I truly believe that the overuse of television has resulted in a loss of beauty. I don't think t.v.'s are a bad thing, there's certain shows I love and films that just resonate with me. However, there is this phenomena that occurs in the lives of many, where the television is a vacuum, a black hole. It sucks them in and takes over their evening, or their weekend, or more. And I am not exempt from it, especially not from the other black hole known as Facebook. But my point is, that many people I know don't have hobbies. They don't have a way to keep their hands busy or challenge their mind. And I know, because I was there. This makes me incredibly sad, because I feel that this is a loss of beauty. These are amazing, talented people that I believe have wonderful contributions to make to the world. But they don't believe it, because they've never experienced it. I believe these people would find their place if they just had an outlet. One that was not the mind-numbing experience of endless t.v.
I'm trying to imagine ways that I could encourage students to develop their own hobbies. I personally love soccer and I fully plan to organize soccer teams in elementary schools but when it comes to more creative things, there are so many different clubs that one could form to encourage these types of habits. Crafts such as knitting or scrapbooking can lend themselves to great social opportunities for students. Clubs like these would not only keep students away from t.v.'s for another hour a day but may create opportunities for students to form bonds and manifest these practices together outside the club itself. Extra-curricular activities are such an important tool for teachers to consider - they create opportunities that would be so much more difficult in a classroom environment.
How do you feel about hobbies that happen while one is watching TV? I admit, it sucks me in far too often--especially when I am tired and can not get out of the house because my baby is asleep upstairs, but I usually try to multitask, to do something else while I watch like fold laundry or work on some kind of project. Interestingly, much of the time, those projects are either crafts, photo books :) or some sort of needlework. That's how I justify SOME of my TV time, the rest is just sad!
ReplyDeleteThat is a tough question! My grandmother knits dishcloths by the dozens while watching tv. She gives these away as gifts and donates them as well as toques, scarves and mitts for children who don't have these at home. I think that if you have a creative outlet that can be enjoyed while watching tv then all the power to you! But have you ever try just listening to music? Or enjoying the silence? I find that both of these can have an amazing impact on my creativity. But sometimes so can t.v.!
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