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Where do we belong?
By Beth Nenniger
What about us? Where are we? What happened? Why are we lost? In a world advancing at lightning speed focused on technology, children are being left behind. Our safe place is been taken away. So you say we are getting our basic needs, but are we? John Lennon wrote a whole song saying "all we need is love" But for many of us the one thing we aren't getting is love! Our world as children is being taken away as parents, teachers, and staff continue to be consumed by technology. In the next five paragraphs I am going to tell you what I think children need to have a safe place. A place where love rules all.
We need to have somebody to go to, somebody to confide in. Friends are always great, but for the bigger issues in life, we need an adult to give us support and help us through. An example of this is puberty. Puberty is a normal part of life, but unfortunately a very hard part of life. We need a lot of support, especially when we get "IT". Today in most schools and cultures, we do not get the support that we need. We are taught one unit a year, The unit is usually the same as the past year. No new or helpful advice. Today we are taught by curriculum, not experience. Technology has made stories of experience invaluable.
In this world we are looked down upon, even frowned upon in many teacher and staff." the only justification for ever looking down upon some one is to pick them up" is Jesse Jameson's attitude about life. But that is not teacher's attitudes to life. To many teachers we are trouble Makers, We are another report to grade, we are more homework to check." We don’t know yet, above all, what the world may bee like if children were to grow up being subject to humiliation, if adults would respect them and take them seriously as people." is what Alice Miller thinks.The fact is that children are not respected by most.The law says, "All individuals are to be treated equally. "It is illegal to disrespect us because of our race, sex, color, religion, clothes, or origin. But it is not illegal for teachers to hit students? Children are being discriminated against because of our age. Why? Now that’s a question that should get some food for thought. Children need to be equals and feel respected!
We need to be proud of who we are. We need to be proud of our culture, our religion, how we look, our friends. Most of all we need to be proud of what we believe in. We need to represent our culture, however we need to also be known as an individual and we need to be free to be who we want to be. We should be allowed to hang out with whomever we want. We should be allowed to do what ever we want, as long as it doesn’t hurt public safety. If I am not everybody's best friend, I should not be punished, that is just being me. I can't love the world, but I can respect individual rights. One of those rights is the right to disagree. That’s one I'm pretty good at.
We students are not getting enough chance to disagree. We are not getting our views known. We are not being allowed to express our views because not all of them say that teachers rule. Many of us do not think technology is the key to success for everything. We need to disagree and be encouraged to share our views with the world, even if they are rebellious.
We need to have the chance to express whatever we feel. We need to have the chance to express who we are and what we are all about.Teachers should give us input on all things. Recently many of our luxuries have been taken away without reason. Plus you say you will not discuss the topic further.I think we should have a right to know what's going on in their own classroom, and disagree with it without being detained. Teachers need to hand over some say to us kids. Teachers need to give us some power.
To make our classroom a better place, I will give you two ideas for improvement. You should to listen and consider our ideas. This would make us all a lot happier because we would have what we wanted and you would not be constantly complained to. My second idea is you not put so much weight on technology. Even though it is useful, it is another obstacle that you are building for yourself.
Children used to be slaves, then we became people and now we are becoming numbers and mouths to feed. Technology is a great tool, but a lethal hazard. You can get a fake child or pet online and it is in ways much better than a real child or a real pet. We need to be seen for who we are, not what we might be, and definitely not how much of a goodie goodie we choose to be. We are all people in our country -- in my mind -- should be governed by love courage, peace, and hope.