TV in Kindergarten?

happyplace2 · ‎02-14-2015

It disturbs me. I limit passive viewing at home. My son's teacher turns "Arthur" on a giant screen to calm the class, fill time before Specials, whatever. They watch movies when they have to stay inside for recess. Or when they've "been good." I want to support our local public school and I don't want to tell others how to do things. But shouldn't kids just play when they have free time? I wrote the teacher a friendly email offering to set up a free time reading/activity center in her classroom with some of our overstock. I am worried I am letting my son down.

colliegirls · ‎05-13-2012

This is not unusual, there is more than enough of instruction in kindergarten these days. Relax,don't sweat the small stuff, or it is going to be a long road to HS graduation.

missy1 · ‎03-10-2010

Kindergarten here is a full day, meaning the same hours as the other grades. They play very little here. If a movie is played, it's educational. Arthur movies are educational. You will be seen as the problem parent imo. If they played all day and saw movies every day, then that would be of concern.

Brittany-QVC · ‎06-14-2015

Moved:

This post and a few similar posts have been removed by QVC. Questioning another posters new status - or asking them why they created a new account - can be intimidating!

terrier3 · ‎03-10-2010

Why not RELAX and let the teacher teach.

You have many years of education ahead of you and your son...

wildcat fan · ‎03-23-2010

I work in a public school. Did you know that one of the Commom Core Standards requires comparing/contrasting film to text? Sometimes we watch movies with the purpose of analyzing characters, themes, conflicts, figurative language, etc., because some students learn best through visual examples. No one should be showing films as rewards or filler activities, though. If you think this is the case, I encourage you to contact the teacher to find out the intent.

Desertdi · ‎03-13-2010

On 2/14/2015 colliegirls said:
This is not unusual, there is more than enough of instruction in kindergarten these days. Relax,don't sweat the small stuff, or it is going to be a long road to HS graduation.

A full day of "education" for a 5-year old seems brutal.......

♥Surface of the Sun♥

Kalli · ‎03-11-2010

We've had a very, very snowy winter here. There is often inside recess due to this. Sometimes children play, sometimes they watch educational videos. At this point they really do have energy to burn from staying in so much due to the weather.

Perhaps the answer to your question is in your post. You said she shows "Arthur" to calm them down. Maybe this particular group is very physical during inside recess and she is trying to prevent accidents and maintain a peaceful situation.

Your comment about setting up a free time reading/activity center is nice. While a few children may take advantage of that, I don't think you'll find many at this age group who will sit and read while their classmates are actively playing, crawling, jumping and running (yes, some of them run around the room even though they're not supposed to which is dangerous) during inside recess.

I, too, think you're not posting under your regular name.

RedTop · ‎09-01-2010

I don't think TV at school is a big deal. I raised 2 very active girls who spent their childhood riding bikes, climbing trees, and watching lots of VHS cartoons. The one thing that was never allowed in this house was video games, and I do not regret that decision. My daughters are in their 30's now; one is a special education teacher who also uses TV and videos to calm her students, and the other drives a tractor trailer for a living. TV did not warp my daughters minds.