Television in School; a Never Ending Question

Americans often argue when it comes to the effects of television in school and their school aged children. Negative effects are certainly easy to find, with more violent shows and video games becoming the norm today. This had led to a statistical increase in the problem with weapons being found among school-aged children. Without frequent supervision, children are also regularly exposed to vulgar language or adult situations through certain television shows. While there are many negative effects to be found regarding television, when the issue is examined at a bit closer, the positive effects to be found often far outweigh them.

Like it or not, television has become a vital part of teaching today. Frequently used as a learning aid in schools, TV allows teachers access to a whole new medium to get their point across. The effects of television in school also vary depending on what age group attends the institution. While elementary and middle schools tend to use television media as is, high schools and colleges are expanding their courses to include learning about the inner workings of television broadcasts. Many of these schools teach classes that focus on students writing and producing their own shows. More often than not, these shows are used to begin the school day as a ‘current events of the school’ broadcast to all students. Teachers can easily use television to aid in certain lesson plans, perhaps watching a network newscast to help students learn about current events, or utilizing the weather channel to help explain the science of weather itself.

Most children are exposed to television early and often in their young lives, and come to see it as an easy way to achieve daily entertainment. And while some parents still hold fast to the argument that no television is the best television, it’s hard to ignore the fact that as an entertainment and learning media, TV is here to stay. With the strong protective emotions that surround children of any age, this argument will likely continue for some time. In the end, the effects of television in school appear to be one of those issues that simply has no easy answer.