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Tips for Parents in Guiding Children in What to Bring to Show-And-Tell

December 16, 2009

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Rachel McAdams is on the cover of Vogue's January issue, just in time to talk about her new movie Sherlock Holmes. Even though she's a natural working the red carpet, she seems happiest when enjoying some of life's more simple things. She opened up to the magazine about her new green mentality, how she grew up, and her thoughts on relationships. Rachel also talked about working with Lindsay Lohan, years ago on Mean Girls. Here's more:

• On working with Lindsay Lohan in Mean Girls: “I just remember marveling about how much she knew as an actor, how much she understood. She did very few takes and had this naturalness to her. And beyond that, I was 26 at the time. I’d be asked, ‘Where do you go out?' . . . I felt like I was in a different place at that time.”
• On how going green affects her wanting things: “I don't really desire things. I prefer to spend my money on experiences, on meals or travel. . . I look at the world through a green lens now, but you can't make yourself crazy. That feeling of green guilt can be really inhibiting. It's about a changing mindset, remembering to turn off the water when you are brushing your teeth.”
• On relationships: “I'm pretty good on my own, and I like just getting out and walking, which seems very rudimentary.”
• On how she grew up: “My mother never put an emphasis on looks. She let us grow up on our own time line. She never forced any beauty regimen into my world.”

If attention is what it wanted, Publishers Weekly succeeded.

For its December 14 issue cover, the Reed Business Information title used a photo entitled “Pickin’,” shot by photographer Lauren Kelly for a new book by Deborah Willis called, "Posing Beauty: African American Images from the 1890s to the Present." Willis, an African-American, is the head of New York University’s photography and imaging department.

The cover caused a firestorm on Twitter. Publishers Weekly senior editor Calvin Reid, who is African-American, chimed in over the magazine’s feed, claiming he and the magazine’s creative director chose the cover photo and wrote the cover line. Here are some of Reid’s tweets:

@PublishersWkly: I admit that I love afro picks! In the 1970s I had many just like them also stuck in my massive afro. . .

@PublishersWkly: . . and it’s a story about ‘picking’ books. I love dumb jokes.

@PublishersWkly: While I respect everyone who may be offended, I think the photo is a delightful and wry expression of historical Afro Americana.

Even Felicia Pride, the cover story’s author, admitted via Twitter that the cover was, well, a bit shocking:

@feliciapride: I too saw PW cover yesterday. Mouth dropped. Still, I hope you can read my article

What do you think? Is the cover offensive? Funny? Outdated? Ignorant? Poorly executed?

Here’s a select sampling of the comments that have flooded Twitter. Feel free to leave your comment directly to this post.

@yasminhamidi: Ya, I'm not feelin this Publishers Weekly 'Afro Picks' cover. Agree that it's 'artful but out of context'

@Gripemaster: Why are we suprised? This is the same mag and editors who couldn't find 1 good novel from a female writer for Top 10 of 2009.

@ChristineTB: Calvin - I owned "Afro Picks" too. But your photo selection, given the current climate which marginalizes AA writers, was poor.

@ActsofFaithblog: Hipster Racism FTW @PublishersWkly #afropw –And when you go under like so many other publications you'll know why. Cheap shots = FAIL!!

@charabbott: Beyond PW's cover (which I found fresh & funny), what's disturbing is the ARTICLE: e.g. less serious black fiction is being pubbed.

@StrachanLit: I find the PW cover to be a clever play on words, but I'm not African American. It seems vaguely wrong–but why?

@MaggieHilliard: The more I look at/learn about the #afropw cover the more I think the image works, but the copy's too glib.

@angel_atee: At first it's like, what the hell? Then you look at all those little fists and you realize what it is-overkill. Art.

@baratunde: #afropw cover about "picking" black books featured actual picks. Coulda been worse. Coulda been cotton.

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Some kids just seem to be natural show-and-tellers - they have a backlog of great items and stories and are always eager to bounce off to school when their turn comes. For others, it is more of a struggle to come up with something that “isn't boring”. I can remember my own children wandering around the house and finally grabbing something - anything - and saying ,”this is fine.” The purpose of show-and-tell is to give children the opportunity to practice some public speaking, and build confidence and self-esteem in the safe classroom setting. Parents can help make show-and-tell a little more productive and a little less painful:

While toys can be a fine choice, keep in mind if it is a particularly popular toy, the class may have already had a dozen make an appearance at show-and-tell. Encourage items that your child is familiar with and can get excited about. The more familiar the child is with the item he or she is bringing, the more confident the presentation will be.

Without nagging, you may be able to encourage your child to “practice” her presentation. Just asking a simple question like, “What are you going to tell your class about your rock collection?” might get her thinking and talking and she'll feel more prepared. Along the same lines, some children respond well to choosing a month's worth of show-and-tell items in advance (some kids may have trouble choosing at the last minute or in particularly busy families, having a show-and-tell basket from which to draw might be efficient and lessen the risk of forgetting), so they will feel more prepared when their turn comes.

Generally, items from vacations or that have been sent from “someplace else” make good show-and-tell items - even a postcard sent from an Aunt in another state can be interesting and spark some educational interest. Collections, family items, photographs, and items from nature all make good, portable show-and-tell artifacts. It is a good idea to avoid fragile and extremely valuable items. The classroom is just too unpredictable and it puts a lot of pressure on the child (and the teacher) to keep the item in tact.

Finally, there is some controversy over pets in the classroom. Some people think these are fine items for show-and-tell, although it almost always involves a parent's participation to bring the pet for show-and-tell and will need to be prearranged with the teacher. Pets can be incredibly distracting - especially a big dog, cat, or other medium to large-size animal. Not all children are fond of animals and can suffer from extreme anxiety in their presence. If you are determined to bring a pet (or your child is), make arrangements with the teacher and maybe it can be brought in at the end of a school day or a time when it will be less of a distraction and take up less class time that has been scheduled for something else.

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