Television Turn-off
hmschoolmtnmama
I have to reply and hope that it will make it on this subject. My
family just put our television away for a month at the beginning of
March. The relationship between my children has changed for the
better, my husband and I have more time to really talk to each
other. And we have not had cable - just a few network channels, and
watched movies that we own or rent. There are several books out
there - Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television and another
one called TV turn off if you are interested in resources. Studies
have shown that when we watch television our bodies go into a
comatose like state - breathing slows, brain activity hums along
sluggishly with barely a blip on the radar. As heavy television
viewers, we are merely spectators in life. And while I think that
there are wonderful resources for our families available in things
such as nature videos and the history channel - a good book will do
the same. A child can really pause and contemplate over pictures of
let's say a Civil War soldier rather than having hundreds of images
thrust at him rapid speed. As Americans we are so used to having
everything fast and easy. Those fact thrown at us at mach speed do
not equate real learning. Cave children watching their family
members live in real life, where there were actual people to talk to
that they were interacting with cannot be equated to our children
watching sex, violence, and poo on television. And who is to say
that those novels weren't the downfall of our society? Do we still
live with Victorian morals and values? Television is like giving
your children a drug. I know there will be fall out from this
comment and defensiveness - but I challenge you to take it out of
your homes for even a week and see if there is a difference in your
children. As unschooling parents, you are surely willing to try
something new, different, out of the ordinary.
Best wishes - Julie
family just put our television away for a month at the beginning of
March. The relationship between my children has changed for the
better, my husband and I have more time to really talk to each
other. And we have not had cable - just a few network channels, and
watched movies that we own or rent. There are several books out
there - Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television and another
one called TV turn off if you are interested in resources. Studies
have shown that when we watch television our bodies go into a
comatose like state - breathing slows, brain activity hums along
sluggishly with barely a blip on the radar. As heavy television
viewers, we are merely spectators in life. And while I think that
there are wonderful resources for our families available in things
such as nature videos and the history channel - a good book will do
the same. A child can really pause and contemplate over pictures of
let's say a Civil War soldier rather than having hundreds of images
thrust at him rapid speed. As Americans we are so used to having
everything fast and easy. Those fact thrown at us at mach speed do
not equate real learning. Cave children watching their family
members live in real life, where there were actual people to talk to
that they were interacting with cannot be equated to our children
watching sex, violence, and poo on television. And who is to say
that those novels weren't the downfall of our society? Do we still
live with Victorian morals and values? Television is like giving
your children a drug. I know there will be fall out from this
comment and defensiveness - but I challenge you to take it out of
your homes for even a week and see if there is a difference in your
children. As unschooling parents, you are surely willing to try
something new, different, out of the ordinary.
Best wishes - Julie
April M
<<<Studies have shown that when we watch television our bodies go into a
comatose like state - breathing slows, brain activity hums along
sluggishly with barely a blip on the radar.>>>
Well, whoever did these studies sure haven't seen my kids watch TV! LOL!
Our TV is on and there's not a comatose-like state to be seen! And I don't
have to take away our television for a week to see if there's a "difference"
in my children...some weeks are just too busy to have it on...then the next
week, it's nice to have for some down time! And books are fine...for those
who read well or enjoy reading...but reading isn't for everyone. I would no
more insist that someone who dislikes TV get all their info from TV anymore
than I would insist that someone who doesn't enjoy reading get all their
info from books. Resources are all around us...
~April
Mom to Kate-18, Lisa-16, Karl-13, & Ben-9.
*REACH Homeschool Group, an inclusive group meeting throughout Oakland
County http://www.homeschoolingonashoestring.com/REACH_home.html
* Michigan Unschoolers...
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/michigan_unschoolers/
*Michigan Youth Theater...Acting On Our Dreams...
http://www.michiganyouththeater.org/
"What one knows is, in youth, of little moment; they know enough who know
how to learn."
Henry Brooks Adams (1838-1918)
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
comatose like state - breathing slows, brain activity hums along
sluggishly with barely a blip on the radar.>>>
Well, whoever did these studies sure haven't seen my kids watch TV! LOL!
Our TV is on and there's not a comatose-like state to be seen! And I don't
have to take away our television for a week to see if there's a "difference"
in my children...some weeks are just too busy to have it on...then the next
week, it's nice to have for some down time! And books are fine...for those
who read well or enjoy reading...but reading isn't for everyone. I would no
more insist that someone who dislikes TV get all their info from TV anymore
than I would insist that someone who doesn't enjoy reading get all their
info from books. Resources are all around us...
~April
Mom to Kate-18, Lisa-16, Karl-13, & Ben-9.
*REACH Homeschool Group, an inclusive group meeting throughout Oakland
County http://www.homeschoolingonashoestring.com/REACH_home.html
* Michigan Unschoolers...
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/michigan_unschoolers/
*Michigan Youth Theater...Acting On Our Dreams...
http://www.michiganyouththeater.org/
"What one knows is, in youth, of little moment; they know enough who know
how to learn."
Henry Brooks Adams (1838-1918)
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
soggyboysmom
--- In [email protected], "hmschoolmtnmama"
<jewls@f...> wrote:
movies (even in theaters), video games are ALL active events for DS -
he's almost 7. That he's moving, interacting, thinking even in
theaters (where there's not much else to do - unless you're a
teenager in the balcony lol) shows that watching TV, movies, etc
does not *necessarily* and *unequivocally* put one into a "comatose"
state. At home, TV and movies are usually accompanied by other
activities - related or unrelated. Yes, there are times of sitting
and watching, but they are generally in between periods of moving
and doing. That seems about normal to me - move around and do, then
sit and rest, then move around, and so on. And for unwinding at the
end of the day before sleep, breathing and brain activity slowing is
a *good* thing, isn't it?
<jewls@f...> wrote:
>They haven't been to our house "researching" recently then ;-) TV,
> Studies have shown that when we watch television our bodies go
> into a comatose like state - breathing slows, brain activity hums
> along sluggishly with barely a blip on the radar.
movies (even in theaters), video games are ALL active events for DS -
he's almost 7. That he's moving, interacting, thinking even in
theaters (where there's not much else to do - unless you're a
teenager in the balcony lol) shows that watching TV, movies, etc
does not *necessarily* and *unequivocally* put one into a "comatose"
state. At home, TV and movies are usually accompanied by other
activities - related or unrelated. Yes, there are times of sitting
and watching, but they are generally in between periods of moving
and doing. That seems about normal to me - move around and do, then
sit and rest, then move around, and so on. And for unwinding at the
end of the day before sleep, breathing and brain activity slowing is
a *good* thing, isn't it?
[email protected]
In a message dated 3/17/2005 1:52:12 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
jewls@... writes:
And who is to say
that those novels weren't the downfall of our society?
*******
There are things about our society that I definitely don't like or agree
with, but who is to say we are in downfall? Nearly every society has customs,
laws and behaviors that others would find reprehensible.
If you don't like television, don't have one. I don't like plenty of things
and I choose not to do them. If my child showed an interest in these
things, I would have to reexamine my opinion or find a way to help him pursue them.
