I started this blog because of a few experiences I’ve had working with kids in very different situations around the world. When I was quite a bit younger, I spent a few months in Latin America living and working in an orphanage and home for what in the states we would call foster kids. Many of the kids came from very rough backgrounds. Some had lived on the streets as thieves or laborers and others had grown up in brothels, but they seemed to show amazing resilience to what life had thrown at them. I was surprised again and again while I lived there by the diversity of the children. Even in the youngest kids of 3 and 4 years old you could see developing a great variety of personalities and talents.
After a few years I ended up leaving America again, this time bound for East Asia. I spent over a year there, working in a cram school, teaching English and helping kids prepare for rigorous standardized tests. Contrary to American stereotypes, I met and taught all types of students from the highly motivated and highly gifted to the neither motivated nor particularly gifted, and many in between. I also began to see how the concept of childhood is fundamentally different in different areas of the world. During this time I began to think more about children’s issues, and how children fit into our society.
The conclusions I have reached suggest that few children’s issues are part of the mainstream media coverage and the few that are, are covered in a very stilted and often ideological way. Politicians chime in here and there with initiatives such as “Just Say No” which are neither realistic nor effective but can play well with the media during campaign season.
So, I started this blog because I am interested in children’s issues and children’s rights and I think that in a world of parents and children there must be some other folks who are too. I’d like to write about young people, their rights, and their social role. If there is anything you would like me to cover or any questions you have, shoot me an email or just post a comment.
-TheModernChild@gmail.com
