What is a "need"?
This past week we passed out boxes for UNICEF. We understand that participation in UNICEF is a family decision and all participation is voluntary. If you do decide to participate, please return the boxes (or if you've misplaced the box, children have brought just a bag of coins which is fine also) by next week Friday, November 6. If your family chooses not to participate, please simply discard the box.
We started talking about needs vs. wants in light of the upcoming Halloween event-- and Halloween means it is the "season" of UNICEF.
One interesting discussion the kindergartners had was if a car was a "need." Almost all of them believed it was a need. A few offered provocative thoughts, such as "I need a car, because I like to go to the water park. The water park is very far. If I walked, the water park would be closed by the time I get there." Another child mentioned that "you need a car in order to go buy food." Someone mentioned that you don't need a car because you can ride a bus or a bike, and a few children said they don't like riding buses and bikes. In response to the bus/bike response, another child said that whether it was car, bus, or bike, it was all the same (and that bus vs. car wasn't the issue)--it was whether or not cars/buses/bikes were a need.
On another day, they discussed whether or not shoes were a need after someone volunteered that as a need. Several shared that they need shoes because otherwise "you might step on bees or hot places...you need shoes so thorny trees...pieces of glass... pins don't hurt you." One child said with strong emotion, "You need shoes or else your feet will get dirty!" In response to that last comment, another child said, "You don't need shoes because you can wash your feet if they get dirty." Another said shoes were not a need because "people in other places don't wear shoes."
Then one child volunteered that TV was a need. Several chimed in: "You need TV in order to see the weather for the day...you need TV to see the news." One child said, "Once I saw this commercial for medicine, and I told my mom about it because maybe it could help her foot. If I didn't have a TV, I wouldn't know about that medicine." (I thought that was a very sweet act, to see a commercial, and think about how it could help your mom!) Another said she needed TV so she could see where to get food. Another said, "I need TV so I can see my shows!" (I'm sure fans of "Lost" and Korean dramas can relate to that feeling!) In response to that last comment, one child said, "You don't need TV, because you can play something else to have fun!" Others said "TV is not good for you...TV hurts your eyes." I didn't have enough class time to take a vote on this one, but I think less people thought TV was a need than shoes.
We are discovering that It all depends on one's definition of "need." One way of thinking about "need" is "do I
need this to survive?" Thus, only a few things qualify as what humans truly need, such as food and clean water. However, "need" can also be thought of not only in a survival point of view, but something that should be done either for one's benefit or as an extrinsic requirement, like "I need to exercise more," or "I need to wear covered shoes or shoes with a back strap to MPI," or "I need to go to the store to buy Mandy's birthday gift." I love this open discussion of thoughts and feelings! We will be going over this discussion of what is needed more next week.
One first grader wondered "why don't rich people give to people who don't have anything?" She became very passionate, and said, "They should MAKE rich people give to people who are poor!" (Well, yes, some countries' governments agree with her, and through our taxes we Americans are doing the same, in some sense.) I asked her how she would feel if I made every child give money to UNICEF. She paused, then said, "Well, they should make them give SOME of their money to the poor people." I am glad our children are pondering the hard issues of our world.
My hope is not to teach or validate different forms of government or to make anyone give something, but to encourage children to share with others-- whether it is coins for a child across the world, a ball at recess, or a purple marker in class.
