Channel One

[apple_ridge]

I recently read the following article and would like to know if there are any DUer's whose children have reported anything like that which is described in the article?

Are recruiting ads for the military really being broadcast incessantly inside classrooms? Also the author's daughter's description of a militaristic shift at her school is extremely unsettling.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8125.htm

[UdoKier]

1. Our school does not have Channel One

and the SF and LA school districts have banned sodas and junk food sales on campus.

The marketing of crap food (and crap ideology )to our kids is lightly touched on in "Supersize Me"

[pstokely]

4. my middle school did had it, my high school didn't

dunno if they still show it at the middle school, that was 5 years ago

[notadmblnd]

2. I'll have to check with my kids and see if they have channel 1

One of them recently brought home a permission slip for career day. They are going to various businesses in the community for job shadowing. I noticed on the slip included with all the other prefessions was military recruiters. I worte on the permission slip that my child was to have no contact with the military or military recruiters, I haven't heard anything from the school or teacher yet.

[ScottNeelan]

3. Ugh...

Having spent 7 years watching Channel One every day in junior and senior high school, I can't remember a day without a military recruiting ad of some kind showing up. Army, Navy, Marines, Air Foce...you name it. There were even some times where they'd show the same commercial for one of the military branches (usually the Army) two or three times during the same 15-20 minute show.

OF course, I could rant all day about just how horrendous the show it. Pointless stories, pathetic reporting and fact-checking efforts, overly sensationalist slants (even when compared to the crap on regular television). It's just pathetic that some schools actually force the kids to watch that drivel.

[Oublei]

5. I'm currently a student forced to watch it

I'm the president of my school's Young Democrats and we are currently working on informing the community of Channel One in the first of many steps toward removing Channel One.

[newyawker99]

6. Hi Oublei!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Stop_the_War]

7. Hi Oublei!

Welcome to DU! :toast:

[AnnInLa]

9. Oublei.....we finally got it out of our school system

I don't know where you live, but we teachers filed a grievance against our local school board, asking to be paid for the extra 12 minutes per day that the Whittle Channel One added to our day. Not wanting to or being able to pay us, the school board voted to take them out. Ask your teachers for info regarding teacher/student contact regulations and work with the teacher organizations in your locality who do not like Chris Whittle or what he is trying to do with a captive audience.

[Oublei]

10. Thanks for the welcome!

I've heard many of the teachers complain about the disregard of overtime due to their being on salaries.

This is also a situation were the administration has been extremely unprofessional and written threatening emails to teachers who never forced their students to watch. The principal then took it upon himself to make that class take a Channel One quiz he made every day, made it worth 20% of the grade, then made it so difficult all of them failed on a daily basis. Not exactly an environment that encourages teachers to talk about their opinions of Channel One to students.

At this point we have gone over the Channel One contracts provided at ChannelOneHelp.com and found they encourage an alternative room that does not show Channel One to students who do not want to watch. We have decided to start the angry letters to the editor at this point.

[AnnInLa]

13. Your activism on this really encourages me!

Am SO glad you are getting involved with this issue. We had students speak at our local school-board meetings, saying how insulted they were to be a captive audience for marketing purposes, and how no one paid any attention to the Whittle news, just used that time for doing homework. If the principal is considering the scores from those tests as part of your overall grade for the six/nine weeks, you have a huge legitimate grievance, possibly legal, check with a friendly parent-attorney.

[BeanCounting]

15. *removed*

[newyawker99]

23. Hi BeanCounting!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Oublei]

16. Thank you for the support/encouragement

Being in Oregon, we are pretty tilted to the left. There are students at this point who are trying to "crash" our meetings and are now vying the only openly Republican teacher to shut us down. I have decided, as a junior, I'm ready to graduate as soon as possible. The immaturity over politics is so disgusting--especially when this is mostly due to their parents' influence.

