Limiting Negative Input Creates a Healthy Learning Atmosphere

Posted on April 29, 2008 
Filed Under Homeschool, Inspiration, Learning Lifestyle, Observations

Last week, I wrote about how turning off television can improve your quality of life. However, negative influences don’t come only from television– they can come from many sources. While some sources of negativity may be hard to avoid, such as family members who sport a perpetual bad attitude, there’s no reason to actively seek out and give attention to media personalities who thrive on creating fear and controversy.

Have you ever reproved your children for speaking rudely to a friend or sibling, or wondered where they learned to use ridicule in an effort to make someone else look or feel bad? You may find the answer in the rude rantings of radio talk-show hosts who use ad hominem attacks and ridicule, rather than serious, intelligent communication, to gain support from an unthinking audience. If your children hear these “adults” communicating with name-calling, insults, and mocking, you needn’t be surprised when they try these tactics at home.

If you don’t listen to talk radio, but have news on during the day, you’re likely to find that constant repetition of bad news– rising prices, falling wages, home foreclosures, murders, random crimes, natural disasters– leaves everyone stressed and on edge. Children don’t necessarily listen to what is said, but they definitely understand the tone of concern and alarm, and feel the stress.

There are many valid reasons for living a quiet and peaceable life, but it’s particularly important for homeschooling families. Fear and stress are emotions that short-circuit the learning process, and noise, all by itself, has been proven to dramatically increase stress and reduce the ability to think clearly (visit the Noise Pollution Clearinghouse for detailed information). If your goal is to create a home where learning happens, it’s a good idea to limit noise, particularly negative noise.

I have discovered that our home is more serene and happy when the only news source is the newspaper. It’s quiet, easily portable, and doesn’t assault us with excessive drama and repetition. We can read it at our leisure, and put it down when someone more important (such as one of our dear children) wants to talk with us. We don’t have shush them in order not to miss anything. Frankly, I’ve heard very few things in the news that would be worth ignoring my family to hear, and it seems a bit odd to think of placing a disembodied radio voice at a higher level of priority than people I love!

Is there a chance that you’ll miss something important? It’s highly unlikely. By the time the second plane struck the World Trade Center, I had already heard about it. Even if you’re not in on breaking news, anything of importance will show up in the newspaper, and is likely to have the virtue of being edited and placed into historic context. You won’t have to waste time listening to news people talking to one another, repeating the same facts and figures over and over while waiting for something new to happen.

If you’ve been in the habit of having something on all day, I suggest reading about the harmful effects of constant noise, and reconsidering your habit. If you must have something, or you want to substitute something positive for negative radio shows and news, choose something without words such as a CD or DVD of nature sounds (water sounds are particularly soothing and thought-friendly) or gentle classical music. These are easy to find and usually inexpensive. However, if you have any space at all around your home, you may enjoy planting bird-friendly shrubs and trees to encourage your very own nature sounds.

Your children will absorb what they hear. There’s absolutely no need to serve up dark messages of impending disaster or crude, rude ridicule as a substitute for warm, loving, intelligent conversation. Remember– what goes in is what comes out.

If you’ve unthinkingly permitted rude and negative voices to invade your home or car, you can expect to hear those thoughts and speech patterns reflected in your dear little ones. I recommend the better way found in Philippians 4:8- Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

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Comments

7 Responses to “Limiting Negative Input Creates a Healthy Learning Atmosphere”

  1. Carmen Watson on April 29th, 2008 1:31 pm

    I just read over your blog. It’s as if you read my mind. I’ve been trying to get my family off t.v. and give up cable. My husband is resistant. So we’ve compromised. The kids cannot watch television unless their school and chores are done and done well. And yes, I have to compliment my children more on speaking respectfully and politely instead of scolding them to do so. It also helps to model the same. Thank you for your article.

  2. cindy on April 29th, 2008 1:35 pm

    Thanks for the info. I’m gonna try it tomorrow. We’ve always got the TV on even though we know better. I hope to get a loving, peacable life out of it.

  3. Jocelyn on April 29th, 2008 3:06 pm

    For those of you in this trap…getting out of it will bear more fruit than you can understand. You may have to literally “detox”…and the longer you stay off TV and radio, the more discerning you will become when it’s on…to the point that you will not be able to bear such nonsense, sensationalism and worldliness. You will wonder how you ever put up with it in the first place. Stick with it, and reward any whining about it with chores. Choose movies carefully, and make them an occasional event which is made special by planning a special snack or inviting friends over. You CAN do it.

  4. Carla on April 30th, 2008 3:35 am

    We took up this challenge last week to turn off the TV. The kids are allowed to choose one program at night. Dad still watches a lot of news or sports. The first day, was like drug addicts coming off their drugs. My 14-year-old daughter sulked for hours on the couch. Now, afer a week, the kids are outside playing more, reading more, the 14-year-old has taken up beading, and their Wii time is limited to 30 minutes a day. I find it so much calmer now.

  5. Patricia on April 30th, 2008 6:38 am

    As a self-proclaimed political junkie, I struggle with this all the time. I don’t want to breed apathy, but where in our society is the rational discourse?

  6. Kimmie on May 1st, 2008 5:35 am

    Hi Janice;

    True, true…garbage in, garbage out.

    I added you to my friends list, as truly in my heart you are a sweet dear friend, who I am thankful for.

    (((hug)))
    Kimmie
    mama to 6
    one homemade and 5 adopted

  7. Lori on May 5th, 2008 12:48 pm

    Our family gave up TV and cable five and one-half years ago and it was one of the best things we have ever done. We haven’t missed it hardly at all. The time we used to spend watching tv is now spent playing games, reading books, camping, playing, etc. Our family has grown closer as a result! I would recommend unplugging the tv for all families. Now, when we happen to see tv at other people’s homes we are shocked by what tv has become. Our families worry that we will fall out of touch with current events, but just as mentioned in the article, we always find out what is important. Our children haven’t heard a lot of the language children their age are using. They aren’t as stressed out about the world. And everything that does come up, we can take it in context with the Word.

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