What is #theconsumptionproject?

​The consumption project is something that I have developed based on my experiences as a teacher.  If you had asked me to rate my effectiveness in the classroom during the first two years of my career, I would have easily given  myself an A+.  In year three, I hit a wall.  I fought a daily battle between getting my students to understand math, and getting them to do anything at all.  I struggled to make it to winter break, where I questioned my career choice altogether.  When the new semester started, I came back to school, re-energized, and ready to try out all my creative ideas to get the students motivated.  After one failed attempt after another, I really started to examine exactly what was happening with my students.  What I realized was that the student today is so drastically different from the student just a decade ago.  The consumption project is an honest examination of the realities of the things being consumed by the student, and their impact on both the classroom and the human connection.

A challenge to live beyond the ​

Music

One major component of the consumption project is the music that is so widely consumed by teens, as well as a good amount of the general public.  We take a closer look at the messages of songs and the real lives of the artists creating the music.

Social Media

There's no denying that social  media has infiltrated our lives.  This project looks at motives behind posts, and the strange desire to be "liked" in a world that only exists digitally.

Reality TV

Some students today can barely tell the difference between a "reality tv show" and a "regular tv show" (in their words, of course.).  We take an honest look at why kids today think that fame is now a career path.

What now?

The consumption project is extremely relevant to high school students today.  It is presented in a way that is engaging and  makes them think about these topics differently than your typical anti-bullying assembly, or "think before you post" speech.  We laugh, but we get serious.  If you are interested in bring the consumption project to your school, please email me.
The consumption project was developed completely by Jennifer Christman.  All music clips and presentation materials have been self-edited.