Anyways--back to the subject at hand. Aside from trivial interruptions and threats by individuals who have no real point but want to make a big deal, things have gone by relatively smoothly. We have many staff members backing our plight against Channel One though I'm reluctant to call on them for a school board meeting solely due to the ramifications it may have on them from the principal.

We're also gathering "ammo" for a school board meeting. We attended a meeting for a local progressive group where we were informed a lone parent brought up Channel One to the school board. The school was required to bring a video tape of Channel One for the school board to view. Amazingly enough, all of the commercials were cut out of it. How did that happen?

For anyone interested in seeing what is happening with us, we have a forum at:
www.sandbenders.org

Be warned that it is pretty rediculous at times.

[Richard Steele]

18. I think you might have grounds ...

...for a nice big messy LAWSUIT!

If a principal is forcing people to watch this for a passing grade, he is WAYYY out of line. No way will that stand scrutiny.

You might spend a few minutes speaking to your nearest ACLU office, just to get their opinion. I'm sure it would be time well spent.

And also, welcome to DU!

[BeanCounting]

14. Keep After Them Oublei~

I Have Faith You'll Succeed!

[annabanana]

20. You go girl!

The more parents that become aware of the heavy military recruiting on it, the sooner they will land on the school board to have it taken out.

Welcome to DU!

[CatholicEdHead]

8. I remember that back when it first came out

in the late 80's and early to mid 90's. I don't remember too many ads during that time for the military. It was more Hardees and other crap.

Anderson Cooper is a Channel One alum.

[CalebHayes]

11. If you have any questions about it I used to, have to, watch it.

Feel free to ask.

[FreedomAngel82]

12. I wouldn't be surprised

I remember watching Channel One in middle school. It was okay. I always found them boring and would doodle or something.

[LeftyMom]

17. What's the incentive for schools to show Channel One?

We never had it in school, so I don't really know about it. I remember readint that they provide televisions for all clasrooms, it that all? Is there money involved?

[CalebHayes]

19. Free TVs to show it on in every classroom.

I think thats what it is. Thats what I've heard from my teachers. Also some think it has good educational value.

[Oublei]

21. There is a free TV and a DVD/VHS player

for each classroom for the duration of Channel One's contract. This equipment is repossessed if and when a school cuts off ties with Channel One.

While I know of many teachers who use these TVs for classroom purposes , the teachers who asked the administration for permission first were denied completely. At this point most teachers use the projectors or TVs that are on a cart that are checked out from the library. The majority of the equiptment this school is so elated to have is used ONLY for Channel One at this point.

[melv]

22. I am interning at a middle school

and they watch it EVERY DAY.

Yuck.

[Oublei]

25. Yeah, well

It's the same deal here. They need to show it, under contract, 90% of the school days.

[American Tragedy]

24. I had never even heard of it until a few months ago

I guess our district didn't get it.

[Nikia]

26. We had it at my school

I graduated almost 9 years ago so military commercials during it didn't really stick out anymore than they did on the television that I watched at home. Teachers complained more about the junk food commercials on it. My school had military indoctorination in other ways. They had recruiters in the lunch room and advertised and held the ASVAB test during school hours.
I admit that I took it and talked to a recruiter. Besides the National Guard recruiter who said that he had secured a spot for me in a program that I was interested in. they encouraged me to apply for ROTC scholarships or a service academy. I applied to West Point, but failed the physical fitness test. I ended up choosing not to go to a school with ROTC and thought that it would interfere too much with my athletics, which was very important to me at the time even if I did.
What attracted me to the military was money for college (I am paying off big loans now and my parent scouldn't afford to pay for my college) and the hope of a merit based career. Clinton was also president at the time. In the end, I have mixed feelings about not pursuing it. I am glad that I am not in Iraq, participating in an unjust war as an officer. I think that military life might have felt wrong to my free thinking ways. On the otherhand, I am very unsatisfied with my job and employment prospects. I really would like to have a career based upon my merits.