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Why do the BBC feel they need to educate our kids?
The Wizard
Posts: 11,071 Forum Member
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Other children's channels just entertain our kids but the BBC, in regards to CBeebies especially seem to be obsessed with making programmes that try to teach our kids literacy, numeracy healthy eating/cooking, morals, sign language, art, foreign languages, science and even physical education and it's so politically correct that it's almost like watching a Benetton advert.
They even try to tell you what time your child should go to bed and read them a story before bedtime. I can't help but feel that the BBC is trying to be like a 3rd parent to our kids. TV is supposed to be there to entertain us not home education. I'm all up for some children's programmes being educational but the BBC seemed to have developed an eintire curriculum.
If there was ever a pointless kids show that was shoehorned in under the premise of it being educational it's The Lingo Show. A show which attempts to teach kiddies which haven't even grasped the concept of our own language yet, the odd occasional word in a foreign language. It's got to be the most pointless kids programme I've ever seen. It teaches kids absolutely nothing about foreign language.
There's hardly a programme on Cbeebies that doesn't attempt to ram the BBC education curriculum down my child's throat. This is supposed to be a children's tv channel not nanny tv.
They even try to tell you what time your child should go to bed and read them a story before bedtime. I can't help but feel that the BBC is trying to be like a 3rd parent to our kids. TV is supposed to be there to entertain us not home education. I'm all up for some children's programmes being educational but the BBC seemed to have developed an eintire curriculum.
If there was ever a pointless kids show that was shoehorned in under the premise of it being educational it's The Lingo Show. A show which attempts to teach kiddies which haven't even grasped the concept of our own language yet, the odd occasional word in a foreign language. It's got to be the most pointless kids programme I've ever seen. It teaches kids absolutely nothing about foreign language.
There's hardly a programme on Cbeebies that doesn't attempt to ram the BBC education curriculum down my child's throat. This is supposed to be a children's tv channel not nanny tv.
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How very dare they! someone call the UKIPs!
>:(
Yes but it doesn't have to be almost every programme surely? The odd educational programme maybe but this is ridiculous. It's wall to wall education for kids with no educational subject matter left untouched. Plus whenever they have a show which features children, they seem to go out of their way to get one of each ethnic origin just to be super politically correct just so they teach about diversity. Nothing wrong with that but they do seem to obsess about it a lot.
Children's programmes don't always have to be educational. Sometimes they can just be fun and entertaining but the BBC seem overly obsessed with making sure that almost every programme they make for children has to teach them something. When I was young we had programmes like Mr Benn, The Flumps and Pigeon Street but now it's all 'let's learn something'.
I've often hung around in costume outfitters waiting for the shopkeeper to magically appear...
Point is it's not up to the BBC to make sure my child has an education. That should be the parent and teacher's responsibility. Although I see that some parents might see this as a lazy way to educate their kids. Sit them in front of Cbeebies all day.
I'm more than capable of ensuring my child has a well rounded, educated and fun upbringing and knowing what time to put him to bed without Auntie beeb having to teach me. You don't see other tv channels doing it.
I'm pretty sure that allowing my son to watch Nickleodeon isn't gonna make him turn out to be ignorant and uneducated.
I presume he would prefer them to watch cheap American cartoons on other channels.
Let's hope he does not come across the children's programmes on BBC Alba or BBC Cymru!
As you mentioned in your original post, there are other channels offering kids entertainment. If you don't want your kids watching the Beebs education/ entertainment offerings then put on another channel.
Choice is a wonderful thing.
Long may they continue to educate, inform and, of course, entertain.
And part of their Charter obligations as a PSB broadcaster.
If you don't want your children watching Cbeebies, you don't let them - that's freedom of choice.
But is it up to you to dictate what other parents are able to do, or what the BBC (as instructed by its Charter) has to do (and thus restrict freedom of choice)?
As it is, small children are so impressionable (as are a lot of adults) that *anything* they watch will "educate" them in some way. They will mimick, learn from and normalise everything they see. And dropping a bit of literacy in the mix can't be anything but good. If it promotes the desire to learn, that's even better.
Yeah, but they do such a bad job of it. In the end, society has a vested interest in having educated, law-abiding, good citizens, Parents and teachers don't do this, so at least the BBC is making some contribution.
I haven't dictated anything. I'm questioning it which as a licence fee payer I feel I should have a right to do.
I'm a big BBC watcher and support the licence fee as I think the BBC is fantastic value for money and I love the fact that I can get a bit of culture and infomative tv compared to other channels. However, I do feel that BBC children's programming relies too heavily on educating our kids and trying to act like a 3rd parent and it is pretty much wall to wall educational and informative programming. I think they go too far with it tbh.
I should imagine it's partly to fill time (I'm not familiar enough with Cbeebies' content, but does it show many imports that may have had their ad breaks removed?) and partly to do stuff that doesn't require a full thirty minute show- one of my memories of CBBC, certainly in the mornings, was when they did the birthdays- it's a nice, more personal touch you don't get with other kids' channels that wouldn't stretch to a complete show.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Look_and_Read
Then there was an ITV programme called How We Used To Live
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_We_Used_To_Live
I've often wondered why they don't have the brilliant school progs of years ago (in the morning). Is this channel supposed to take its place. And is it anywhere near as good?
Yes, fancy including that pesky other half of the population...
The contestant on Deal Or No Deal tonight just could not pronounce anything in the 'teens' correct and as for "Fur-een", I almost smashed the TV.
However , he did seem so proud to have knocked out a kid with a girl he wasn't married to. So if 'Daddy' can't speak correctly, it should be left to the BBC to give his son the education that he didn't have.