Big brother is watching you

I have thought some on the issue of "Big brother is watching you" and weighed pros and cons against each other. I'm still not entirely sure where I stand, for or against. Is it right that one can be intercepted and controlled filmed wherever you go and what you do? Of course it is right-we have nothing to hide. Or? But on the other hand I think it should be well able to do what you want without being registered and suspected of crimes as a terrorist or thief.

So, what is good to be guarded all the time? The obvious answer is that it detects crime and terrorism at an earlier stage, and large events like 9 / 11 can be prevented. Some people also feel safer with the knowledge that things are recorded and if something happens there is hopefully answers on a tape or similar. And most people are of the honest variety, and have therefore nothing to hide, so therefore it is ok to be filmed and recorded everywhere.

But still, I can only think that it feels wrong to be guarded at all times. It makes you feel suspicious even if you have not done any crime. It makes me lose faith in the whole world sometimes. Are we humans really so bad that we have to be monitored around the clock so that we will not be able to carry out any crime. What will happen to democracy and respect for one's own man? And the poor people who never do anything wrong but still be treated and guarded as if they were terrorists.

As I mentioned above I can not off-hand to decide whether I am for or against. But the world's safety most be more important than our own human ego. Or?

Let the children be children

Children in first class are only 6 years old and they are way too young to handle a grade. They do not know what is in a grade and the only right thing to do is to let it be that way.

When our children starts first grade they are small children with a very little knowledge about “the hard life” out there. We start early with tests and analyse them carefully to see how well the children are doing. Is that not enough? Is it really necessary to be a grade on the tests also? No, let the children be children. Let them play and have fun for the first years in school. Let them not be worry for grades when they just are small children. Grades can come later.

Young children always compare their test results with each other. Some of them are always getting good results and some of them are always getting bad results. Why should we strengthen this behaviour and let them compare their grade. It is bad enough that they compare results. Think of the children who are not that good, and always feel ashamed when telling how the last test went. It must feel even worse to tell the classmates that you got a bad grade.

But of course we must have some kind of control of the children in school. We can not just let them past trough school like that. We must write something about them. Not a grade but a written appreciation of some kind. And that should be shared with the parents, for when the children are in their early school years parents have a huge responsibility towards school and education.

When the schoolchildren are about 12 years old and have started the junior high it is time for grades. Now they need something to fight for, otherwise they will not see any point going to school.

So, no grades until the children have grown up and can handle them. Let the children be children for as long as possible. There is plenty of time to get grades and so on later.