I was sitting at the local barbershop on Saturday morning, just waiting for my husband to have a haircut - what an entertaining experience that was! It was like being on a movie set with four original barber chairs in a row and the old barbers greeting their customers as they streamed in. Chatter and jokes were shared - customers acknowledged with old style, Italian hospitality. It must have been prime time for boys' haircuts!
We had to wait for half an hour and we watched as young boys ranging from 2 to 10 hopped onto the chairs. Razors purred as the young heads were buzzed! A perfect number 5 was etched into the back of one head and a Mohawk style soon created on another as the experts buzzed with precision.
However, the waiting area was a different story. There were three young boys - all in silence with their DS gadgets. They were transfixed with no communication between the the fathers and sons. It seemed that there was no need for interaction, conversation or anything else.
As a teacher who embraces creative thinking and creativity I wondered if I was being downright old-fashioned in my thinking. Are all these little brains really turning into electronic mush or is there value to this new way of entertainment?
