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In Search of Personal Expression
Why the trend toward physical sameness is sweeping through our
schools.
Everyone loves a
good makeover story. Ugly duckling becomes beautiful swan. Shy teen
becomes popular after mall extravaganza. But has our emphasis on physical
sameness gone too far?
The perfected mindset: A media onslaught
promoting physical sameness is affecting more than retail sales. It is
affecting our children. Youthful minds are forming worldviews tainted by
the need for physical uniformity.
Walk into any elementary school classroom to see the effect of this
television and magazine blitz. Even children in kindergarten are fashion
conscious and aware of what is in and what is not. In fact, some
children are left to play alone because of appearance. For both children
and adults, a sense of belonging is a basic need (see
Maslows Hierarchy of Needs). But because of current trends toward
cultural sameness, many young children may never know what it feels like
to fit in. Personal expression has become a societal
taboo.
What can we do to help our children strive for a more inclusive and
accepting environment?
First, we must recognize that this herd-mentality
originates from a tendency to compartmentalize thought. This skill,
also known as classification, is accomplished early in life. An example
would be a toddler sorting blocks according to color or shape. As
cognitive thought develops, this math skill expands to other areas of
learning. For example, in language arts, a third grader learns to classify
parts of speech: noun, verb, etc. And as important as this skill is,
it is considered lower order thinking and concrete
in nature.
As ones cognitive structure becomes more complex, a
higher form of thinking emerges, one educators strive to cultivate
in each student analytical reasoning. In this
realm, well-developed problem solving skills in which analytical thought
is employed take center stage. And it is through these thought
processes, through these reasoning skills, that well-informed and
articulate conclusions are birthed. Fostering these critical thinking
skills within each student is every educators goal.
However, competing with this deep investigative and
well-reasoned thought process is a herd-mentality in which students
classify life by who can and who can not conform. In a culture
where so much attention is placed on being in or out, right or
wrong, etc., analytical skills lay dormant. And it
is this silencing of original thought that plagues our playgrounds and the
work place.
A new wave of perfected variation: Maybe it
is time we celebrated our own individuality. Maybe it is time we yielded
the floor to marvelous personal expression. And maybe, just maybe, it is
time for all of us to set the example by shining a light on our own
one-of-a-kind creative thought.
Let your light so shine before men
The Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 5: Verse 16
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