Heroes. We all have them. We all grew up with them. Having an example to look up to is very important, especially for children. Even as an adult, I find it important and helpful to have heroic figures in my life who have gone before me. As a teacher, I love taking on this very rewarding role.

Some time ago, I was talking with some friends of mine who are parents of young children and the subject of heroes for children came up. As we discussed this, we acknowledged other hero examples that children have, such as sports figures, actors and characters from learning programs. Eventually we arrived at the obvious and talked about pop culture "hero" characters that are seemingly inescapable for anyone to ignore, especially children.

As with the pop culture, there are many violent examples out there, but we all agreed that traditional "hero'' archetypes with a code of honor were still alive and well. Among them were the obvious Superman, Batman, Spiderman, etc. I realized how much they resonated with everyone as I noticed that my friends' little boys owned toys and accessories with these "superhero" images and logos on them. Sometimes these items would inspire the boys to pretend they were these characters. Just as I began to smile about this, I noticed the daughter of my friends was playing with toys that all had the Disney princess themes. I pointed this out to my friends and they explained that this was still a very popular thing for little girls. I wondered aloud if this was the heroic pop culture equivalent for little girls. The mother of this girl laughed and said the princess theme would not have been her choice but she did say her daughter gravitated to that theme all on her own. The mother had grown up as the family jock and couldn't have been farther away from anything pink or princess. "I certainly didn't encourage this, but, if she likes it, then I'll let her enjoy it!", the mother said. Ultimately, as a mother, she didn't find any harm with it and it certainly was the daughter's expression of individuality from her mother.

As a teacher, I look for materials less pop-culture oriented and introduce the classroom children to books and stories that have universal learning and story book characters that everyone can identify with. I'm less concerned with the "hero" archetypes in pop culture, but I do wonder what messages are being sent to young children outside the classroom. As I write this, I'm immediately reminded that there is a cartoon called "Dora the Explorer" that shows a girl in a positive, self-reliant light that appeals to all children. This cartoon appeals to both girls and boys in a positive learning way.

I am always looking for learning vehicles that children respond to. I certainly would love to find more examples of what I'm referring to regarding positive and heroic examples for girls as well as boys outside the classroom. I invite parents or anyone else to share thoughts on this...

Mr. Charlie