*I* like watching television. I grew up in a television watching family.
We are amazingly able to manage our lives, are relatively intelligent and have
the ability to interact very well with other people. I'm sure our lives
would have been different if we didn't watch, but not better....just different.
As for interacting with real people, in my small southern conservative town,
I find television to be far more stimulating and intellectually challenging.
Leslie in SC
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
jewls@... writes:
And who is to say
that those novels weren't the downfall of our society?
*******
There are things about our society that I definitely don't like or agree
with, but who is to say we are in downfall? Nearly every society has customs,
laws and behaviors that others would find reprehensible.
If you don't like television, don't have one. I don't like plenty of things
and I choose not to do them. If my child showed an interest in these
things, I would have to reexamine my opinion or find a way to help him pursue them.
*I* like watching television. I grew up in a television watching family.
We are amazingly able to manage our lives, are relatively intelligent and have
the ability to interact very well with other people. I'm sure our lives
would have been different if we didn't watch, but not better....just different.
As for interacting with real people, in my small southern conservative town,
I find television to be far more stimulating and intellectually challenging.
Leslie in SC
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Judy Anderson
With mainstream people getting far too little sleep/rest to begin with, is
this really such a bad thing?
Judy
-----Original Message-----
<snip>
Studies have shown that when we watch television our bodies go into a
comatose like state - breathing slows, brain activity hums along
sluggishly with barely a blip on the radar.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
this really such a bad thing?
Judy
-----Original Message-----
<snip>
Studies have shown that when we watch television our bodies go into a
comatose like state - breathing slows, brain activity hums along
sluggishly with barely a blip on the radar.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Joyce Fetteroll
On Mar 17, 2005, at 1:16 PM, hmschoolmtnmama wrote:
research:
==========
you how historical people dressed or what their homes looked like.
Saying that a book and the images you can create are superior to seeing
the images that same book creates for a visual artist is like saying we
shouldn't look at the works of famous artists because we can create our
own images.
I couldn't create a fraction of the images that the hundreds of visual
artists created for Lord of the Rings. For others with a visual bent
those images are just as inspiring as the words are to those with a
linguistic bent.
Just as writers can't write without reading what others have written,
visual artists can't create without having seen what others have
visually created.
For those with high linguistic intelligence books and words are great.
Visuals and body movement and music and so forth are not quite as
important to them for gaining information. For those with high visual
intelligence depriving them of visuals and telling them books are
better is as bad as depriving a linguistic person of their books and
giving them visuals, or depriving a kinesthetic person of movement or a
musical person of music.
If you aren't aware of Howard Gardner's theory of Multiple
Intelligences, Google "Gardner Multiple Intelligences".
But what evidence do you have that gazing at static pictures is
superior to moving pictures? Most people would choose real life
experience over a book and real life experience can't be paused and is
chock full of stimulation of the other senses. By your reasoning real
life should be the worst way to learn.
comics and a 50,000 word novel, would it make any sense to take his
books away? That's what TV has helped my daughter do.
Joyce
> StudiesSomeone made this point a while ago and I did some delving into the
> have shown that when we watch television our bodies go into a
> comatose like state - breathing slows, brain activity hums along
> sluggishly with barely a blip on the radar.
research:
==========
>> And, actually a study was done that shows that some children, a=========
>> limited
>> number, do not think while "zoning" in front of the boob tube. Some
>> children
>> actually go into an almost sleep/dream state, a sort of self-hypnosis
>> in
>> which they brain waves patterns indicate no active thought patterns.
>
> Can you site a source for this? I can't seem to find one. What I did
> find
> (over and over and over) is a quote from "Battle for Your Mind:
> Subliminal
> Programming": by Dick Sutphen:
>
> Recent tests by researcher Herbert Krugman showed that, while viewers
> were
> watching TV, right-brain activity outnumbered left-brain activity by a
> ratio
> of two to one. Put more simply, the viewers were in an altered state .
> . .
> in trance more often than not. They were getting their Beta-endorphin
> "fix."
>
> To measure attention spans, psychophysiologist Thomas Mulholland of the
> Veterans Hospital in Bedford, Massachusetts, attached young viewers to
> an
> EEG machine that was wired to shut the TV set off whenever the
> children's
> brains produced a majority of alpha waves. Although the children were
> told
> to concentrate, only a few could keep the set on for more than 30
> seconds!
>
> Left brain activity (according to an anatomy and physiology text) is
> associated with spoken and written language, numerical and scientific
> skills
> and reasoning. Right brain activity is associated with musical and
> artistic
> awareness, space and pattern perception, insight, imagination,
> generating
> mental images to compare spatial relationships. (No connection is made
> between right brained activities and being in a trance like state.)
>
> From that list, it makes sense to me that TV watching would be a right
> brained activity. I suppose if there's something inherently wrong with
> right
> brained activities, we should stop kids from drawing and imagining and
> being
> insightful.
>
> The text says that alpha waves are present in the EEGs of nearly all
> normal
> individuals when they are awake and resting with their eyes closed.
> These
> waves disappear entirely during sleep. Beta waves generally appear
> when the
> nervous system is active, that is, during periods of sensory input and
> mental activity. (Not that it says generally.)
>
> (Just as an interesting factoid, it says delta waves occur during deep
> sleep
> but they are also normal in an awake infant.)
>
> Another site says alpha waves are brought out by closing the eyes and
> by
> relaxation, and abolished by eye opening or alerting by any mechanism
> (thinking, calculating). It is the major rhythm seen in normal relaxed
> adults - it is present during most of life especially beyond the
> thirteenth
> year when it dominates the resting tracing. (Alpha waves are also
> present
> during meditation and hypnosis.) And that beta waves are the dominant
> rhythm
> in patients who are alert or anxious or who have their eyes open.
>
> That would suggest people aren't thinking when they watch TV. But does
> that
> make sense? I could list off a huge number of things that I've learned
> from
> watching TV. How can learning take place without thinking? There is
> also
> research into Controlling Computers With Neural Signals (in Scientific
> American) which uses Alpha and Mu waves. If alpha waves stop when
> thought
> happens, how could those waves be used to perform a computer action if
> we
> have to stop thinking in order to generate them?
>
> What it really means is that people enjoy dabbling in pseudo-science.
> They
> are using faulty logic -- hypnosis may generate alpha but that doesn't
> mean
> alpha indicates hypnosis, thinking may generate beta but that doesn't
> mean
> that beta indicates thinking (or that lack of beta means lack of
> thinking)
> -- to draw a conclusion to fit their theory.
>
> To get a more complete picture we need to know what the waves look
> like when
> we're deeply involved in a novel. Or watching a play. Or playing a
> video
> game. Or watching a sporting event. Or painting. Or gazing down at a
> sleeping or nursing infant. (Not that it would indicate anything. It
> would
> just be more data on how the brain operates.) If alpha waves increased
> during those times, should we stop those things? Or does it merely
> mean that
> “thinking stops alpha waves” and “beta is present during mental
> activity”
> are too simplistic and don't adequately describe what's going on?
