by Christina Bernice Butler

Created on: November 18, 2009   Last Updated: February 11, 2011

Today, video games splatter blood across television screens, sex is everywhere and each year, another profane, obscene curse word is allowed on public cable television. How could a teacher not question if they can use television as a scapegoat for the rowdy, destructive and otherwise seemingly inexplicable behavior of their students, year in and year out?

Culture, expectations of leaders, personal values in life and the child’s individual personality and moral compass all play a role in the way each child conducts themselves. Still learning about life and their place in it, the choices the child makes are ultimately shaped by their parents' standards, rules and ideals because that is what they are used to and it may have been instilled in them as well. The boundaries a parent sets - and there must be many - outline how a child will live, not only at home but everywhere they go in life. For one strong example, some parents have no television in the home. With no TV set, we can’t place blame on it! Yet, what if even those children behave poorly and what if they even behave worse than the all of the others in their class? Television may have a negative effect but it cannot be the blame for a child's behavior.

It is true that we have collectively been watching television more each year. Most know that television is not all bad. In fact, it can be extremely enlightening and educational. Of course, there's a difference between entertainment and reality. If a child watches television too much, sees something and thinks it's cool, they will want to do it because their brains have continually been engaged in an unrealistic world. They become products of the television's shows. Not everything that works in television works in real life. The media depicts the views of small groups of people for the purpose of entertainment. Therefore, instead of flirting with the boundary line to see how close the child could get, they should do their best to stay far away from that line.

The other issue is that, while parents also get a lot of blame from teachers, we cannot judge a home in which we do not live in. As stated, it is a parent’s job to give their child standards to live by but for all we know, a parent works 24/7 and the child is raised by other family members, guardians, friends, neighbors or even is alone when at home, with no real connection to the world. In many households, it truly can be said that televisions are raising the children. That is the

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