Blog Assignment #5: Big Brother Is Watching You

I believe it is good to have all the new technology we have today, with cameras, cell phones and internet. If I didn’t have our camera, I would miss out on recording our beautiful baby daughter’s progress. This is so fun to have for us and our family. With cell phones you can reach someone when you are outside. This is a security for me if something happens, for example, if the car breaks down.
With the internet everything is just a click away. You can order almost everything you need without having to leave your home. This is much better when I get stressed in stores trying on clothes or shoes. Much better to have it shipped to you in a box (not good for the environment though…).

To have recordings of our life together is one way to use a camera. You might also have use for it in stores to keep track of any occurrence. It could be if someone commits a crime. Then it can be helpful to go back and check the surveillance tape. Straight across our apartment building lies a small candy and tobacco shop. A few months ago when I was putting our daughter to bed, I heard a sound, like a window braking. I looked out the window and saw a man come out of the shop with the cashbox, running towards another man and disappearing behind a corner. I called the police and almost immediately after, they picked up two men who fitted my given description. Unfortunately I didn’t see their faces and they were released later on. If there had been a surveillance camera, maybe it had been enough to arrest the robbers.

I believe on the other hand that there can be too much of everything. Too much surveillance can prohibit people from going in to shops. When we were in the U.S, I didn’t dare to go inside the Louis Vuitton store because of the security guard standing outside. He looked big and scary.

It is also a bit unpleasant to hand over your personal life on the computer. I don’t know everything there is to now about computers; still I give away my personal number as well as my VISA-card number if I am buying something.
With a cell phone you sometimes don’t get the privacy you want. You can shut it off but then you might feel an obligation to answer, even if you are on vacation. One thing I am very careful with is pictures. I never upload too personal pictures on myself, my family or anyone else.

I believe however that we need to cling on to the fast growth of technology to keep up with everyday life. Luckily we can adapt quickly to every change in the society.

Blog Assignment #4: Grades

What do you study for? The grade or the knowledge?

I had a discussion with my boyfriend about grades in general. He remembered his years from middle school and up only as fun. He felt as it was an achievement to get good grades and then compare them with his classmates. It was the competition that drew him to study.

When I look back at my school years, I had most fun in primary school up to elementary school. I thought all the subjects were interesting and were eager to learn more. When I began middle school (from the seventh grade) it wasn’t the same. You were separated from your classmates and began in a new class with only a few of who you knew. The teaching was completely different with us going to different rooms where the subjects were located and different teachers in every subject. It took time to adapt to everything being new. Then you got grades and everything got stressful. Suddenly you studied to get as high marks as possible and also trying to squeeze all information in as fast as you were able to. This led me feeling headache and stomach pain.

Many pupils are driven to get high grades. It makes them work harder to get to the top. This can be good for some but those who do not have this competing spirit might feel vulnerable. Some want to see what the other has got in grade and they might try to hear or see their grades. The one who don’t compete might feel exposed and uncomfortable.

I believe grades in such early age are unnecessary. Children are so dependent of us adults. It is our job to give them their self confidence in what they are doing. They want to hear that they are good at something and get the credit they deserve if they have finished an exercise or a test. They want to hear that they have done an okay job, no matter of the result.

On the other hand, I can understand parents who want to know if their child needs any backup in a certain subject. My experience is that it is a truly blessing to have a teacher with good documentation of the pupils. In Sweden I believe we have good documentation like this. An example is every semester the teacher and parents have a conversation of the child’s development (utvecklingssamtal).

The laissez-faire attitude is not a bad thing. Young children especially, need the time to adapt and grow into the work they tend to do. Let them play. Does it really matter if it takes a little longer time for them to understand what they are intended to do? Let kids be kids.