> And while I think thatA book can't show you a running cheetah. A historical novel can't show
> there are wonderful resources for our families available in things
> such as nature videos and the history channel - a good book will do
> the same.
you how historical people dressed or what their homes looked like.
Saying that a book and the images you can create are superior to seeing
the images that same book creates for a visual artist is like saying we
shouldn't look at the works of famous artists because we can create our
own images.
I couldn't create a fraction of the images that the hundreds of visual
artists created for Lord of the Rings. For others with a visual bent
those images are just as inspiring as the words are to those with a
linguistic bent.
Just as writers can't write without reading what others have written,
visual artists can't create without having seen what others have
visually created.
For those with high linguistic intelligence books and words are great.
Visuals and body movement and music and so forth are not quite as
important to them for gaining information. For those with high visual
intelligence depriving them of visuals and telling them books are
better is as bad as depriving a linguistic person of their books and
giving them visuals, or depriving a kinesthetic person of movement or a
musical person of music.
If you aren't aware of Howard Gardner's theory of Multiple
Intelligences, Google "Gardner Multiple Intelligences".
> A child can really pause and contemplate over pictures ofAnd videos can be paused.
> let's say a Civil War soldier rather than having hundreds of images
> thrust at him rapid speed.
But what evidence do you have that gazing at static pictures is
superior to moving pictures? Most people would choose real life
experience over a book and real life experience can't be paused and is
chock full of stimulation of the other senses. By your reasoning real
life should be the worst way to learn.
> Those fact thrown at us at mach speed doAgain, what evidence do you have?
> not equate real learning.
> but I challenge you to take it out ofIf your child had been inspired by books to create over a 1000 pages of
> your homes for even a week and see if there is a difference in your
> children.
comics and a 50,000 word novel, would it make any sense to take his
books away? That's what TV has helped my daughter do.
Joyce
Pam Sorooshian
On Mar 17, 2005, at 10:16 AM, hmschoolmtnmama wrote:
and 20 - so we're a much better case study than any you could find in a
book. Unschooled nearly grown kids who have had freedom-of-tv for their
whole lives.
And I know others, too.
If YOUR family can't keep tv in the house without it interfering with
the rest of your lives - then I'm guessing the parents have a problem,
not the kids. Toss it out, if that is what you want. You're giving up
an incredibly amazing resource out of fear and maybe unwillingness to
examine and change your own baggage. Because - you're simply wrong - I
know this because it only takes one family to prove your wrong. TV is
NOT a drug - if it was a drug, it would be inevitable - having a tv
would put MY kids into that coma-like state that your kids apparently
went into in front of the tv. But it doesn't do that to my kids. Mine
think and enjoy and critically examine what they are watching and learn
a lot and I can unequivocally state that they definitely do NOT turn
their brains off when they turn the tv on.
Not one of those studies has EVER been done on unschooled kids. Not one.
Television in NOTHING like a drug. That's nothing but loaded
terminology designed to keep people from thinking clearly for
themselves.
I'd DARE you to look at my children and say they've been drugged by tv
in any way, shape or form.
Parents are, in general, afraid (I don't blame them) and all that
generalized fear often gets concentrated on tv for various fairly
complex reasons - but one is because it is straightforward to control -
it has an on and off switch. It is something parents can "do" and it
even involves a little self-sacrifice to make them feel even more like
maybe it'll ward off bad things that might happen to their kids.
It is a lot easier, i guess, to just unplug the tv and put it away,
toss it out, than to accept that we might not be providing as
interesting, stimulating, encouraging, fun, exciting alternatives as we
could and should as unschooling parents.
If what your family is doing now, with the tv gone, was always
available, and if it is better, then why weren't you turning off the tv
and doing those things before? Don't blame the tv if you weren't
creating a life that was as good as tv. When parents get rid of the tv
and then start playing games and reading to their kids - of COURSE that
is cool. But - why not just play games and read AND talk AND have a tv?
Works fine for us.
-pam
> Television is like givingDid you even read my post about my family and TV? My kids are 14, 17,
> your children a drug. I know there will be fall out from this
> comment and defensiveness - but I challenge you to take it out of
> your homes for even a week and see if there is a difference in your
> children. As unschooling parents, you are surely willing to try
> something new, different, out of the ordinary.
and 20 - so we're a much better case study than any you could find in a
book. Unschooled nearly grown kids who have had freedom-of-tv for their
whole lives.
And I know others, too.
If YOUR family can't keep tv in the house without it interfering with
the rest of your lives - then I'm guessing the parents have a problem,
not the kids. Toss it out, if that is what you want. You're giving up
an incredibly amazing resource out of fear and maybe unwillingness to
examine and change your own baggage. Because - you're simply wrong - I
know this because it only takes one family to prove your wrong. TV is
NOT a drug - if it was a drug, it would be inevitable - having a tv
would put MY kids into that coma-like state that your kids apparently
went into in front of the tv. But it doesn't do that to my kids. Mine
think and enjoy and critically examine what they are watching and learn
a lot and I can unequivocally state that they definitely do NOT turn
their brains off when they turn the tv on.
Not one of those studies has EVER been done on unschooled kids. Not one.
Television in NOTHING like a drug. That's nothing but loaded
terminology designed to keep people from thinking clearly for
themselves.
I'd DARE you to look at my children and say they've been drugged by tv
in any way, shape or form.
Parents are, in general, afraid (I don't blame them) and all that
generalized fear often gets concentrated on tv for various fairly
complex reasons - but one is because it is straightforward to control -
it has an on and off switch. It is something parents can "do" and it
even involves a little self-sacrifice to make them feel even more like
maybe it'll ward off bad things that might happen to their kids.
It is a lot easier, i guess, to just unplug the tv and put it away,
toss it out, than to accept that we might not be providing as
interesting, stimulating, encouraging, fun, exciting alternatives as we
could and should as unschooling parents.
If what your family is doing now, with the tv gone, was always
available, and if it is better, then why weren't you turning off the tv
and doing those things before? Don't blame the tv if you weren't
creating a life that was as good as tv. When parents get rid of the tv
and then start playing games and reading to their kids - of COURSE that
is cool. But - why not just play games and read AND talk AND have a tv?
Works fine for us.
-pam
Pam Sorooshian
On Mar 17, 2005, at 1:33 PM, Judy Anderson wrote:
be very good for us with the amount of stress in our lives.
I only WISH I could get into such a state as easily as just turning on
the tv! <G>
-pam
>Well - and it just sounds so much like meditation, which is supposed to
> With mainstream people getting far too little sleep/rest to begin
> with, is
> this really such a bad thing?
>
> Judy
be very good for us with the amount of stress in our lives.
I only WISH I could get into such a state as easily as just turning on
the tv! <G>
-pam
> -----Original Message-----
>
> <snip>
> Studies have shown that when we watch television our bodies go into a
> comatose like state - breathing slows, brain activity hums along
> sluggishly with barely a blip on the radar.
Pam Sorooshian
AND - the herbert krugman study that is SO frequently touted - was
really done in 1971 (that is 34 years ago) - so not actually 'recent'
at all. AND - it was a study of one person - a 22 year old secretary.
