Thursday, March 22, 2007
What are we teaching kids?
Have you heard that 1/3 of the people in Washington D.C. are illiterate?
Those numbers astound me. The idea seems so incredible that I begin to wonder by what standards are they judging literacy.
So I begin to wonder, what are we teaching our kids? In theory, they attend school for 10 or more years. How does this happen? Is it just a series of so-called ‘social promotions’ that keep putting the kids into the next grade when they haven’t mastered the material from the first?
I don’t know. I won’t pretend to have any answers on this issue. I’m no educator, nor do I have any school age children. However, I can make some comments on the nature of children’s pre-kindergarten educational programming based on personal experience.
1. Sesame Street
I used to watch this show myself. I’ve even noticed that some of the short sets are the same from the ‘70s when I was a kid (Just the other day, I saw the short set featuring the song ‘Everybody Sleeps’, or something like that. Just like it was when I was a kid.). Some things are different though. I don’t see a lot of letters and numbers anymore - not as much counting. My memory may be fuzzy from 30 years of intervening life, but I remember Sesame Street being all about counting (e.g. “One! One peanut butter sandwich! Two! Two peanut butter sandwiches!”) and sounding out words (e.g. “C… at. Cat.”). Now the show seems to focus heavily on social issues. Here’s a case in point: one of the single adult characters on the show recently adopted a child from a foreign country. Much time was spent on this. It doesn’t matter what you think of that social issue, the only thing I’m pointing out is that it is no longer a show primarily about counting and spelling. Add to this the character Elmo. He’s fantastically popular and (albeit disgustingly) cute, but here is a major character that does not even speak proper English. The Elmo character just doesn’t use personal pronouns (i.e. he says, “Elmo wants… blah blah.” Instead of ‘I want…”). Not only does this grate on an adult’s nerves, I question having a popular character speaking in such poor grammar and possibly, by example, teaching it. Perhaps, one of the adults should finally teach Elmo how to speak properly and his speech rehabilitation can figure into the show. You think I’m kidding.
2. Thomas the Tank Engine
I really enjoy watching this program with my son on Sundays. It’s cute, but have begun to notice a recurring theme: the importance of “usefulness” to society. I know, that doesn’t sound too obnoxious, but the way it is presented in the show bothers me. The engines are always being judged on their usefulness to their society (in isolation of other norms) and those that are not useful are punished, scolded, or ostracized from the group until they mend their ways. The reasoning that is given for an unreliable engine being punished never has to do with outcome and consequences of their actions, but is purely that they have not been "useful". Free thinking, independence, and exploring options always seem to result in the engine failing in usefulness to the group.
Although it is important to be a productive member of society (and kids should be raised to be become such), I find this apparent message in the show that one's worth is based solely on usefulness to the group a bit disturbing.
The show is British in origin, I wonder if that has anything to do with it. Maybe I'm misunderstanding a cultural connotation.
3. Caillou, Curious George, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Dragon Tails
These are all cute shows. Here again, though, these are all shows that focus on teaching social mores or are just pure entertainment. Not a single one teaches reading, counting, etc.
All of the shows listed above make up almost the entirety of the PBS children’s programming (I refuse, personally, to watch Barney and Teletubbies, so no comment there). Only one of them, Sesame Street, teaches any sort of reading skills, and Sesame Street seems to be slacking off.
I went to kindergarten with the ability to do simple reading, counting, arithmetic, and understand simple science principles. I learned it from shows like the Electric Company, 3-2-1 Contact, Reading Rainbow, and (the older) Sesame Street. These shows and their ilk don’t seem to be on TV anymore. Why have they gone? Why do all the existing shows focus on teaching social mores?
I don’t know. But it bothers me.
Those numbers astound me. The idea seems so incredible that I begin to wonder by what standards are they judging literacy.
So I begin to wonder, what are we teaching our kids? In theory, they attend school for 10 or more years. How does this happen? Is it just a series of so-called ‘social promotions’ that keep putting the kids into the next grade when they haven’t mastered the material from the first?
I don’t know. I won’t pretend to have any answers on this issue. I’m no educator, nor do I have any school age children. However, I can make some comments on the nature of children’s pre-kindergarten educational programming based on personal experience.
1. Sesame Street
I used to watch this show myself. I’ve even noticed that some of the short sets are the same from the ‘70s when I was a kid (Just the other day, I saw the short set featuring the song ‘Everybody Sleeps’, or something like that. Just like it was when I was a kid.). Some things are different though. I don’t see a lot of letters and numbers anymore - not as much counting. My memory may be fuzzy from 30 years of intervening life, but I remember Sesame Street being all about counting (e.g. “One! One peanut butter sandwich! Two! Two peanut butter sandwiches!”) and sounding out words (e.g. “C… at. Cat.”). Now the show seems to focus heavily on social issues. Here’s a case in point: one of the single adult characters on the show recently adopted a child from a foreign country. Much time was spent on this. It doesn’t matter what you think of that social issue, the only thing I’m pointing out is that it is no longer a show primarily about counting and spelling. Add to this the character Elmo. He’s fantastically popular and (albeit disgustingly) cute, but here is a major character that does not even speak proper English. The Elmo character just doesn’t use personal pronouns (i.e. he says, “Elmo wants… blah blah.” Instead of ‘I want…”). Not only does this grate on an adult’s nerves, I question having a popular character speaking in such poor grammar and possibly, by example, teaching it. Perhaps, one of the adults should finally teach Elmo how to speak properly and his speech rehabilitation can figure into the show. You think I’m kidding.
2. Thomas the Tank Engine
I really enjoy watching this program with my son on Sundays. It’s cute, but have begun to notice a recurring theme: the importance of “usefulness” to society. I know, that doesn’t sound too obnoxious, but the way it is presented in the show bothers me. The engines are always being judged on their usefulness to their society (in isolation of other norms) and those that are not useful are punished, scolded, or ostracized from the group until they mend their ways. The reasoning that is given for an unreliable engine being punished never has to do with outcome and consequences of their actions, but is purely that they have not been "useful". Free thinking, independence, and exploring options always seem to result in the engine failing in usefulness to the group.
Although it is important to be a productive member of society (and kids should be raised to be become such), I find this apparent message in the show that one's worth is based solely on usefulness to the group a bit disturbing.
The show is British in origin, I wonder if that has anything to do with it. Maybe I'm misunderstanding a cultural connotation.
3. Caillou, Curious George, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Dragon Tails
These are all cute shows. Here again, though, these are all shows that focus on teaching social mores or are just pure entertainment. Not a single one teaches reading, counting, etc.
All of the shows listed above make up almost the entirety of the PBS children’s programming (I refuse, personally, to watch Barney and Teletubbies, so no comment there). Only one of them, Sesame Street, teaches any sort of reading skills, and Sesame Street seems to be slacking off.
I went to kindergarten with the ability to do simple reading, counting, arithmetic, and understand simple science principles. I learned it from shows like the Electric Company, 3-2-1 Contact, Reading Rainbow, and (the older) Sesame Street. These shows and their ilk don’t seem to be on TV anymore. Why have they gone? Why do all the existing shows focus on teaching social mores?
I don’t know. But it bothers me.
R.T. Lemur 9:06 AM