Comments on: Enough About the System: Primary Education and Personal Responsibility

By: EllenNordahl

EllenNordahl — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 08:00:09 +0000

Kudos to you for committing to teaching your (future) children about money and about the joy of reading. I couldn't agree more – it seems like every time we try to make our educational system step into the role of parents instead of fostering a healthy love of learning and understanding of fundamental concepts, the quality of our educational system declines and parents shirk from the responsibilities that should lie with parents.

By: EllenNordahl

EllenNordahl — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 07:57:06 +0000

Hey Lindsey, thanks for the update! Sorry for not responding sooner – the past week has been a whirlwind, but I'm settling back in (and going to get caught up on reading blogs shortly )

By: ciaradawn

ciaradawn — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:58:20 +0000

Thank you for posting this. I can't agree with you enough. I see this problem everyday. In my job I do transportation for foster care and one girl (7 years old) said that when she grows up she wants to get a Jeep because it has a tv.

TV is the now center of our homes. I see it all the time. I see it in my peers and how they were raised and I see it even more in their kids.

My mom and dad read to me every night as well. My grandmother used to take my brother and I to the library where we would stay for hours upon hours! We loved it.

You posted this quote "mothers spend less than 30 minutes a day (and fathers spend less than 15) talking to their children." I can't believe that! It shocks me! I don't have kids yet but when I do this is one of the things that I am incredibly passionate about. That and teaching my kids about money.

When did we stop teaching our kids and expecting everyone else to do it?
Remember when parents were allowed to abuse their kids because we were "supposed to" stay out of each other's homes? Were we more passionate about our children then? I'm not saying it's a bad thing that the state steps in when needed, but it seems like when the state steps in the parents step out. It's such a shame that we expect other people and computers and tv to raise our children.

By: LostInCheeseland

LostInCheeseland — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 14:32:30 +0000

Update: thought you might find this relevant (he's kind of my hero) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-maher/new-ru...

By: Tariq West

Tariq West — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 09:18:17 +0000

Interesting points. You might find Mark Bauerlein's “Dumbest Generation” interesting – he has similar concerns about overexposure to multimedia and underexposure to books and reading.

By: EllenNordahl

EllenNordahl — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 10:46:42 +0000

When it comes to TV and toddlers, I'm definitely of the opinion that less is more – and it's good to hear that your half-brother is being raised by loving parents and not by a television. I had really strict rules about TV while I was growing up too – we never had cable, and I couldn't watch PG-13 movies until I was 13. I got a lot of grief about it, but now when I see my aunt letting my 4 year old cousin watch Jurassic Park time and time again, I feel grateful that my mom exercised so much authority over what was appropriate to watch.

By: LostInCheeseland

LostInCheeseland — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 19:48:32 +0000

Brilliant post. My half-brother is 2 and watches maybe 30 minutes of TV a week. Although he was given Baby Einstein, it is never put on as a way to shut him up or because my parents don't want to play with him. There are SOME educational benefits but as is true with all media (and food) it's all about moderation. They don't allow him to watch for more than 15 or 20 minutes and when he's done, he plays with his toys. They teach him, they show up how to do things and then he does them on his own.

Growing up there were fairly strict rules about television and when I got to High School, about internet and AOL IM usage. I cannot even imagine what it must be like for parents to raise children in the web 2.0 generation where they learn how to type and use a computer before they're even speaking properly. It DOES boil down to the parents and how involved they are in their child's education outside school doors and how much control they want to have over the inevitable influence of the media.

By: EllenNordahl

EllenNordahl — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 06:35:44 +0000

Thanks Beth! I think it's important that we keep up the dialogue too – what you said about engaging children vs. distracting them really hits at the core of my argument. Kids seem to have so much structure from such an early age that they really don't explore things they aren't “signed up for.”

By: teevee

teevee — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 04:30:04 +0000

Oh trust me, we do a lot of reading! But will definitely be taking your recommendation and checking out the local library! Reading is what I believe gave me the belief that I could do anything and there was a much bigger world in which I was raised.

By: Beth Oppenheim

Beth Oppenheim — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 20:04:06 +0000

I really love your perspective on this topic. The idea of distracting children instead of engaging with them is, for me, a main reason why many kids grow up enjoying/expecting only distracting activities. Some like video games, tv, and other technology more than reading or spending time outdoors. I really like the way you have described the issue, and think its' definitely important that we keep up the dialogue.