He monitored her brain waves - found that she had beta waves when
reading a magazine and alpha waves when watching tv. He never says WHAT
she was reading or watching, as far as I can find.
This is not research, it is crap.
Excuse the expression - not my usual language - but the only suitable
word for this so-called study.
By the way, riding a bicycle and MANY other physical activities do the
same thing to the brain - people tend to switch to more right-brain
activity and less left-brain activity.
-pam
really done in 1971 (that is 34 years ago) - so not actually 'recent'
at all. AND - it was a study of one person - a 22 year old secretary.
He monitored her brain waves - found that she had beta waves when
reading a magazine and alpha waves when watching tv. He never says WHAT
she was reading or watching, as far as I can find.
This is not research, it is crap.
Excuse the expression - not my usual language - but the only suitable
word for this so-called study.
By the way, riding a bicycle and MANY other physical activities do the
same thing to the brain - people tend to switch to more right-brain
activity and less left-brain activity.
-pam
On Mar 17, 2005, at 2:19 PM, Joyce Fetteroll wrote:
>>
>> Recent tests by researcher Herbert Krugman showed that, while viewers
>> were
>> watching TV, right-brain activity outnumbered left-brain activity by a
>> ratio
>> of two to one.
TreeGoddess
On Mar 17, 2005, at 1:16 PM, hmschoolmtnmama wrote:
-=-Television is like giving your children a drug.-=-
It is? Really. This is a rather silly statement IMO. Besides, I've
known a few people in my younger days who functioned better ON drugs so
that's not really a good comparison in my experience. LOL
-=-I know there will be fall out from this comment and
defensiveness - but I challenge you to take it out of your
homes for even a week and see if there is a difference in
your children.-=-
I'll pass. I already know what the difference would be . . . they'd be
pissed that Mama put the TV in the closet and they'd be asking me
hourly when I was going to get it out again so that they could watch
Mythbusters or AFV or something. LOL Not because they're "addicted",
but because they enjoy watching shows and movies. So do I. We don't
sweat or have convulsions or hallucinate if we're out of the house all
day or on vacation and just have better things to do that sit in the
hotel and watch TV. We can function fine without it. We just like TV.
-=-As unschooling parents, you are surely willing to
try something new, different, out of the ordinary.-=-
Yeah, like not limiting their screen time like 99% of the families I
know IRL. What we're doing already *IS* "out of the ordinary", Julie.
..· ´¨¨)) -:¦:-
¸.·´ .·´¨¨))
((¸¸.·´ ..·´ Tracy -:¦:-
-:¦:- ((¸¸.·´*
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Deb Lewis
***Recent tests by researcher Herbert Krugman showed that, while viewers
were
watching TV, right-brain activity outnumbered left-brain activity by a
ratio of two to one. Put more simply, the viewers were in an altered
state . ***
Our little art club has hired guest artists to come and speak about
accessing that right brain creativity.
Betty Edward's book "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" first
published way back in the seventies, I think, has been used by art
instructors all over the world.
People are in their right minds, so to speak, when they are their most
creative.<g>
If you've ever been in an art studio while potters are working or
painters or sculptors, you could never mistake them for zombies. If you
ever watch someone work on a loom you won't think they're comatose.
Lot's of gardeners reach that right brain state in their gardens.
Lot's of writers reach it when their writing.
***That would suggest people aren't thinking when they watch TV. But does
that
make sense? I could list off a huge number of things that I've learned
from
watching TV. How can learning take place without thinking?***
Dan Vitler has a wonderful article in the latest issue of "Live Free
Learn Free", about how his family embraces technology and what they've
learned from television.
Deb Lewis
were
watching TV, right-brain activity outnumbered left-brain activity by a
ratio of two to one. Put more simply, the viewers were in an altered
state . ***
Our little art club has hired guest artists to come and speak about
accessing that right brain creativity.
Betty Edward's book "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" first
published way back in the seventies, I think, has been used by art
instructors all over the world.
People are in their right minds, so to speak, when they are their most
creative.<g>
If you've ever been in an art studio while potters are working or
painters or sculptors, you could never mistake them for zombies. If you
ever watch someone work on a loom you won't think they're comatose.
Lot's of gardeners reach that right brain state in their gardens.
Lot's of writers reach it when their writing.
***That would suggest people aren't thinking when they watch TV. But does
that
make sense? I could list off a huge number of things that I've learned
from
watching TV. How can learning take place without thinking?***
Dan Vitler has a wonderful article in the latest issue of "Live Free
Learn Free", about how his family embraces technology and what they've
learned from television.
Deb Lewis
Pam Sorooshian
On Mar 17, 2005, at 4:16 PM, TreeGoddess wrote:
that my children don't watch any tv. There has been somebody home all
day today - my kids and husband and I have come and gone - but nobody
has turned on the tv one single time.
But - so what? That's nothing to be proud of, in particular, either.
We're all just too busy for much tv-watching these days. Roxana is at
rehearsal for the musical in which she is currently performing. Rosie
is at soccer practice now - spent the day at a Destination Imagination
meeting, karate practice, played RISK with some other kids for 4 hours.
Roya had a class (she's a college student), did a phone interview of
the assistant-director of Not Back to School Camp and typed that all up
for a class (she's majoring in recreation - wants to run camps,
herself), and is now off to meet some friends to study together. Her
boyfriend is driving in tonight to spend the weekend and go to a gaming
convention and we're all going camping next week. It is VERY likely
that nobody will watch any tv from now until maybe a week from tomorrow
when we get home from camping. Or maybe somebody will watch something
briefly tonight. Possible - maybe some West Wing. Or maybe not - last
weekend her boyfriend was here and we spent a lot of time playing cards
and playing a game called "Wise and Otherwise." (GREAT game - we
laughed so hard!!) This weekend he is bringing a game from home that he
thinks we'll all love. So more than likely we'll get started playing
that - and not watch tv at all. But if we DO all decide to watch tv,
we'll probably watch something together and we'll eat popcorn and be
happy. I really fail to see anything wrong with this picture.
-pam
> -=-I know there will be fall out from this comment andI guess you'll have trouble believing this, but there are MANY weeks
> defensiveness - but I challenge you to take it out of your
> homes for even a week and see if there is a difference in
> your children.-=-
that my children don't watch any tv. There has been somebody home all
day today - my kids and husband and I have come and gone - but nobody
has turned on the tv one single time.
But - so what? That's nothing to be proud of, in particular, either.
We're all just too busy for much tv-watching these days. Roxana is at
rehearsal for the musical in which she is currently performing. Rosie
is at soccer practice now - spent the day at a Destination Imagination
meeting, karate practice, played RISK with some other kids for 4 hours.
