My first grader's teacher is showing is showing tv to the class every day ?

Question

We limit her viewing time and do not want her watching TV at school. Any suggestions for ways to approach the subject without stepping on the teacher's toes or making her hate us?

Answer 1

Have you visited the school and your child's room, preferably while she is teaching? You have every right to do that, more parents should sit in on classes.

I would tell her just what you have said here, and don't worry about stepping on her toes. I think you have a valid point, and you would not be out of line to talk to her. I commend you for caring and getting involved with your child's education.

There are a lot of very good educational programs and/or dvds that teachers show to a class. I have seen some and they help explain topics better then a teacher could, for example, showing what the rain forest looks like. Visit the room, ask to see what she shows and tell her your concerns. I agree that tv doesn't need to be on everyday.

ps. she won't hate you

Answer 2

Most school districts tell the teachers that any TV or video watching must be tied to the state standards. When I was in media, I would should a video at the end of every grading period because videos were part of the state standard but they must be part of either literature or a subject area. I would make sure to get the facts straight first. Asking a young child how much and what they are watching may not be reliable information. I would have show Curious George as part of my Media class because it would have followed the state standards. Also, are you sure that this activity will continue? Maybe the teacher did it as part of the beginning of the school year  and maybe it won't continue after they get more into the school year.

Answer 3

sounds like a teacher my son used to have when he was still in school. He's now homeschooled, but he had a special ed teacher that never worked with them or had any work for them, My son told me everyday they watched (Get this) "soap operas"! I was pissed!

I went up to the school, & asked the prinicple about this, as he was not aware of this at all. When he found out it was true, she got in some serious trouble.

Im 1 of those parnets who moniters everything my son watches, & he was in the 2nd grade then. I felt it was more then he should be seeing at the time.

I told the teacher that school is NOT the place to watch soap operas its a place to TEACH, as you ARE a teacher RIGHT?? How about doing your job & teaching our children! Espically since your a special ed teacher, your the 1 who teachs them in areas they have the most trouble in. Our children dont have trouble watching tv.

After that year of having so much trouble with her, we decided then to homeschool our son, because in this area we live in, the tachers dont know there heads from a hole in the ground!

Im all for a really good, caring teacher, but where we live I have yet to see 1!      

Answer 4

Be careful because it would be like a teacher asking you to make a huge change in your home - how would you feel about that.

You will step on the teacher's toes if you don't approach this one carefully.  You have to also understand that there are some benefits to integration of technology. I have used educational videos to accentuate a point. I've also used it as a treat/prize on special days but the video has always been educationally based.

Are you seeing only the surface like the t.v is on. I know the kindergarten teacher in our school turns on an educational video at the end of the day for management purposes because so many kids are going home so many different ways and it's the only way she can check her voice mail for updated parent home requests and getting them to the buses etc...

I guess what I'm saying is that you can control your child and you can ask your teacher to maybe let your child read during the video but you really can't ask much more without offending the teacher and having her look at you as a complainy parent.

Answer 5

you need to be very careful about this one!  i would start by asking her what she is showing to the class.  Is it educational?  Is it to have a quiet time--what is her reasoning?  If you don't like the answer, tell her that you were just wondering as you limit your child's viewing time at home.  You wanted to be able to give your daughter an explanation for the difference at home and at school. Play it off that way.  If the reasoning doesn't make sense to you, you of course could ask her to not have your child watch, but i am afraid you would be labeled a difficult parent.  Maybe she really found an interesting program that fits with her lesson plans.  If she just wants to keep the kids busy, then you could ask if there were any other methods she used to do that-quiet reading, puzzles, coloring, word finds,etc.  

Answer 6

The tv thing is ridiculous.  I don't care what show(s) your student is watching.  I am a 4th grade teacher and last year I showed approximately 4 hours of movies/film during the entire year.  (Majority of it was part of the curriculum.)  We watch zero television programs...If your student is watching tv from a television station it is a sign of a lazy teacher and is highly inappropriate.  My feeling is that  since you posted this question you already know this deep down...but rather need a way to handle it.  I don't think you should worry about her hating you or stepping on your toes.  Your child does not deserve a second rate education and you are their number one advocate.  Here's how you can handle it diplomatically.  Do not go to the teacher about this because she will not tell you the truth and will take your comments as judgmental.  She will probably treat your student poorly and will tell her fellow colleagues that you are a parent who complains.  You don't want those things.  I would schedule some time to talk to the principal privately...tell them that you are under the impression that this is going on and wanted to know how it relates to the curriculum.  (Unless you've actually seen it, it's hard to go by what a 1st grader says...simply because they have no concept of time..."all the time"  or "everyday" to a 1st grader isn't always what it seems.) Ask the principal if what the students watch each day is part of the state mandated standards/objectives.  (The principal probably has no idea this is going on.)  Do not be judgmental or harsh when talking to the administrator, basically you have questions, not that you want to dump problems on them.  Remember they are in charge of the school and this is a reflection of them.  Tell the principal you are concerned because you limit the amount of tv time your child gets and do not want them watching programs that you have not approved.  (Any journal article about child development will tell you that television/video games in abundance are harmful, so you have a leg to stand on.)  If you have the time of day she is showing tv, tell him.  Ask him to keep your conversation confidential.  It is not too forward to ask for a list of the programs and how much they are watching so you can do your own research. (That makes you sound like you are willing to be an active participant in solving this problem.) A good principal will research it and get back to you.  They'll probably do more random visits to the classroom than normal and will ask to see her lesson plans.  They might just go right ahead and tell her it's wrong and not allowed any longer.  (If you are really worried about the teacher finding out, type a formal complaint and submit it anonymously.)  I would recommend a scheduled private meeting because anonymous letters aren't always taken seriously.  Do not feel bad for doing this at all.  As teachers, we are required to provide a quality education.  You will not only be helping your child, but many others in the class and in the future.  Not to mention, maybe this teacher is awful and they've been trying to get rid of them.  That process is a long and hard one because teachers are backed by a union.  Lots of teachers know this and therefore give less than their best.  The best way to get rid of a bad teacher is to stand up for what's right and document, document, document.  Sorry to go on a rant, but it bothers me when shoddy teachers like this give teacher a bad reputation.  Hope that helps!

Answer 7

What sort of programs is your first grader watching? If it educational (Proper educational, not 'Dora the Explorer' type stuff), then there is nothing really wrong with that. However, if the programs are just generic, useless, non-educational, then you have all the right to step over the toes of the teacher. Normally, TV is distracting and at grade 1, education becomes essential for the future. I suggest you talk to the teacher to get this sorted.

Answer 8

Well I have certainly never hated my students. (I teach middle school and have even had a kid threaten to hit me.) And I don't really judge the kid on his parents.

I would send an e-mail and inquire into this rather than assume you know all the details. That is usually the best way.

"Ms. Teacher, My child mentioned she was watching a tv program in class. I was wondering what sort of shows or videos you use in your class and how often they are shown. I'm trying to limit her TV viewing at home and I'm wondering if I should take the in class viewing into account."

Also, I don't know what state you are in and what that curriculum is, but I know for my state I have listening and viewing "TEKS" (what we in texas call our concepts and skills). She may be using it for this. Or these might be citizenship videos, the kind with little excerpts on how to be kind and polite to people. Or it could be a science thing where they learn about animals.

If you don't like the programs she is being shown or the amount of time that is shown, then I would start asking if other teachers use this program. If this is something all first grade teachers use, then this is probably written into the curriculum and I would think it is for a certain objective.