Essay

Are role models needed in today’s society?

Choosing wisely which path to take in life is a hard task on its own but it has become even more difficult nowadays due to the world of infinite opportunities and materialism. In such a variety of alternative ways of living a person need someone to look up to. Role models not only help developing certain character traits but also forming moral values.

While the majority of world’s population has sunken into the depths of self-interest and purposeless pursuit of wealth, role models show that spiritual values are still as important as ever. Though it is rather hard for a person not to get seduced by material wellness and not to forget the more important things in life, some stand out of the crowd and demonstrate an inexplicable sense of selflessness and dedication seeking for the greater good. Charity workers, scientists, politicians, teachers or people who are simply trying to make a difference in the world with no intentions of self-promotion or rewards are the ones that restore faith in moral principles. Instances of self-sacrifice for families, nations or development of the world make people reconsider their own values and even reinvent themselves as better individuals.

Today’s society demands people to be self-centered and vicious in order for them to make something of themselves, but role models exhibit qualities which lead to a more purposeful life. The need of adaptation may force one to become indifferent, passive and unconfident. Having a kind-hearted, persistent or compassionate person to look up to motivates to take up these traits. For example, a young girl called MalalaYousafzai, who fought for freedom of education to all in a country overruled by the relentless Taliban, showed extreme courage and determination overcoming hindrances in her way inspiring thousands if not millions of youngsters to be brave and have perseverance in reaching their goals. Following the right icons can embrace the best qualities of a person.

All in all, having a role model in such socially difficult and confusing times is undeniably important so that priorities could be set right and one’s personality enriched.

Author: Urtė Bajarūnaitė 4e

Teacher: Akvilė Katauskytė – Burokienė.

Day 1 👿

On the first day we mainly used Scratch. First, we programmed “Art” which was basically an invisible circle leaving a colored trail and going really fast and it went in another direction when it reached the edge of the canvas. After a little while we started using a program called CoSpaces which let us build a world and then see it through Virtual Reality goggles. We used Google Cardboard which lets you use your phone as the VR goggles.

Day 2 💡

On the second day we learned about 3D printing and how to print a 3D object by ourselves. We used a program called TinkerCad to make an object. Migle personally made a Pac-Man keychain. 3D printing can take up to 10 hours! Nowadays 3D printer could print almost everything. From Pac-Man like this to heart valves, arms or leg implants, you can print any tools you need.

Day 3 🙂

On the third day we used a programmable minicomputer, called “Microbit”. It has 25 LED lights that can flash messages. It uses almost the same coding rectangles as in Scratch. We also programmed it to give messages to other Microbits. It’s also possible to program it to work like a compass. One of the most interesting things that we did with the Microbit was that we put some crocodile clips onto a headphone wire and on the Microbit. Then we programmed the Microbit to play different sounds depending on the amount of light the LED screen sees.

Day 4 😯

On the fourth day we learned a lot about animation. Things like shrinking and stretching to make an object move smoother. It’s quite simple to animate, however, 2 seconds of animation can take a minute to animate, especially when you’re using Stopmotion which makes you take a lot of pictures and put them together to make a video.

Day 5 😛

On the fifth day we used Strawbees that let you connect straws to each other and build from little to huge mechanical objects from just straws, for example, a puppy. Afterwards, we used the same Strawbees but we made our contraption into a Quirkbot, which uses the same Strawbees but this time with a microcontroller attached which you can code to make it move or do anything.

Art Project “My Favorite Teacher 2018” By our students:)