Roya had a class (she's a college student), did a phone interview of
the assistant-director of Not Back to School Camp and typed that all up
for a class (she's majoring in recreation - wants to run camps,
herself), and is now off to meet some friends to study together. Her
boyfriend is driving in tonight to spend the weekend and go to a gaming
convention and we're all going camping next week. It is VERY likely
that nobody will watch any tv from now until maybe a week from tomorrow
when we get home from camping. Or maybe somebody will watch something
briefly tonight. Possible - maybe some West Wing. Or maybe not - last
weekend her boyfriend was here and we spent a lot of time playing cards
and playing a game called "Wise and Otherwise." (GREAT game - we
laughed so hard!!) This weekend he is bringing a game from home that he
thinks we'll all love. So more than likely we'll get started playing
that - and not watch tv at all. But if we DO all decide to watch tv,
we'll probably watch something together and we'll eat popcorn and be
happy. I really fail to see anything wrong with this picture.
-pam
TreeGoddess
On Mar 17, 2005, at 4:16 PM, TreeGoddess wrote:
through quoted that way in Pam's reply. We love our telly and I am NOT
encouraging anyone to hide it, unplug it or toss it out. :'D
-Tracy-
"Peace *will* enter your life, but you
need to clear a spot for her to sit down."
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> -=-I know there will be fall out from this comment andAck! Just so ya know . . . *I* did not write that. It just came
> defensiveness - but I challenge you to take it out of your
> homes for even a week and see if there is a difference in
> your children.-=-
through quoted that way in Pam's reply. We love our telly and I am NOT
encouraging anyone to hide it, unplug it or toss it out. :'D
-Tracy-
"Peace *will* enter your life, but you
need to clear a spot for her to sit down."
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
mamaaj2000
--- In [email protected], Pam Sorooshian
<pamsoroosh@e...> wrote:
watch a lot of tv and wasn't interested in playing with me no matter
what I offered.
I didn't blame the tv.
It's easy to get into ruts. It's easy to watch tv if you are feeling
poorly--physically, mentally, emotionally. That's the not a problem
with tv.
When I was a kid and didn't like most of what was on tv, I read a ton
when I was feeling low. Rereading a fiction book for the tenth time
probably didn't stimulate my brain too much, but that wasn't the
fault of the book.
We've been inside watching tons of tv and I'm tired of it. I want it
to be spring and have a baby in my arms instead of my belly! I know I
haven't offered enough to my kids lately and it's gotten to all of
us. When the two year old starts slowly explaining places you can
take her, you know you need to get out! But it's my job as a parent
to offer, strew, suggest, joyfully lead, etc. not to forbid something
just to make the other options more likely to be accepted.
--aj, mama to Mikey, 4; Caroline, 2: and baby #3 due TODAY, but not
in any hurry, it seems
<pamsoroosh@e...> wrote:
>as we
> It is a lot easier, i guess, to just unplug the tv and put it away,
> toss it out, than to accept that we might not be providing as
> interesting, stimulating, encouraging, fun, exciting alternatives
> could and should as unschooling parents.After I was in a rotten mood for a week or two, ds really wanted to
watch a lot of tv and wasn't interested in playing with me no matter
what I offered.
I didn't blame the tv.
It's easy to get into ruts. It's easy to watch tv if you are feeling
poorly--physically, mentally, emotionally. That's the not a problem
with tv.
When I was a kid and didn't like most of what was on tv, I read a ton
when I was feeling low. Rereading a fiction book for the tenth time
probably didn't stimulate my brain too much, but that wasn't the
fault of the book.
We've been inside watching tons of tv and I'm tired of it. I want it
to be spring and have a baby in my arms instead of my belly! I know I
haven't offered enough to my kids lately and it's gotten to all of
us. When the two year old starts slowly explaining places you can
take her, you know you need to get out! But it's my job as a parent
to offer, strew, suggest, joyfully lead, etc. not to forbid something
just to make the other options more likely to be accepted.
--aj, mama to Mikey, 4; Caroline, 2: and baby #3 due TODAY, but not
in any hurry, it seems
Deb Lewis
***Cave children watching their family
members live in real life, where there were actual people to talk to
that they were interacting with cannot be equated to our children
watching sex, violence, and poo on television.***
I agree! Sex, violence and poo on television isn't real. It's not
really happening, it's all fake, nobody really gets, you know, nobody
really gets whacked, nobody really goes to the toity.
Grunty sex right beside you on the stinky mammoth hide, big hairy guy
clubbing un submissive female and smelly old guy pooping over the bank
was real.
***And who is to say that those novels weren't the downfall of our
society?
Do we still live with Victorian morals and values? ***
No and what a relief! Do you mean the morals that imprisoned the
mentally ill in unsanitary asylums and subjected them to barbarous
"medical treatment?" The morals of the company town's labor abuses?
Child labor?
The virtues that denied women property rights, independent citizenship
and the right to vote?
***but I challenge you to take it out of
your homes for even a week and see if there is a difference in your
children. ***
I challenge you to consider that we're all thinking people here. We're
living according to a philosophy which challenges us every day to think
beyond traditional beliefs about children and learning. Thinking helped
me understand that my intelligent child is very capable of learning every
moment from everything around him.
I think taking away something my child likes *would* make a difference.
I think he'd think less of me. He'd have no reason to trust me, no
reason to believe I trust him. He might ever after think of me as
controlling and insensitive.
Dylan and David and I really like TV but the truth is we don't watch all
the time. There are dogs to play with and birds to watch and walks by
the river and snowmen and sledding and museums and art galleries and rock
shops and climbing walls and friends and libraries and the saxophone and
all the rest of life. I wouldn't take TV away from people who enjoy it
any more than I'd take away their books or games.
Deb Lewis
members live in real life, where there were actual people to talk to
that they were interacting with cannot be equated to our children
watching sex, violence, and poo on television.***
I agree! Sex, violence and poo on television isn't real. It's not
really happening, it's all fake, nobody really gets, you know, nobody
really gets whacked, nobody really goes to the toity.
Grunty sex right beside you on the stinky mammoth hide, big hairy guy
clubbing un submissive female and smelly old guy pooping over the bank
was real.
***And who is to say that those novels weren't the downfall of our
society?
Do we still live with Victorian morals and values? ***
No and what a relief! Do you mean the morals that imprisoned the
mentally ill in unsanitary asylums and subjected them to barbarous
"medical treatment?" The morals of the company town's labor abuses?
Child labor?
The virtues that denied women property rights, independent citizenship
and the right to vote?
***but I challenge you to take it out of
your homes for even a week and see if there is a difference in your
children. ***
I challenge you to consider that we're all thinking people here. We're
living according to a philosophy which challenges us every day to think
beyond traditional beliefs about children and learning. Thinking helped
me understand that my intelligent child is very capable of learning every
moment from everything around him.
I think taking away something my child likes *would* make a difference.
I think he'd think less of me. He'd have no reason to trust me, no
reason to believe I trust him. He might ever after think of me as
controlling and insensitive.
Dylan and David and I really like TV but the truth is we don't watch all
the time. There are dogs to play with and birds to watch and walks by
the river and snowmen and sledding and museums and art galleries and rock
shops and climbing walls and friends and libraries and the saxophone and
all the rest of life. I wouldn't take TV away from people who enjoy it
any more than I'd take away their books or games.
