Whereas attending school is a legal requirement, watching television is an act of choice. Whereas school is centered on the development of language, television demands attention to images. Whereas in a classroom, one may ask a teacher questions, one can ask nothing of a television screen. Whereas a classroom is a place of social interaction, the space in front of a television set is a private preserve. We now know that “Sesame Street” encourages children to love school only if school is like “Sesame Street.” Which is to say, we now know that “Sesame Street” undermines what the traditional idea of schooling represents.
Neil postman how to#
(That is why such ideas as “teacher-proof” textbooks, standardized tests, and, now, microcomputers have been welcomed into the classroom.) “Sesame Street” appeared to be an imaginative aid in solving the growing problem of teaching Americans how to read, while, at the same time, encouraging children to love school. Contrary to common opinion, they are apt to find new methods congenial, especially if they are told that education can be accomplished more efficiently by means of the Its use of cute puppets, celebrities, catchy tunes, and rapid-fire editing was certain to give pleasure to the children and would therefore serve as adequate preparation for their entry into a fun-loving culture.Īs for educators, they generally approved of “Sesame Street,” too. They could also plainly see that in spite of its faults, “Sesame Street” was entirely consonant with the prevailing spirit of America. At the same time, “Sesame Street” relieved them of the responsibility of teaching their preschool children how to read-no small matter in a culture where children are apt to be considered a nuisance. Parents were eager to hope that television could teach their children something other than which breakfast cereal has the most crackle. “Sesame Street” appeared to justify allowing a 4- or 5-year-old to sit transfixed in front of a television screen for unnatural periods of time. Parents embraced “Sesame Street” for several reasons, among them that it assuaged their guilt over the fact that they could not or would not restrict their children’s access to television.
And that television should entertain them was taken as a matter of course.
Neil postman series#
To those who had not yet been to school, even to those who had just started, the idea of being taught by a series of commercials did not seem peculiar. Children loved it because they were raised on television commercials, which they intuitively knew were the most carefully crafted entertainments on television. There could not have been a safer bet when it began in 1969 than that “Sesame Street” would be embraced by children, parents, and educators.
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