This past week i was out on an adventure out in the snowy wilderness when i happened to recive a phone call from a client of mine. Due to my location i had a very poor cell reception and was unable to har him nor oculd he hear me. Our phone conversation ended with him asking me "call me when you get back to the real world". For the rest of my adventure i kept thinking to myself what does he view as the real world? i know by that statment he ment for me to call him when i made my way back into town, but for me i way in the real world!! I started to think about two things on my trip from that point on. Where do others perceive the 'real world' to be? And what menaing does that real world have to them?
Is the real world a location, a place that you can physically go such as a town, mountain, or beach? Could the real world be something other that a location such as just spending time with your family of friends no matter where you are?
What is the meaning of the real world to you? How is what you perceive as the real world significant to you? For me it's a place where my mind can just roam. There are no worries whatsoever just a complete focus on being lost in the moment. This is where i do most of my thinking and making connections to past experiances or coming up with new ideas, it's where i learn best. it's a place where i am not stressed to perform, i only preform to meet my own standards.
- What do you see as the real world?
- What is the meaning of the real world to you?
- What if we could understand the real world of our studnets, how could this affect their learning? How would your apprach to teaching change or what would you do to access or learn about your students real world?
8 comments:
I like this post because I too spent Sunday in the snow carving up mt. washington on my board. For me, this was an escape from reality, from 'the real world.' The real world is a world of reality. Where we have to go to school, we have to work to pay for school, we have to do laundry and clean the house, pay taxes etc.
Lately i've been thinking a lot about 'the real world' because it seems that every time i escape it, (mountain on the weekend, camping, surfing, hiking, running...) I find it harder and harder to engage myself back into the real world. I get lost in not having to think about anything or getting to think about everything but it being on my own terms.
Leanna’s story reminds me of a place I take my dog to go on hikes a couple of times a week where there is no reception, no people, no houses…nothing! It is a complete escape from typical reality, a place to loose yourself in your thoughts.
I get so caught up in what makes the world function as a system, consisting of everyone surrounding me, that I often tend to forget what the ‘real world’ is. When I actually think about what the ‘real world’ is, it becomes so much more, much more than just reality, but about individual belief systems. To me, the real world is one that consists of your everyday traditions; however, also has those special places to escape to.
Like Holly, I consider the "real world" to be the place we live in at the moment--a place where we go to school, work, eat, sleep, and etc. The "real world" is stressful, lacks in excitement, and is often mundane; however, it's comfortable. The "real world" is my world, and I am happy about where I am living, where my life is heading. I wouldn't trade it for anything.
I am so rooted in the location and routine of my "real world" that I remember feeling slightly uncomfortable in the summer when I was in a little town in the mainland. There was no ocean, I was away from my friends and family, and I missed home. I was suprised that I felt this homesick since I was only there for a few days!
Yet, as attached as I am to my world, I know that it's always a good experience and opportunity to leave my "real world" behind sometimes. This doesn't actually mean physically leaving my world, but more so mentally. One evening my brother and I sat down on a boulder at the beach, and watched the waves crashing against the rocks. We sat there completely silent for almost half an hour (and we like to talk a lot too!), just listening to the waves, and letting our minds roam thoughtlessly.
I would love to challenge my students to find a place (physically or mentally) where they can escape from their "real world" and see what results from this special experience. Whatever the result, whether they create poetry, art, or just feel at ease for minutes or hours, I think it would be a positive experience.
I think I agree with jenn. The real world is a place where I go to school and work. However, to me that has a negative connatation. I maybe should start to view this as more positive. I also have place I like to escape either for a run or some leisure activity. Maybe we've got it backwards. I love teaching and that feeling that we can make a difference. But when I look at my "real world" it is my home life. Our students probaly consider school their real world because of the expectations and responsibilities. But I just the negative connatation associated with the real world can affect our opinion on it. School is important but can also be fun too and maybe as teachers we need to allievate some of the stress so our students come into the class more relaxed.
I like to think the real world are the bondaries that are set for us. the routines and the daily jobs or tasks. I alway stry to get out do something, hike, surf, run, play soccer. Except lately like many, i have found myself just going, mondays, feed to tuesdays, to wednesdays and thursdays, I think you get teh idea. I feel like I may be wasting my time in the "real world" but thats where I am at this moment. I try to get away for a few hours into my world, but it doesnt happen alot. This week I was at an indoor tournament for 2 glorous days. No worries, no daunting tasks to accomplish, excpet when our next game was and who were were going to beet next.
Especially with this program we need to realize that our students like us have lives outside of school. We can't expect etravegant amounts of extra work to be completed. If they are involved in sports, clubs, or what about their family life, we can't assume that they have the time to do our work and maybe we can't expect to be 100% there in our class. But I totally feel that seperation between the "real life" and my life. Great question
Mtn. Man, what were you doing with your cell phone in such a wondrous local? Just joking!
I view my “real world” as a place where I am in during the moment, that is, where I find myself involved in whatever task I am involved in. I am a person who wears “different hats” at different times (so to speak) and those times are all my “real worlds.” I suspect that some people separate different life-events as a “different world” from their own perspective of the “real world.” There is nothing wrong with that; that is just their interpretation. I suggest, we define our own “real world,” and respect what others define as theirs- I know that I’m a bit of a pragmatist :)
Students and teachers must deal with balancing our various real-worlds and somehow get good grades and get good “performance reviews,” respectively. You know…it’s an insurmountable task to ask of most people, never mind those who have to deal with specific designations or contend with mental health concerns. We must remember that students have to balance those various worlds (i.e. school, piano, soccer, 4H club, Boys & Girls Club and quarreling parents) then come to school and perform! Likewise, teachers have to come to school mentally prepared, to align their real-world-personal-life with their real-world-professional-life. I have personally come across teachers who were there in the classroom but I could certainly tell that they were in a world outside of those four walls. Man, I have so much respect for teachers and students who actually make it to school for that day!!!
Our real worlds are those that mean most to us.
I think the subject of the "real world" is really intersting. I have been contemplating my own inner self and spirituality for the past few monthes. I feel that reality really comes down to perspective. I used to think of vacations as "an escape" from the real world as well, because in the "real world" we experience stress, decisions, debt, homework, etc. I now realize that every apsect of my life serves a different purpose in my "real" life. Work, school, vacation, lesisure time, etc. all simply enable me to experience different aspects of myself. For example, as a house painter I act, think and reason differently than when I am a student in the classroom. I also now believe we can feel that stress free bliss anytime in the "real world". I will take ten minutes (ex. break during practicum) and really explore the exact moment I am experiencing. I think about what I am feeling and about my present surroundings. I engage in the physical world around me. What smells, sights and sounds do I experience? I really noticed by taking simple moments to rest in the present has helped me to remain more focused and less stressed. I finally feel grounded!!! Thus, for me, the "Real World" is my life in its entirety, it captures every aspect of my life, from the busy redundants of daily tasks to the simple moments of self reflection. (I'm not sure if this makes any sense. LOL)
I agree with you, mtn man. When I'm out on adventures of my own, I feel like I'm out in the 'real world' escaping from any worries or problems I may have in my life. As I'm hiking along the trails my only thoughts are focused on what's happening in the moment. My head is able to clear up and I can really appreciate each moment.
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