Analysis Of Disdain And Contempt For Children In The Sibling Society

In "Disdain and Contempt for Children in the Sibling Society" Robert Bly criticizes a growing number of trends (social and economic) that make growing up in America more complex than it used to be growing up before the 1960 's. For example Bly talks about how in the paternal society they usually had two parent homes, families were oriented, how they had a hierarchy and how meaningful their conversations were compared to growing up in the sibling society where they tended to look out for their own as Bly says, they had “jettisoned.” (page1.) those ways of living. Throughout the chapter, Bly goes further into grave detail comparing and contrasting the many troubling trends between paternal and the sibling society. However three of those

Today’s youth are spending more time indoors in front of a television than they do outside playing, which has been reported in studies to have negative effects on children; My early childhood education teachers have taught me that a brain/body in motion helps the child to gain fine motor, gross motor, cognitive and language skills. Bly cities the National Institute of Mental Health which found that “more skill and concentration was needed to eat a meal than to watch television, and how the constant watching left people passive yet tense, and unable to concentrate” (page 5). In my experience I came across a parent who was set in her ways; she believes that television education is more beneficial for a child than to have a child sit in a classroom learning environment. I asked her why she said “television gives her child a quieter atmosphere to learn in”. She then got upset when it was time for me to do child assessment on her child. She was embarrassed. She couldn’t understand why her child was so far behind the other children. She asked me what the difference was; why was her child not able to keep up. She became confused. I myself thought shows’ like “Sesame Street” were educational but I never thought it could replace school. I thought that it aided and had a positive effect. I never took the time to realize what Bly meant when he said “the show’s producers have violated the natural slowness in which

As a pre-kindergarten teacher myself , I can personally relate to this trend there are not enough books /materials and supplies for each students to receive their own, which forces the children to share. At times this is very problematic and overwhelming for teachers as well as the students. Some children have trouble staying focused so when one child begins to play while learning for the most they all tend to join in which escalates the problem. Ever student should have their own materials for a number of reasons, but most importantly because every child does not learn the same. Some may have learning troubles so they begin to tell jokes to boost their self-esteem. And hide their inabilities. Another major concern I have with the failing school system is that a lot of schools are teaching materials to pass standardized test but what does the child really learn; learning is not retaining information long enough to pass a test. But what happens when they the test is over or they fail, some become discouraged and want to give up on school and drop-out. Bly cities the 1986 National Assessment of educational program “have shown particular deficiencies in higher order reasoning skills advanced reading comprehensions math and science only 44% could compute change from a $5 bill for two items from a lunch menu (page 6.) wow that’s shocking. I have personally experienced this within my family. I have a cousin