Filling Their Minds

On the BBC feed today on my phone I saw a headline which left me flummoxed,

James Charles loses a million subscribers after YouTube row

Seriously??? This is news these days? James Charles- I discovered- is a makeup artist. Is that really interesting to lots of people? And is it really news?

I've had some thoughts brewing for a while now. I hope it's not just a sign of my becoming more middle aged but I get more and more irritated with all things celebrity- particularly the fascination people have with those of social media fame and how these people are being set up as role models for us all.

 I have recently read the brilliant book War Doctor ( see this review)- now the author David Nott is a true hero, a role model to follow. We watched a 30-minute feature film on the White Helmets in Syria- men who daily risk their lives saving from the rubble victims of Assad and Russia's bombing campaigns- now they are true heroes. In marked contrast to that irritating BBC headline, in school today- in our study of the Georgians (surely one of the most fascinating eras of British history?)- we learnt about John Wesley, Elizabeth Fry, Hannah Moore, Thomas Coram and William Wilberforce. All people who used their time, energy and resources to work to alleviate poverty; reform prisons; set up schools and a Foundling Hospital for homeless and impoverished children; and campaigned to abolish the slave trade. 

I was inspired when reading about these incredible men and women to my children how these really are the role models and inspirations I would love them to follow. But if that's what we want for our children we will need to fill their minds with heroes and heroines of history- and the current times- before their minds get so filled up with all the rather lesser role models our media thrusts on them. This will often mean taking the time to seek out good books and films about these people and even taking the time to read them aloud to our children and all learn together. I would argue that this is time very well spent.

Some book ideas
 (Not all suitable for children)