Deb Lewis
Rodney and Rebecca Atherton
>Dylan and David and I really like TV but the truth is we don't watch allI was thinking that the interest in television waxes and wanes, here.
>the time.
Almost like a rhythm and maybe that is natural? (We don't even turn on the
TVs when we are doing the Nelson Ratings! If we have to take the time to
write down what we are watching and when, we don't even bother...)
I am happy when my daughter watches Animal Planet, though, she might get
some information that will help her with her Zoo Tycoon game.
Rebecca
Too often we give children answers to remember rather than problems to
solve. -Roger Lewin
julie w
hmschoolmtnmama wrote:
Troll---
Of course it is your family and you all have to decide what best for you
all, but what I really want to know is if your children wanted to chuck
the tv.
Did they agree?
Was this something everyone in the family decided was a good idea to try
or did you just get rid of the tv without any regard to what your
children might want or even need?
Just asking cause we have no restrictions here and ds (13) does not sit
glued to that tv with the 180 channels all day. He really does go back
and forth and some days will not watch till late at night.
--
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Anti-Virus.
Version: 7.0.308 / Virus Database: 266.7.3 - Release Date: 3/15/2005
>I guess I could reply "whatever" and if I didn't know better I'd call
> I have to reply and hope that it will make it on this subject. My
> family just put our television away for a month at the beginning of
> March.
Troll---
Of course it is your family and you all have to decide what best for you
all, but what I really want to know is if your children wanted to chuck
the tv.
Did they agree?
Was this something everyone in the family decided was a good idea to try
or did you just get rid of the tv without any regard to what your
children might want or even need?
Just asking cause we have no restrictions here and ds (13) does not sit
glued to that tv with the 180 channels all day. He really does go back
and forth and some days will not watch till late at night.
--
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Anti-Virus.
Version: 7.0.308 / Virus Database: 266.7.3 - Release Date: 3/15/2005
Sylvia Toyama
And who is to say that those novels weren't the downfall of our society? Do we still live with Victorian morals and values?
***
No -- and thank goodness! Victorial morals and values involved a caste-system, with women as second or third class citizens. If early dime novels can be given the credit for that, then most of us owe a huge debt to those novelists.
*****
Television is like giving your children a drug. I know there will be fall out from this comment and defensiveness - but I challenge you to take it out of your homes for even a week and see if there is a difference in your children.
****
We have three TVs with cable, and it's not unusual at all for us to go several days in the summer without any TV being on. Just because we have access to TV doesn't mean we're enslaved by it.
I also question your point that pondering a good book can be as valuable as a historical video. I've always loved history as a topic, and I love books, but even I can admit I often get more out of a video than I would have gotten from the historical books available in most libraries. For my son, who is wired much more to remember what he hears, and is dramatic and kinesthetic, books just don't do what a TV show with rich colors, memorable spoken words and lots of 'real' action can do. Just no comparison. Not everyone learns the same way you do, yanno.
Sylvia
---------------------------------
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Yahoo! Small Business - Try our new resources site!
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
***
No -- and thank goodness! Victorial morals and values involved a caste-system, with women as second or third class citizens. If early dime novels can be given the credit for that, then most of us owe a huge debt to those novelists.
*****
Television is like giving your children a drug. I know there will be fall out from this comment and defensiveness - but I challenge you to take it out of your homes for even a week and see if there is a difference in your children.
****
We have three TVs with cable, and it's not unusual at all for us to go several days in the summer without any TV being on. Just because we have access to TV doesn't mean we're enslaved by it.
I also question your point that pondering a good book can be as valuable as a historical video. I've always loved history as a topic, and I love books, but even I can admit I often get more out of a video than I would have gotten from the historical books available in most libraries. For my son, who is wired much more to remember what he hears, and is dramatic and kinesthetic, books just don't do what a TV show with rich colors, memorable spoken words and lots of 'real' action can do. Just no comparison. Not everyone learns the same way you do, yanno.
Sylvia
---------------------------------
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Yahoo! Small Business - Try our new resources site!
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Sylvia Toyama
Studies have shown that when we watch television our bodies go
I'm guessing none of these studies have included subjects who spent their days doing what they chose to do, when they chose to do it, as our unschooled kids live their days. Probably nothing but school kids and working adults, for whom TV time is the first opportunity to rest their bodies and brains, and to own their lives for a few precious moments before homework or chore time. No wonder those poor folks are comatose in front of a TV -- they'd probably be equally comatose involved in conversation or trying to read a book.
Sylvia
__________________________________________________
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> into a comatose like state - breathing slows, brain activity hums*****
> along sluggishly with barely a blip on the radar.
I'm guessing none of these studies have included subjects who spent their days doing what they chose to do, when they chose to do it, as our unschooled kids live their days. Probably nothing but school kids and working adults, for whom TV time is the first opportunity to rest their bodies and brains, and to own their lives for a few precious moments before homework or chore time. No wonder those poor folks are comatose in front of a TV -- they'd probably be equally comatose involved in conversation or trying to read a book.
Sylvia
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Maria Dorian
<<Well - and it just sounds so much like meditation, which is
supposed to
be very good for us with the amount of stress in our lives.
I only WISH I could get into such a state as easily as just turning
on
the tv! <G>>>
No, joke! Heck, I sometimes wish t.v. my kids would get into a
state like this simply by having them watch t.v. My boys 6,5, and 2
watch t.v. 99.9% of the time and 99.9% of the time are literally
bouncing off the walls!
Maria
--- In [email protected], Pam Sorooshian
<pamsoroosh@e...> wrote:
supposed to
be very good for us with the amount of stress in our lives.
I only WISH I could get into such a state as easily as just turning
on
the tv! <G>>>
No, joke! Heck, I sometimes wish t.v. my kids would get into a
state like this simply by having them watch t.v. My boys 6,5, and 2
watch t.v. 99.9% of the time and 99.9% of the time are literally
bouncing off the walls!
Maria
--- In [email protected], Pam Sorooshian
<pamsoroosh@e...> wrote:
>begin
> On Mar 17, 2005, at 1:33 PM, Judy Anderson wrote:
>
> >
> > With mainstream people getting far too little sleep/rest to
> > with, issupposed to
> > this really such a bad thing?
> >
> > Judy
>
> Well - and it just sounds so much like meditation, which is
> be very good for us with the amount of stress in our lives.turning on
> I only WISH I could get into such a state as easily as just
> the tv! <G>into a
> -pam
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> >
> > <snip>
> > Studies have shown that when we watch television our bodies go
> > comatose like state - breathing slows, brain activity humsalong
> > sluggishly with barely a blip on the radar.
Angela S
So many good responses have already been shared but I just wanted to throw
in another one for the heck of it. My kids are 8 and 10 and they have had
free access to satellite TV for several years. They are very selective
about the time they spend watching. They only watch when they are
interested in what is on. But we didn't always have satellite TV nor did I
always let them have free access.
