Exploring Mass Media (aka What I Wasted My Brain Cells On)

     Social media and television, oh how I have mixed feeling about thee.  I do watch a little television.    It's a nice waste of time at the end of a day.  I don't have regular TV, so I only watch Netflix, which is great because there are no ads or commercials.  I only watch about 4 hours of TV a week, mostly food network shows.  I almost never make anything that I see the food gurus make but I like to watch imaginative people with mad skills.  Its usually just playing in the background while I clean house or fold laundry.  Occasionally I will watch a movie with my daughter in the evening.
     Social media is another beast, I have a lot of mixed feelings about social media and the invasiveness and mind suck that it holds over some people.  I have a Facebook page for my farm where I post silly things the animals do.  I also have a personal page which I almost never post on or check.  Unfortunately, Facebook links my administrative rights to my farm page to my personal page or I would have dumped it long ago.  I post about once a week.  About a month ago, I deactivated all of my Facebook and didn't miss it at all, but I got numerous complaints from friends that they missed the antics of the goats, chickens, dogs or other 20 animals on the farm.  I found it ironic that they used Facebook as merely an entertainment factor than actual interaction.  So back on Facebook for The Loose Root Ranch.  I do have an Instagram account and spend far too much time on Pinterest.
For one week, I measured my social media and television watching.  I was afraid of the results because 20 minutes here and there can add up like a handful of M&M's, but was actually surprised that for the most part, I'm pretty good.  I could cut down on my pinterest viewing, but I actually see that as somewhat education, because I do get a lot of ideas that I actually use or try from that site.

Television
10/12/15
Chopped (Food Network)
Time watched-45 min
This show is a competition between 3 chef's to cook with specific ingredients.  There were 3 men and 1 woman chef.  Two were African American, one was Caucasion, and one was Asian.  The nature of the show was a competition so there was no cooperation.  They were all egomaniacs, who thought they were winners.  I had no bias over race while watching this show but I did root for the Asian woman to win because the other 3 chefs were just jerks.  No advertisements during this show (yeah Netflix!).

10/15/15
Love Actually
Time watched-1 hour 35 min
This movie was about different relationships in London around Christmastime.  Each was a separate story, but they were each connected in the scheme of the movie.  It was very racially diverse, the characters all had different jobs.  The social classes of the characters were also varied.  There were conflicts between people over romantic relationships.  No advertisements, again Netflix.

Social Media
Facebook
10/12/15-10/18/15
Total time spent on Facebook for the week was 12 minutes.  I added a picture of carving pumpkins and scrolled through the news feed twice.  There were several advertisements for People Magazine, REI Catalog, and Pottery Barn.

Instagram
10/12/15-10/18/15
Total time spent on Instagram was 8 minutes.  I saw a few advertisements for Ipsy and National Geographic .

Pinterest
10/12/15-10/18/15
Total time spent on Pinterest for the week was 4 hours and 20 minutes.  I spent several evenings looking at plans to build a deluxe rabbit hutch.  I saw no gender biases with regards to rabbits.  Each rabbit was treated equally in the building plan specifications.  Although size was an issue, I do not think it was meant to be derogatory.  The comments were made with the rabbit's comfort in mind.

Total time wasted in front of a screen 7 hours-eeekkk!

Understanding Different Cultures

     I interviewed a friend, who is Hispanic, about what its like to grow up in a mainly white community and how her culture has shaped her.  Claudia was born in the US to parents who came to this country illegally from Mexico (they have both since gotten their citizenship).  Claudia is bilingual, her parents know limited English so Spanish was her main language growing up.  She says this has been a great advantage in her education and very helpful in her job to be able to translate for others.  She taught both of her children Spanish and that is the language they use in their home as well. Spanish is an important part of her life, she identifies the language with many other things such as food, church and community.   She said that being a minority has advantages and disadvantages.  She is unique and didn't look like everyone else in her classroom but that made her stronger.  She was teased growing up because her parents didn't speak much English and she felt that they were alienated from certain things because of the language barrier.  She identifies strongly with the Hispanic culture even though she is American.  She says she is bi cultural, that she can pick the best of both and leave the rest.
     It was very interesting to talk to someone who has grown up in the US but doesn't consider herself completely American.  Claudia is a mixing bowl of languages, ideas and beliefs.  Her Catholic heritage is very important and she attends mass in Spanish. She is also addicted to America's Top Model, which I consider to be very American.  She is full of contradictions but that is what makes her so unique.  She is neither Mexican nor American but a combination of both.  I hope that in my future education profession, I am able to see that a person is not always one thing.  Different experiences and cultures shape the people that we become.  I understand how important it is to be able to communicate with people and how speaking another language can be difficult and cause problems.  Looking at America through her eyes was also eye-opening for me.  I hope that I can move forward in my life by being more understanding to those who are different from myself.  We are all on this planet together, we should embrace our differences but learn to work together.

A Walk around Hillview

     I had the opportunity recently to take a walk  around Hillview Elementary in Ammon to think about the community surrounding the school and the impact the neighborhood has on the school.  Hillview is an older elementary school consisting of many unattached buildings surrounded by a brick wall.  It looks a little like a jail for midgets.  Ammon was once a small town on the outskirts of Idaho Falls, but now has been gobbled up by the city itself.  The homes surrounding the school are small ranch style homes built in the 1940's.  Its a lower middle class neighborhood surrounded by the urban sprawl of Idaho Falls.  The movie theater and several shopping centers are within walking distance of the school.  There is a very nice park that borders the northern boundary of the school that has a swimming pool, playground equipment and soccer fields.  The surrounding neighborhoods are well cared for.  There are newer apartment buildings several blocks away from the school that are also well kept.  It is a typical Idaho middle class, mostly white neighborhood.  The kids can walk to stores and restaurants from their homes.  Most of the students walk to school but there is one school bus that takes a few of the students.  The majority of the students that go to Hillview are white, lower to middle class.  The neighborhood is relatively safe.  It is a close knit community that has several community functions throughout the year.  The swimming pool offers lessons and free swim times in the summer.  The park has periodic barbecues and events that are community centered.  Overall, it is a very nice place to live.  The public library is very small but the larger library for Idaho Falls is several miles away.  The city of Ammon has few city resources but Idaho Falls is close enough and offers museums and other cultural activities that the residents can take advantage of.
     It was interesting to walk around an area that I drive by often but had never explored.  The school is situated inside a maze of neighborhood streets and is not easily accessed by people just driving by. I believe this is a good thing for the students.  They can avoid busy streets when walking to and from school and the city still has a small town feel.  It was a good experience to see a different area and imagine how the people lived their lives in that neighborhood.  I was able to step out of my rural school experience to see life in a bigger town where things were different than what I was used to.  It would be interesting to attend a school event to see if what I have imagined the students to be like is actually true.  Its always nice to see the other lives being lived, even if its only superficial; it broadens ones own.