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Show family RUSUCBKSIe(aCe Big Bird’s boo-boo HUNGTCR UCU UYT ABCCMICUDIS thousandsof yearsold. As public TV defendsits publicfunding, Mary C. Hickey puts ‘Sesame Street’ to thetest hile waiting in the pediatrician’s office, I witnessed a mom drill- ing her child onthe alphabet. “Sarah, show Mommythe ‘C,’”” the woman coached. The child, who couldn’t have been anyolderthan 2, dutifully pointed to the properletter in her storybook. The mother, notic- Ss | AMETHYST = i | members of Congress have pro- To bring all this beauty to your home and family. The Franklin Institute. America’s foremost science museum. now invites you to own a genuine natural My gripe: TUeeeee CUCU OS Le Soe DLO this sublime work. please order by the date shown on the order form. and you're likely to hear lyrics like “U Thinking of U,” or a CLC AI ASST Lee Ota lf you wish to return any Franklin Mint purchase. you may do so within 30 days chant: “The tOad went of your receipt of that purchase for replacement, credit or refund. ee Please mail by July 31, 1992. too focused on getting small children to learn to read jumP acrossthescreen. This, we’ve beentold,is “educational” TV, so many parents believe that preschool-age children can, YES! | WANT MY AMETHYST! Please enter my orderfor this genuine imported gemstone now and send it to me complete with custom-designed identifying display base. and implicitly should, learn to read. And that it happens through the rote repetition ofletters and sounds. | need SEND NO MONEY NOW.Bill me just $39.50* for my Amethyst whenit is ready to “Plus mystate sales tax and $2.95 for shipping and handling. be sent to me. As I see it, that’s wrong on both ALL ORDERS ARE SUBJECT TO ACCEPTANCE counts. Readingis best learned whenkids are gently acquainted withliteracy, not forced to memorize meaningless characters. If we PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY. APT. #___ CITY/STATE/ZIP want our children to become good readers, we should read to them, TELEPHONE NO. ©1992 FM hOme to the telephOneand spOke to the gOat.” Letters and words hoP, skiP and C/o The Franklin Mint Franklin Center, PA 19091-0001 ADDRESS, 14242-6MLH-30009 A genuine Amethyst from The Franklin Institute. oe Bn ce cs ee cs ae ee ee ee ee ee ee ee ee preschoolers, and they’re likely to list creativity, problem-solving and social skills. Most would agree that teaching reading can — andshould — wait until the first grade. EducatorJane M. Healy, writing last year in Education Digest, agrees. Rather than create good readers, she posed, but I’ll happily chime in on says, Sesame Street may encourage the debate over public broadcast- passive learning and lead kids to exing, at least as it relates pect a “lively” alphabet. to Sesame Street. Now,both my kids, Turn on the show ages 2 and 5, have spent for even a few seconds, The show is far plenty oftime with Bert and its sheer beauty. MR/MRS/MISS what’s appropriate learning for and other PBS programs, as some most prized of all quartzes. Treasured for its rarity, its value, its mythical powers SIGNATURE didn’t say anything. Butif had, I would have shouted a loud “NO!” out to kill federal funding for it love and victory in combat! A triumph of Nature, rich with hues of violet. it is the The Franklin Institute not plop them in front of the video equivalent of outmodedflashcards. Ask child-development experts the Grouch, but I don’t think Sesame Street belongs on the pedestal where many parents putit. I’m not In the lore of gemstones. the breathtaking Amethyst is said to bring both true ORDER FORM In the interest of keeping the peace — not to mention my child’s appointment with the doctor — I OK, so maybe I’m being Oscar Amethysts will vary in size and shape, just as they do in Nature. Se a8 ing myglances, remarked, “She learned it from Sesame Street. It’s a great program, isn’t it?” st See nS 6 USA WEEKEND June 26-28, 1992 l and Ernie. There’s a lot about the show like: the cast’sracial, age and genderdiversity, quality music and, aboveall, that my kids stay glued to it while I cook. But because Sesame Street strives to have value, I believe it can strive even harder. My request to the 23-yearold show: Quit focusing on teaching kids to read. Let’s have more music. More pretty pictures of Eskimos and animals. And,please, more of the Muppets. Especially myfavorite, Oscar the Grouch. & Mary C.Hickey, wholives in Washington, D.C., is co-author of “The Working Mother’s Guilt Guide: Whatever You’re Doing, It Isn’t Enough” (Pencuin BOoKs,$8.95). Illustration by Martha Gradisher |