A+ For Teachers Who “Media-Proof” Our Kids
If you look back over your school days, I’m sure that there are certain teachers that still spring to mind, for reasons good or bad! A truly inspiring teacher can have a marked influence on a student throughout their school years and indeed for the rest of their lives.
While teachers seem to cop a pretty poor wrap these days (and some understandably so), it is incredibly refreshing to hear about those few who strive to make a difference.
My 11 year old son came home last week with an outline of work to be undertaken this term. Apparently they are focusing on Media Studies. One of his first assignments for this module was to “Research a magazine that is targeted to children your own age or a bit older. Next, take a count of how many pictures of children are in there. Of these, how many are overweight, have spotty skin or are dressed in unfashionable clothes. Do you think this magazine accurately shows “normal” children?”
Wow! What a great education for your average Year 6 student! At a time when young people are becoming increasingly self-conscious about their appearance and are looking to the media for role models, how insightful it is to teach them to take a more objective view.
Similarly, their next assignment is to count the number of food ads shown in children’s typical “prime time”, ie 5pm to 6pm. They then need to analyse what type of food is being advertised. No surprises here…junk food, of course.
Lobby groups have been trying to ban junk food advertising during children’s viewing time to little avail. Surely it makes more sense to educate our children about these media ploys. This in turn may well force advertisers to change their tactics.
Here’s to you Mr Johnstone and others like you who impart such valuable life skills to our future generation.
Who knows, maybe next we can teach our future adults such life skills as money management, deciphering political jargon, reading food labels or effective communication skills. Fingers crossed.