When they were little (2,3,4) , they didn't ask to watch TV much and I
didn't encourage it. Actually, my oldest didn't like it much and there were
days that I wished she'd watch at least a half an hour of TV to give me a
little break. :-) As they got a little older (5,6 ish) they started to like
it more and want to watch it more on some days. That was when I got a
little nervous about it and started to limit it. We only had a few channels
at the time and videos, but I had read about those studies (not really
thought about it) and I didn't want to mess my kids up by letting them watch
too much TV.
Most of the time life was busy enough that TV wasn't a major draw, but once
in a while, they'd want to watch more than I was comfortable with. I felt
like if I set a rule about the amount of time they could watch, that when
that time was up, they'd be no arguments. I could blame it on the rule.
So, I made a rule that they could each pick a show and each watch each
other's show and then the TV would be off for the day. <live and learn>
Having that rule made watching TV seem much more valuable than it had seemed
before we had that rule. It stopped the arguing after the first few days
because I was pretty consistent about it, but it did nothing to enhance my
relationship with my children. In fact, it made them angry with me and it
made them feel controlled. They saw it for what it was, an arbitrary rule
that I enforced upon them. They started watching TV every day to make sure
they got what they were due. Before the rule, often days would pass and no
one would even turn the TV on. Now it was on every day so they felt they
got their fair share.
Then, after reading on different unschooling lists, I realized how unfair I
had been. I started saying YES if they asked to watch more than their one
show. I stopped saying no, altogether. Sometime in there, we ended up
getting satellite TV with a lot of channels. (We've had it so long I can't
remember living without it now.maybe 5 years ago.) There were days when
they watched more TV than I was comfortable with (sometimes all day long)
but it was when they finally realized that I wasn't going to limit their
viewing anymore that they became more selective in their viewing choices.
Our lives are interesting and full and TV is just another option, not one
that they are drawn to more than any other activity. (because it's not
limited and because we have an interesting life) They love games and being
read to and horse back riding and playing with their friends, etc. I think
I got the most benefit out of changing my view on TV. I used to feel some
level of guilt whenever I watched TV. Our society sees watching TV as a
waste of time and I fell for that. I always used to feel like I had to do
something useful while I watched TV, like knit or something. After I did a
lot of thinking about how TV affects our personal lives (it doesn't make me
or my kids into zombies and we often learn so much from it) I chose to
leave that feeling of guilt behind. I no longer feel guilty about enjoying
TV. I also stopped counting the hours that we watch TV because I stopped
judging the value of it. I am on longer obsessed with how much or how
little TV we watch. We just watch it when we want to and turn it off when
we don't. Some days we watch more than others and some days and weeks (in
the warmer weather) we don't even turn it on.
They are free to watch whatever they want. If it is something that I find
questionable (which doesn't happen very often) I make sure to sit with them
so I can answer any questions that they might have. It hasn't been a
problem.
This morning the girls watched Kid Concoctions (although my 10 yo was
looking for Arthur) and another half hour show (?) and turned it off. They
are now playing horses on the living room rug. We'll be heading to the barn
soon. The vet comes to give spring shots to the horses today. That should
be fun to watch.
I am so glad I relaxed about TV and stopped letting it *rule* our home. As
other's have said, I think it is the responsibility of the unschooling
parent to make life interesting for their unschooled kids. If TV is the
most interesting thing in your whole day, then you need to help your
children find out what their interests are. Not just so they won't watch TV
all day but because that's what a good unschooling parent does. They help
their children find interesting things to do and see and go.
Angela
game-enthusiast@...
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
in another one for the heck of it. My kids are 8 and 10 and they have had
free access to satellite TV for several years. They are very selective
about the time they spend watching. They only watch when they are
interested in what is on. But we didn't always have satellite TV nor did I
always let them have free access.
When they were little (2,3,4) , they didn't ask to watch TV much and I
didn't encourage it. Actually, my oldest didn't like it much and there were
days that I wished she'd watch at least a half an hour of TV to give me a
little break. :-) As they got a little older (5,6 ish) they started to like
it more and want to watch it more on some days. That was when I got a
little nervous about it and started to limit it. We only had a few channels
at the time and videos, but I had read about those studies (not really
thought about it) and I didn't want to mess my kids up by letting them watch
too much TV.
Most of the time life was busy enough that TV wasn't a major draw, but once
in a while, they'd want to watch more than I was comfortable with. I felt
like if I set a rule about the amount of time they could watch, that when
that time was up, they'd be no arguments. I could blame it on the rule.
So, I made a rule that they could each pick a show and each watch each
other's show and then the TV would be off for the day. <live and learn>
Having that rule made watching TV seem much more valuable than it had seemed
before we had that rule. It stopped the arguing after the first few days
because I was pretty consistent about it, but it did nothing to enhance my
relationship with my children. In fact, it made them angry with me and it
made them feel controlled. They saw it for what it was, an arbitrary rule
that I enforced upon them. They started watching TV every day to make sure
they got what they were due. Before the rule, often days would pass and no
one would even turn the TV on. Now it was on every day so they felt they
got their fair share.
Then, after reading on different unschooling lists, I realized how unfair I
had been. I started saying YES if they asked to watch more than their one
show. I stopped saying no, altogether. Sometime in there, we ended up
getting satellite TV with a lot of channels. (We've had it so long I can't
remember living without it now.maybe 5 years ago.) There were days when
they watched more TV than I was comfortable with (sometimes all day long)
but it was when they finally realized that I wasn't going to limit their
viewing anymore that they became more selective in their viewing choices.
Our lives are interesting and full and TV is just another option, not one
that they are drawn to more than any other activity. (because it's not
limited and because we have an interesting life) They love games and being
read to and horse back riding and playing with their friends, etc. I think
I got the most benefit out of changing my view on TV. I used to feel some
level of guilt whenever I watched TV. Our society sees watching TV as a
waste of time and I fell for that. I always used to feel like I had to do
something useful while I watched TV, like knit or something. After I did a
lot of thinking about how TV affects our personal lives (it doesn't make me
or my kids into zombies and we often learn so much from it) I chose to
leave that feeling of guilt behind. I no longer feel guilty about enjoying
TV. I also stopped counting the hours that we watch TV because I stopped
judging the value of it. I am on longer obsessed with how much or how
little TV we watch. We just watch it when we want to and turn it off when
we don't. Some days we watch more than others and some days and weeks (in
the warmer weather) we don't even turn it on.
They are free to watch whatever they want. If it is something that I find
questionable (which doesn't happen very often) I make sure to sit with them
so I can answer any questions that they might have. It hasn't been a
problem.
This morning the girls watched Kid Concoctions (although my 10 yo was
looking for Arthur) and another half hour show (?) and turned it off. They
are now playing horses on the living room rug. We'll be heading to the barn
soon. The vet comes to give spring shots to the horses today. That should
be fun to watch.
I am so glad I relaxed about TV and stopped letting it *rule* our home. As
other's have said, I think it is the responsibility of the unschooling
parent to make life interesting for their unschooled kids. If TV is the
most interesting thing in your whole day, then you need to help your
children find out what their interests are. Not just so they won't watch TV
all day but because that's what a good unschooling parent does. They help
their children find interesting things to do and see and go.
