Hobos and Hummingbirds

Someone should've told me that one should refrain from asking 8th graders serious questions about the world. In the midst of an Anne Frank unit, I had my kids keep diarys over topics that would change daily. They went from mundane to much more serious, just like Anne's diary. While I've got some brilliant kids, without the thunder of war outside their windows, serious writing baffles them. I asked what the world's biggest problem was today and I got (real answers here, people): Hobos, body odor, braces, prescription drugs-as a general pricipal, Jews, a lack of corporate office space, hummingbirds, The Gays, and fossils. One child told me that if it weren't for dinosaur fossils, then those "dang ignorunt scientists" wouldn't have gotten on a roll and discovered "all the other junk that idn't Christun." I was genuinely expecting disease, pollution, maybe some political answers thrown in for fun, but hummingbirds and hobos tripped me up. I also pondered upon my prodigies what one thing would benefit the world most today. Apparently Edward Cullen's image could cure cancer, a drinking age lowered to 8 would get everyone used to it and therefore no more drunk driving, new pink camo for our Armed Forces would strike fear in our enemies hearts, and controlling the gopher population would just be good news for everyone. I love my kiddos tremendously, and I believe in their abilities. I also believe that I'm a little afraid of the gopher-free world these children are creating for the rest of us.

First Steps and Last Kisses

Someone at the NEWSWEEK publication is on an alarmingly large amount of drugs. They have published a series of lists regarding the bests of the last decade- best movie moments, most important dates, etc...They have compiled a list of the top ten "Cultural Events" of the last ten years. On this list, they include such "events" as Michael Phelps, Lord of the Rings sweeping the Oscars, and Tina Fey dressing as Sarah Palin. Let me just clarify for you, readers, what "culture" is. Culture is the conglomeration of a society; our particular ways and means, language, religion, art, music, and so on. So, in theory, this list should be the top ten moments in the last ten years that define Americans as a unique, multi-faceted culture. The only thing this list says is : Hey guys! Americans are still 50 years behind y'all; don't wait up!." Did this country go through the family-shattering violence of Civil Rights movement to still be hung up on the race card? I didn't think so, but NEWSWEEK apparently does. I have some late breaking news, the elimination of racism isn't acknowedleging our difference, it's never seeing the differences to begin with. In my classroom, kids aren't black or white. They are kids. Halle Berry shouldn't be recieving praise for being a black woman winning an Oscar; she should be lauded because she's a great actress. Why isn't it a cultural moment when Kate Winslet wins? She's British, shouldn't be we all be jumping for joy that we Americans are so damn tolerant to let an English woman win? And don't even get me started on the complete ignorance of the author writing the "Passion of the Christ" entry. They need a good history teacher and a bible. Cultural moments should be times when our nation's fabric is changed; moments that are so profound that we write about them, sing about them, moments that inspire us to make culture. Michael Jackson dying may have changed the fabric of little boys living around NeverLand, but I think the rest of us remain unchanged. The man was a social outcast, mentally ill, and financially unstable; he hadn't produced anything relevant to society since he entertained us all by setting himself on fire during a Superbowl halftime show. The healthcare protests in Washington have been cultural moments. Moments when Americans have shown that they are still participants in their government, moments that show we still believe in our constitution and our history. Facebook becoming a communication phenomenon is a cultural moment; it is in a strange way reconnecting us with the ones we've lost, and in a stranger way revolutioning our vocabulary and the way we share what we love. The most cultural moment of our century, the moment that changed everything, was 9/11. Songs were written, opus' composed, novels scribed, hearts changed. Our fabric went from loosely woven and multi colored, to a tight knit red, white, and blue, at least for a little while. Our ways and means, all our practices, our words, our thoughts, our loves-everything changed. Our culture changed. NEWSWEEK doesn't get it. We don't walk around mourning the deaths of irrelevant celebrities, and spend all our time considering the careers of Halle Berry and Denzel Washington. We mourn the loss of those we love, at home and abroad; we spend all our time considering the the people in our lives, the joys we have, and the joys we don't. Our cultural moments are first steps, last kisses, easy days, hard wins, and everything in between. Maybe someone at NEWSWEEK should be writing about those.