Superhero Play: What's A Teacher To Do?

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Superhero Play is a controversial topic among teachers and parents. They claim that superhero play leads to excessive, out-of-control, violent behavior in children who take on superhero personas during play. “Superhero Play: What’s a Teacher to Do?” by Karen L. Bauer and Ernest Detorre discusses this theory in detail. While superhero play can be believed to have undesirable effects on kids, it can also have positive effects, which is seen through Oscar, a superhero who is an exceptionally good influence on children.
Adults worry about superhero play because kids may learn aggressive behavior from superheros. Children are exposed to large amounts of violence and aggression, with television being one of the main sources. With television programs involving superheroes continuously surfacing, “Eighty-two percent of the programs children watch contain at least some violence” (Bauer and Detorre 17). Children’s behavior can become out-of-control while involved in …show more content…

Children may accidentally hurt themselves or another child while engaging in the activity. When children take on a completely different persona and step into the body of the superhero, they may behave like that superhero and become unmanageable. Teachers generally oppose superhero play because it is chaotic and disruptive in a learning environment. Children acting aggressively and/or out-of-control can cause harm to other students and may call for consequences, thus interrupting the classroom atmosphere. Oscar, on the other hand, is abundantly gentle and kind and displays no signs of violence that can influence kids in a bad way. Oscar’s power to heal those in need can influence kids to help others. Not only are kids shown the reality of sick kids, they are shown the process of healing and the concept of service. Oscar’s background story can teach kids life lessons.

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