wide margin as we approach that line is probably prudent. I said also that I don't believe that every mention of popular culture is automatically bad, but whatever is discussed in that line will have to happen somewhere other than typing class if it happens at all. I promised not to cut off anyone's head if they happened to forget, but I hoped they would remind each other as needed. The students were a fairly sober bunch after that.
The reminders indeed began to happen the very next class period. Then someone asked if they could discuss musicians. "Figure out for yourself if they fit in the popular culture category," I suggested, "and then ask if there is value in their musical contribution for some reason other than the fact that they're popular. Be prepared to explain how their contribution is valuable if you want to talk about them." Not my exact words, but the general idea.
Today we talked about how it is that non-Christians can come up with contributions of great value--because all were made in the image of God and possess many abilities worth celebrating. The reality of sin as a corruption of that God-image (especially in terms of creative ability) must be recognized also, so it's important to be discerning about what is created by people who do not live a Godly life. I used the care of the earth as an example of something that is similar in terms of seeing a lot of good being accomplished by people who make no profession of faith. Yet we must part company with such people on some level--when they devalue humans, for example, and see them only as part of the problems on earth, or when they elevate animals to the level of humans. I didn't actually get much of the last sentence conveyed in class.
I'm not sure that students are very happy about the turn things have taken, but I'll give them credit for trying to cooperate. I'm praying that they'll find a wealth of worthwhile things to share in class. If that happens, they'll probably wonder some day why they ever thought certain elements of popular culture were so fascinating.
********************
The Facebook exchange below is not directly related to the above content. I believe, however, that it is peripherally related in this regard: parental interest, initiative, and responsibility can be the beginning of many good things in a young person's life. Their absence can wreak more havoc than is often understood. Thanks to Big Josh for the initial post.
The blogger whom Josh quoted (who was in turn quoting someone else) is an unschooler, I learned when I visited the blog. He is yet another example of someone who has his head on straight about any number of things--allowing his children to do real work, for example, rather than isolating them from it. Unschooling, however, as an educational approach (or non-approach) feels to me to be inordinately child-centered and unfocused. Yet I wholeheartedly embrace the idea that if what we do educationally is all about convenience for parents rather than what is good for children, we are missing the mark.
Maybe someday my typing students will take on the task of discussing what a good education looks like and how all of us can work together to make it happen. If it happens, the impetus will surely have to come from somewhere other than popular culture. I'll be all ears.
I started by asking the students how they would define "pop culture." No one seemed to know, till I told them that one proper use of the term is simply as an abbreviation for popular culture. I said it's what most of the people in a given culture think well of, like, admire, cultivate, etc. Then I asked what they think of as being popular in American culture. One perceptive student answered, "Sports, actors and actresses, musicians." Exactly.
I hadn't actually planned to include musicians in the discussions and prohibitions, but I went on to talk about brain space and what we choose to fill our brain space with. I urged the students to think about whether what they are preoccupied with is something that will move them closer to where they wish to be in life. I also asked if there is value in being familiar with popular culture.
One person said, in effect, that when a person issues a prohibition, she/he (I'm being coy here.) wants to know that the "prohibitor" knows what he/she is talking about. In other words, if people are ignorant of something, they shouldn't presume to tell others how to act regarding that thing. There is some validity to this, of course, but to illustrate another side of the issue, I told about the time our exchange student wanted to buy Eminem recordings and we took him to a book/music store where such things were sold.
None of us were very knowledgeable about this particular musician, although we were pretty sure he wasn't our kind. Hiromi and I both walked over to the display of his music and began to peruse the lyrics. Horrors.
Hiromi promptly told our "son" that the lyrics are really bad, and he doesn't think he should fill his mind with that. The student answered by saying that he doesn't listen to the lyrics. In his case, that may have been true, given his lack of familiarity with the English language. In class I went on to say that some things are so bad that we all know very well that they're far on the other side of a line we should never cross, and we need never apologize for knowing little or nothing about them. Students gave assent to this.
Other things, however, are less clear. Yet, we all know that a line exists somewhere, and staying on the right side of that line is important. Leaving a wide margin as we approach that line is probably prudent. I said also that I don't believe that every mention of popular culture is automatically bad, but whatever is discussed in that line will have to happen somewhere other than typing class if it happens at all. I promised not to cut off anyone's head if they happened to forget, but I hoped they would remind each other as needed. The students were a fairly sober bunch after that.
The reminders indeed began to happen the very next class period. Then someone asked if they could discuss musicians. "Figure out for yourself if they fit in the popular culture category," I suggested, "and then ask if there is value in their musical contribution for some reason other than the fact that they're popular. Be prepared to explain how their contribution is valuable if you want to talk about them." Not my exact words, but the general idea.
Today we talked about how it is that non-Christians can come up with contributions of great value--because all were made in the image of God and possess many abilities worth celebrating. The reality of sin as a corruption of that God-image (especially in terms of creative ability) must be recognized also, so it's important to be discerning about what is created by people who do not live a Godly life. I used the care of the earth as an example of something that is similar in terms of seeing a lot of good being accomplished by people who make no profession of faith. Yet we must part company with such people on some level--when they devalue humans, for example, and see them only as part of the problems on earth, or when they elevate animals to the level of humans. I didn't actually get much of the last sentence conveyed in class.
I'm not sure that students are very happy about the turn things have taken, but I'll give them credit for trying to cooperate. I'm praying that they'll find a wealth of worthwhile things to share in class. If that happens, they'll probably wonder some day why they ever thought certain elements of popular culture were so fascinating.
********************
The Facebook exchange below is not directly related to the above content. I believe, however, that it is peripherally related in this regard: parental interest, initiative, and responsibility can be the beginning of many good things in a young person's life. Their absence can wreak more havoc than is often understood. Thanks to Big Josh for the initial post.
"We are the only civilization in history to have created a whole category of people (adolescents) for whom we have no real use. In times not long gone by, fourteen-year-olds helped on the farm. They assisted with the animals, cared for younger siblings, and helped get the crops in before the frost. If they lived in the city, they got into the shops and found jobs as apprentices, helpers, stock clerks, or custodians. They had a role in society – and they understood that hard work and responsible behavior were the keys to future success. They were in partnership with adult members.
Now, however, we have “protected” them out of jobs, and relegated young adolescents to the roles of pizza consumer and videotape junkie… Children this age need to be needed, but we have institutionalized our rebuff to their pleas to be of service. "
- read this on a blog, dont know who wrote it, but i agree.
Now, however, we have “protected” them out of jobs, and relegated young adolescents to the roles of pizza consumer and videotape junkie… Children this age need to be needed, but we have institutionalized our rebuff to their pleas to be of service. "
- read this on a blog, dont know who wrote it, but i agree.
The blogger whom Josh quoted (who was in turn quoting someone else) is an unschooler, I learned when I visited the blog. He is yet another example of someone who has his head on straight about any number of things--allowing his children to do real work, for example, rather than isolating them from it. Unschooling, however, as an educational approach (or non-approach) feels to me to be inordinately child-centered and unfocused. Yet I wholeheartedly embrace the idea that if what we do educationally is all about convenience for parents rather than what is good for children, we are missing the mark.
Maybe someday my typing students will take on the task of discussing what a good education looks like and how all of us can work together to make it happen. If it happens, the impetus will surely have to come from somewhere other than popular culture. I'll be all ears.
posted by Mrs. I (Miriam Iwashige) at
8:13 PM
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