TV in school

[kattyo]

I've noticed a few posts in which people talk about their kids watching TV/DVDs in school. Is this normal???? I don't remember anyone watching TV when i was a kid - apart from the silver jubilee, when the tv was wheeled in specially (and yes - this dates me). We don't have a tv at home and the kids only watch at most one DVD a week (a disney movie). They are nearly four. What am I to expect when they start primary school? What kind of DVDs are kids watching? And why? Laziness on the part of the teacher, or is it actually meant to be educational? Slightly panicked as it's reinforcing my fear that early years teaaching is just a fancy form of state funded childcare.

Perhaps if there's merchandising attached it doesn't belong in school?

UnSerpent's leaf lesson sounds fabulous, again I'd be happy with and grateful for such a lesson for ds.

This thread has been incredibly helpful in preparing me for meetings with school heads over the next months to find a school for ds to enroll in Year 2. At this point, we've used the internet, mostly YouTube, to watch rocket launches, violin playing, ballets and how chickens lay eggs and of course Skype for weekly grandparent visits. He watches tennis and snooker online with his father. I can say with certainty that he has never seen Disney or Pixar, or any other child-entertainment TV. I would be beyond livid if he came home one day to announce he'd watched Shrek at school, regardless of the context.

I think teachers need to recognise and be sensitive to the reality that media exposure is a big deal for parents and that it should be used very consciously. I think the telling comment by both Pekkla and UnSerpent was that their lesson was structured in such a way that they did not need the media, but that it's use enhanced the experience. This is in a big contrast to choosing to build a lesson around Shrek.

With regards to wet days, his current school dresses him in his wet weathers and wellies and they go out regardless.

Zazi - what are you planning to do when your ds goes to tea with friends? Are you going to request that he does not watch Disney or Pixar?

Yes, his current friends already know he's from a no-tv family, and most of the mothers I hang out with all restrict tv for their own kids to some extent, some more so than others. (We're on the far end of the spectrum.) It's never been an issue.

I find mothers in general to be respectful of other preferences and styles, which is why I'm so surprised disney/pixar is rampant in primary schools.

I know he'll see it all someday, and I have a fantasy that his first movie experience will be watching Star Wars with us in the lounge with popcorn.

Thanks Zazi, I was just being curious, not critical. I haven't seen any nurseries/school where Disney is 'rampant' though - I'd avoid anywhere like that myself. Good luck finding somewhere you and your son can be happy and comfortable with.

We didn't have a television when dd was little, but I had absolutely no problem with her watching extracts of films for discussion at school as long as it was either for a specific educational purpose or an infrequent (e.g. end of term) relaxation. Given how much other work schools have to get through these days, and how closely they are monitored, I wouldn't have thought a child could suffer from screen saturation just from school telly. And it's up to me as a parent to make sure they don't get so much telly at home that a tiny snippet at school would tip them over the edge- wherever that may be.

We don't watch much telly at home either, so I would be a bit upset if DS sat in front of a TV in school each time it rains outside.

In regard to friends coming round, so far they have not asked to watch TV much, if they watched it only lasted 10 min or so and then they were on to doing something else.

On the other hand, DS (5) has one friend who says he watches a lot of TV (Cbeebies and films and who has a TV in his room), there they go to his room a lot, watch TV and snack. Fine with me, he needs to see that people are different and we explained to him why we do what we do and he accepted that, besides he doesn't go there every week. That particular friend's language is not very good and he gets extra help with English - makes me think!

I had the pleasure of seeing a lesson at DC's school on the first moon landing, and part of it was a clip on the white board of Armstrong et al.

It was a brilliant use of technology and added to the lesson. It did not however replace book work and discussion.

However, that is a million miles away from parking children in front of the telly when it's raining, or during last lesson, or before the xmas holidays.