M. Alterman

Thanks, Sarah, for your lovely description of television watching. I have a
sister who sends her kids to a Waldorf school and though she and her
children watch lots and lots of movies...still, something of that "dissing
television stuff" comes around to us, though I suspect that much of it is
just talk. I have been up and down about television, partly because of the
Waldorf influence (they have some really scary ideas about what television
does to the minds of children...though my mind seems to work after growing
up with a fair amount of t.v....my mother thought it was the best thing to
come along to help her raise seven of us)...still, I worried. Then I read
the article on dyslexia that was posted on Sandra's website (my youngest has
been labeled "dyslexic") in which the writer said he learned tons from
watching the BBC...since then, we've joined Netflix free for a month and
last night we all watched Patton and have ordered some other WW II
movies...my oldest (15) does an online Math program (ALECS) and he loves to
put on an old Andy Griffith video while he works on math...it gets him going
in the morning. And I remembered that I always did my homework to
television at night and was an honor student. Anyway, thanks again, Sarah,
for the honest portrayal of television in our lives. "The truth shall set
you free."

-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]

Sent: Tuesday, May 02, 2006 11:54 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [AlwaysLearning] Digest Number 1894

There are 2 messages in this issue.

Topics in this digest:

1. RE: alien lifeforms WAS mushrooms like jellyfish
From: "Janet" <jrenk@...>
2. Re: Why I love TV
From: Sandra Dodd <Sandra@...>


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Message: 1
Date: Tue, 2 May 2006 07:44:16 -0600
From: "Janet" <jrenk@...>
Subject: RE: alien lifeforms WAS mushrooms like jellyfish




<<and yet on Star Trek all the aliens look like
people. <g>**


PS Remember there was a Star Trek alien that looked like a box full of
colored lights.>>



The Medusa like creature. There was one with winged bat like creatures that
were transparent. One landed on Spock, and the only way to kill it was with
light. They thought he had gone blind but he really had an extra set of
eyelids. One where they had evolved into nothing but brains; they looked
like glowing colored rocks under a glass dome. Hmmm.. I spent too much time
watching Star Trek and too little time with homework.

Janet




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Message: 2
Date: Tue, 2 May 2006 19:57:25 -0600
From: Sandra Dodd <Sandra@...>
Subject: Re: Why I love TV


On Mar 24, 2006, at 9:30 AM, Sarah wrote:

> TV is right up there with politics and religion. I
> mean this topic elicits more questions than "What
> about church?" in the unschooling community. I think
> even sugar is less of a hot topic than TV.
>
> And it really cracks me up. Because TV is like a
> godsend around here.
>
> My girls really like to wake up slowly watching TV.
> This is great for me because it gives me a chance to
> drink my espresso, read the paper (still looking for a
> dog), switch the laundry, maybe do a little pilates,
> and generally prepare for the day. A moment to clean
> in the morning is great for me. I feel ready to say
> lots of yeses when I'm not saying, "Let me just slick
> this up first."
>
> TV often offers us a moment to reconnect. I can sit
> down with the girls and laugh out loud or ask what
> shows they like and why. Many, many great
> conversations have happened because of this.
>
> We have the sit and spin and a mini tramp and puzzles
> and games and art projects and a computer and Lego's
> and baby dolls and magazines and books in the same
> room as one of our TVs...people rarely just sit
> passively and watch TV.
>
> It offers siblings a chance to do something together.
> Or, it can get them apart!
>
> Lots of imaginative games and pretend play have ensued
> due to an idea gleaned from a television program.
>
> We've discovered new crafts, new recipes, art
> activities and science projects...all from TV.
>
> Many new concepts have come to us via TV: from
> beginning reading for my almost three year old to the
> study of physics and "The Elegant Universe" for
> myself.
>
> Half the music I like I found from watching TV and
> movies...either from soundtracks or music videos or
> musical guests or TV concerts.
>
> My husband turns it on at bedtime for white noise. He
> has to wake up earlier than us and this drowns out our
> sometimes loud sounds late at night.
>
> TV (I'm thinking parody here) has given us many ways
> to laugh about situations that have the potential to
> make me cry.
>
> The TV offers a connection to history and literature
> and language and culture and differing opinions and
> glimpses of remote parts of the world I will probably
> never see in person.
>
> I like to watch shows from my childhood...it is a
> connection. My kids learn more about me from what I
> watched and liked when I was younger.
>
> We've learned how to cook new foods.
>
> My husband, a busy, busy man, will actually sit with
> us if we watch a show together, and he finds things
> for him and the girls to watch together. Major
> bonding.
>
> When my kids are in a "TV phase", I like to look at it
> as a great opportunity for me to catch up on
> housework, phone calls, a new craft, or my sleep :).
> These don't last long so instead of worrying I take
> full advantage!
>
> It really adds to our never-ending list of questions.
> The topics take us to the library and on field trips
> and into new artistic endeavors.
>
> Ooooh, and here's a really good one: TV topics are a
> great conversation link between my kids and schooled
> kids. They can talk about favorite movies or shows or
> actors or musicians. These topics are much better
> than, "What grade are you in?"
>
> We have been introduced to so many fun games and toys
> because of the *gasp* advertisements.
>
> It gives me a cozy, tucked-in, home-from-school
> feeling. My kids don't really have that, but I'm sure
> sometimes they get a nest-y cozy feeling.
>
> It connects us generationally. My kids can talk to
> their grandparents about shows they mutually like and
> they can watch them together. My grandparents don't
> go to the skating rinks and sledding hills and zoos
> with us, but they can watch Mary Poppins with my kids
> and laugh and bond together.
>
> My Mom had the TV on all the time. She loved it. But
> I don't remember her sitting and just watching very
> often. She crocheted and cooked and cleaned. And she
> and I both read in front of the TV. I read many a
> book in front of the TV just to be near her. I did
> most of my homework in front of the TV (and did really
> well according to their standards). And it still
> gives me a chance to knit and paint my toes and other
> things I like to do with some noise on.
>
> And guess what, even though I have these feelings of
> regard for the TV and tell my kids when their favorite
> shows are on and get them lots of movies and offer to
> go to lots of movies, they probably end up watching
> the same amount of TV as some kids with TV limits
> watch. Because they *want* full lives and have many
> interests and love the outdoors and art and
> experiments and friends and going out to eat and well,
> you get the idea.
>
> Sarah Anderson-Thimmes
>
>
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Sandra Dodd

On May 3, 2006, at 10:02 AM, M. Alterman wrote:

> , partly because of the
> Waldorf influence (they have some really scary ideas about what
> television
> does to the minds of children..

Yeah, well they have some scary and off the wall ideas about a lot of
things.

I'd take the good parts and turn away as blithe as a woodland fairy
from the nutty parts.

Sandra