Dirty Jobs. Sister Wives. Swamp People.
Why even bother with shows like these? What could they possibly offer? How are such different show related? Well, when you consider all that these shows have to give, it begins to make sense.
Dirty Jobs, a show about brave Americans doing the jobs we could never imagine, reminding us that so much is needed to keep our society going. Sister Wives, a show about one big family working together, proving that love comes in all shapes and sizes. And Swamp People, a show about people living among the alligators and rivers of Louisiana, illustrating one of the many beautiful parts of the US.
Still not sure how these are all related? Well, these are just a few of the shows that remind us that we can learn from television. They give television a good reputation by educating their viewers. From these shows, we learn about things we would not hear about in our daily routine. But these aren’t the only shows aired that contribute to our lives. Out of the hundreds of shows that are on each day, each has something unique to offer us. With all the shows out there, there is so much we can learn from television.
Television isn’t the only source of education. Obviously. However, there are many things television has to offer that can’t be found in a book or even in a classroom.
If you were to dissect the average book, you’d be left with a whole bunch of words and maybe even a few pictures. Now don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with words. Some of the greatest things have been books just filled with words, The Bible, War and Peace, Don Quixote, and so on. But how great can those words be if no one can understand them? Do written words have any value to someone who is illiterate? Can just a few pictures tell the whole story in a book?
Sure pictures can sometimes help you understand a story line, but more often than not, there aren’t even pictures in books. This is what gives television the upper hand.
Television lets you see something as it’s happening, not moments of time that are captured in pictures. For example, news programs broadcast live and show you major events when they’re taking place. If a book or article was written about some major event, it wouldn’t be published until after the event had passed. Also, with television you can follow a person as they experience something, and see everything through their eyes. Most importantly, not knowing the language spoken in the show isn’t that big of a deal. Television is pretty much a universal language. Just with what appears on the screen, you can understand the basics of what’s happening in the show.
On the other hand… Sometimes it is helpful to understand the language of a show. The information you learn can be useful later on.
There have been many of times that I have learned something from television and used it later on in my life. However, there was one time that really sticks out from the rest. You could say it was the day TV saved my life.

It all started one after school day. Normal me, playing in the recess court, when I managed to step on a dishwasher rack and puncture my foot. I know that may sound a little odd, stepping on a dishwasher rack and all, but that’s not important. The part that does matter is what I did when I was sitting on the floor with blood practically gushing out of my foot. Lucky for me, I had a secret weapon that would help me out (and no it wasn’t a band-aid). My secret weapon was my television knowledge.
Previous to getting my foot punctured, I had seen my fair share of survival shows, like Man VS Wild, and knew exactly what to do. Tie a tourniquet.





I took off the sock that wasn’t completely drenched in blood, and tied around the bottom of my foot, right where the puncture was. As I had learned from TV, the pressure from the tourniquet would help stop the bleeding. This way I could make it to the nurse without leaving a trail of bloodshed. Smart idea right? Well I never would have thought of it if it hadn’t been for television.
Not once did I have a class that taught you first aid.
Not once did I read a book that explained survival techniques.
Not once did someone show me how to tie a tourniquet.
My foot, now perfectly fine and walking, is only here thanks to the shows that taught me what to do. Who knows what would’ve happened if it hadn’t been for television.
Stepping on dishwashers isn’t something that happens very often. For me, it was a once in a lifetime happening. However, there are other situations where we use our knowledge from television, even if the shows we’re watching aren’t necessarily “educational”.
Cartoons or children’s shows, for example, might be something you don’t consider very educational. When was the last time you saw The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, or Ben 10 teaching kids how to do math? Sure there are shows on PBS like Word Girl and Sid the Science Kid, but who actually watches those? Parents tend to consider early morning programs such as Nick Jr. or Disney Junior educational and better for children because of their content. Shows geared toward younger views can get away with including things about counting and the alphabet, but it doesn’t quite work that way for the kids who have already learned that stuff in school.
Most kids, who have outgrown learning about the alphabet, switch to shows and cartoons parent’s wouldn’t consider very educational like Wizards of Waverly Place and Phineas and Ferb. However, these programs are just as educational, they’re just teaching your children in a subject different from English, Math, or Science.
Children’s shows and cartoons teach children about situations that would happen in real life. In all the shows kids watch there are interpretations of real life situations. In an episode of the Disney show Shake it Up, one of the characters admits to her best friend that she has dyslexia. In an episode of SpongeBob SquarePants, Patrick and SpongeBob fighter over who’s best friends with Squidward, and then decide they’re all friends. In an episode of iCarly, Carly and her friends learn the responsibilities of a owning a pet after taking care of a bunch of baby chickens. These are just a few examples of the hundreds of life-like scenarios depicted in childrens shows.
While watching television kids see characters fighting with friends and then making up, arguing with parents and still always loving them, messing up and making things right again. From watching television, kids learn about how to better handle situations they might encounter in their own lives.
Parents are often blinded by the humor in children shows, making them miss out on all the educational opportunities. The only reason humor is added to kid’s shows is to distract kids from knowing that they are actually learning about life. It keeps them entertained while they discover morals from the shows they watch.
You still might not be convinced that TV is educational. Don’t worry, it’s not your fault. It’s only because you’ve already been exposed to all the banter giving television a bad name.

You’ve probably heard about the surveys taken by the United States Department of Labor and by A.C. Nielsen Company, the ones that compare time spent watching television to other activities. You’ve heard them say that children spend more minutes, in a week, watching television than having “meaningful” conversations with their parents. You’ve heard the fact that out of the four to six year olds surveyed, 54% value watching TV over spending time with their fathers. You’ve heard the statistic comparing the 59% of Americans who can name The Three Stooges to the 17% of Americans who can name three of the U.S. Supreme Court Justices. And you’ve heard that the average American youth spends only 900 hours in school every year compared to the 1,500 hours spent watching television. Yet, you still haven’t heard it all.
In all these statistic there are variables left that aren’t even considered. Do the kids who prefer TV to their fathers come from good homes? Do the parents who aren’t having conversations with their children, even have time with their children, or are they constantly working? Do the Americans who can’t name the Supreme Court Justices ever have situations where they are exposed to information like that?
However, these aren’t the only studies that leave out factors to be considered. According research done by Kaiser Family Foundation and The American Academy of Pediatrics, television does teach things to their viewers, but the things taught aren’t necessarily good. For example, one of their studies proved that teens who are exposed to sexual content through television are more likely to partake in sexual activities sooner than those who don’t. Yet, what are the parents of these children like? Have the parents talked to their children about these things, or do they come from unsupervised homes? Is television the main reason for their life choices or are there other elements like peer pressure?
With all these situations, it’s hard to find the main cause of them all. Trying to blame television as the sole reason for an event is impossible. There are too many other things that take place that can’t be controlled. Trying to control variables gets especially hard when talking about a person’s daily life.
With all the negative facts out there, you often don’t the ones that support television watching. Did you know that out of the 18 to 24 year olds who participated in a large survey, 55% of them said they’ve learned about politics and legal strategies from television dramas? Thank you, Law and Order. Did you know that eight out of 10 parents believe that television is a positive part of their child’s development? Thank you, Sesame Street. Did you know that 60% to 70% of parents believe that television has enhanced their child’s imagination, vocabulary, and counting skills? Thank you, Blues Clues, Arthur, and Dora.

These statistics are based around that opinions of parents. Though they might not have a lot of science to back them up, they have the views of regular citizens who are constantly around the children being questioned. Who would you trust: a mother or scientist? I’d say a mother.
Television teaches. By now we all know that. The question is, what have you learned?