July 23: Material World

I am a sucker for photo essay books, I will admit. I borrowed this one from the library on a whim years ago while I was still home with my kids, thinking to myself that if I ever wound up at a private school where I could set my own curriculum, this would be my 6th grade social studies textbook.

The authors went around the world, finding families that matched the average family for that country--socioeconomically, size, location. Took all their stuff and put it outside in front of their houses. Took photos.

So many discussions of poverty, of course, could spring forth from these photos. But also hierarchy of needs. Climate, religion, politics, how ethnicity evolves and influences behavior, consumerism, leisure, what makes a good life--there is a lot to untangle here.

Then I found out they had a sequel: Women in the Material World. The focus was on, obviously, women's experiences across the planet.

And then another: Hungry Planet. This one actually did influence a curriculum--a friend was a home economics/culinary arts teacher at that private school I dreamed about but never found my way into. She used this as a framework for her older children's study of food waste, conservation, packaging, and distribution.

I teach math--more specifically, special education middle school math. A far cry from culinary arts or the 6th grade social studies dream job. It's where I fit, where I belong. But I dream of riches.