Angela
game-enthusiast@...
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
scrapgal
--- In [email protected], "hmschoolmtnmama"
<jewls@f...> wrote:
as "merely specattors in life" They are part of life. They
experience life everyday. They don't sit and watch television all
day. Yesterday it wasn't on at all until I came home with a new
DVD. They played and made a cardboard doll house. They created a
huge complicated fantasy play and created a dance show. And then
(low and behold!) they cleaned up after themselves without being
asked to! "OH look at all the paper on the floor. Let's pick it up
so it won't be in our way!" (yep, knock me over with a feather!)
And while I am an avid bookworm, I do see the advantage in film over
books. IN reading one can only imagine what something looks like,
but through video they can experience it visually. If you have a
visual learner, this could be the difference in grasping a concept
and ignoring a concept.
I think Robyn did a great job in dismissing the results of
television and its link to brainwave activity.
Michelle
<jewls@f...> wrote:
>Studies
> have shown that when we watch television our bodies go into ado
> comatose like state - breathing slows, brain activity hums along
> sluggishly with barely a blip on the radar. As heavy television
> viewers, we are merely spectators in life. And while I think that
> there are wonderful resources for our families available in things
> such as nature videos and the history channel - a good book will
> the same.Even with unlimited access to television, I don't see my children
as "merely specattors in life" They are part of life. They
experience life everyday. They don't sit and watch television all
day. Yesterday it wasn't on at all until I came home with a new
DVD. They played and made a cardboard doll house. They created a
huge complicated fantasy play and created a dance show. And then
(low and behold!) they cleaned up after themselves without being
asked to! "OH look at all the paper on the floor. Let's pick it up
so it won't be in our way!" (yep, knock me over with a feather!)
And while I am an avid bookworm, I do see the advantage in film over
books. IN reading one can only imagine what something looks like,
but through video they can experience it visually. If you have a
visual learner, this could be the difference in grasping a concept
and ignoring a concept.
I think Robyn did a great job in dismissing the results of
television and its link to brainwave activity.
Michelle
Teresa O'Callaghan
Angela,
I'm new to this group and I just wanted to say that your post made so much sense to me. Thank you for sharing your experience and insight! I am so looking forward to learning from everyone here.
Teresa
I'm new to this group and I just wanted to say that your post made so much sense to me. Thank you for sharing your experience and insight! I am so looking forward to learning from everyone here.
Teresa
----- Original Message -----
From: Angela S<mailto:game-enthusiast@...>
To: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, March 18, 2005 6:11 AM
Subject: RE: [unschoolingbasics] Television Turn-off
So many good responses have already been shared but I just wanted to throw
in another one for the heck of it. My kids are 8 and 10 and they have had
free access to satellite TV for several years. They are very selective
about the time they spend watching. They only watch when they are
interested in what is on. But we didn't always have satellite TV nor did I
always let them have free access.
When they were little (2,3,4) , they didn't ask to watch TV much and I
didn't encourage it. Actually, my oldest didn't like it much and there were
days that I wished she'd watch at least a half an hour of TV to give me a
little break. :-) As they got a little older (5,6 ish) they started to like
it more and want to watch it more on some days. That was when I got a
little nervous about it and started to limit it. We only had a few channels
at the time and videos, but I had read about those studies (not really
thought about it) and I didn't want to mess my kids up by letting them watch
too much TV.
Most of the time life was busy enough that TV wasn't a major draw, but once
in a while, they'd want to watch more than I was comfortable with. I felt
like if I set a rule about the amount of time they could watch, that when
that time was up, they'd be no arguments. I could blame it on the rule.
So, I made a rule that they could each pick a show and each watch each
other's show and then the TV would be off for the day. <live and learn>
Having that rule made watching TV seem much more valuable than it had seemed
before we had that rule. It stopped the arguing after the first few days
because I was pretty consistent about it, but it did nothing to enhance my
relationship with my children. In fact, it made them angry with me and it
made them feel controlled. They saw it for what it was, an arbitrary rule
that I enforced upon them. They started watching TV every day to make sure
they got what they were due. Before the rule, often days would pass and no
one would even turn the TV on. Now it was on every day so they felt they
got their fair share.
Then, after reading on different unschooling lists, I realized how unfair I
had been. I started saying YES if they asked to watch more than their one
show. I stopped saying no, altogether. Sometime in there, we ended up
getting satellite TV with a lot of channels. (We've had it so long I can't
remember living without it now.maybe 5 years ago.) There were days when
they watched more TV than I was comfortable with (sometimes all day long)
but it was when they finally realized that I wasn't going to limit their
viewing anymore that they became more selective in their viewing choices.
Our lives are interesting and full and TV is just another option, not one
that they are drawn to more than any other activity. (because it's not
limited and because we have an interesting life) They love games and being
read to and horse back riding and playing with their friends, etc. I think
I got the most benefit out of changing my view on TV. I used to feel some
level of guilt whenever I watched TV. Our society sees watching TV as a
waste of time and I fell for that. I always used to feel like I had to do
something useful while I watched TV, like knit or something. After I did a
lot of thinking about how TV affects our personal lives (it doesn't make me
or my kids into zombies and we often learn so much from it) I chose to
leave that feeling of guilt behind. I no longer feel guilty about enjoying
TV. I also stopped counting the hours that we watch TV because I stopped
judging the value of it. I am on longer obsessed with how much or how
little TV we watch. We just watch it when we want to and turn it off when
we don't. Some days we watch more than others and some days and weeks (in
the warmer weather) we don't even turn it on.
They are free to watch whatever they want. If it is something that I find
questionable (which doesn't happen very often) I make sure to sit with them
so I can answer any questions that they might have. It hasn't been a
problem.
This morning the girls watched Kid Concoctions (although my 10 yo was
looking for Arthur) and another half hour show (?) and turned it off. They
are now playing horses on the living room rug. We'll be heading to the barn
soon. The vet comes to give spring shots to the horses today. That should
be fun to watch.
I am so glad I relaxed about TV and stopped letting it *rule* our home. As
other's have said, I think it is the responsibility of the unschooling
parent to make life interesting for their unschooled kids. If TV is the
most interesting thing in your whole day, then you need to help your
children find out what their interests are. Not just so they won't watch TV
all day but because that's what a good unschooling parent does. They help
their children find interesting things to do and see and go.
Angela
game-enthusiast@...
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Angela S
<<<Angela,
I'm new to this group and I just wanted to say that your post made so much
sense to me. Thank you for sharing your experience and insight! I am so
looking forward to learning from everyone here.>>>
Thanks Teresa. It helps to know that the things I take the time to write
sometimes positively affect some people who read them.
P.S. don't forget to trim your posts :-)
Angela
game-enthusiast@...
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
I'm new to this group and I just wanted to say that your post made so much
sense to me. Thank you for sharing your experience and insight! I am so
looking forward to learning from everyone here.>>>
Thanks Teresa. It helps to know that the things I take the time to write
sometimes positively affect some people who read them.
P.S. don't forget to trim your posts :-)
Angela
game-enthusiast@...
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