How News Affects Bethel School 

    None of us can easily escape the world's problems or, more importantly, the media covering those problems.  Even Bethel Elementary school's environment has been subject to change since the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks on America.  As one walks around the school, you can certainly tell a change and notice a new focus in the halls, classrooms, cafeteria, media center, and virtually anywhere else.  From saying the morning pledge outside next to the American flag to the annual Meet You at the Pole and praying for our country, a new found patriotism is being observed in children even as young as Kindergarten.
 
 
 

As one looks around the media center, evidence of the recent terrorist attacks can be seen everywhere.  Here you see books that have been pulled and displayed with obvious implications of recent news.	Much like the books, magazines can often help us see how the world is being portrayed.  Some people may wonder how the advertisments in those magazines affect students when they see them.

    When asked to bring something for Show and Tell the week after the tragic terrorist attacks, a fourth grade girl brought in the picture that you see here.  She recieved it from her father that works for the Coca-Cola company.  He was sent the picture from the company in New York.  She proceeded to share the picture with the rest of her classmates.  When asked about the picture she said, "I wanted to bring it to class to show them [her classmates] that there was a truck that wasn't burnt."
 
 

    Ms. Tilley’s fifth grade class at Bethel Elementary had an interesting way of showing their patriotism to the rest of the school.  They decided to decorate their hall bulletin board with a huge American flag.  Oh, but this wasn’t just any old flag.  This flag not only represented their country, but it was individualized to also represent their own selves.  Each child was given a piece of red construction paper and told that they could put anything they wanted on the paper that represented what America meant to them.  Given a ton of magazines, the students went to work.  Not only were there pictures of the Statue of Liberty and patriotic words of our government, but these kids also included specific pictures of cars, restaurants, shops, etc.  The effect of media on their lives was unmistakable.  Walt Disney even surfaced on one child’s paper.  I wonder to myself if that is really what America means to them.  I think it’s interesting to observe students during this time of our country’s life.  The media surfaces more than ever before because we have to rely on it so much to give us current information.

The main questions that I find myself asking are:  Why do these children feel that Walt Disney or a Belks logo should be on the same page as pictures of the White House or Statue of Liberty?  In their minds is there a difference between the two, or do children respond with the indifference to our country as they might to a cartoon on Saturday morning?  What is real to them, and how do they know the difference between reality and a TV life?  Are their priorities straight, and if not, what are we doing as a society to change any of that?  The first rule to dispel ignorance is education!
 
 

    When you walk into classrooms throughout Bethel one can constantly see the interaction and projects with the media about the World Trade Center tragedy.
 
 

Sources:

Waving Flags:  http://www.animfactory.net/af_flags_poles_us_state_flags_variant_page_usa.html
Rolling Pencil: http://www.animfactory.net/af_school_writing_supplies_page_aa.html