First Lady Says TV Usurps Learning

Hillary Rodham Clinton urged parents Friday to monitor their children’s television time, asserting that too much TV can erode their willingness to take on tough assignments.

“The instant gratification that television conveys undermines children’s willingness to stick to hard tasks and try to learn things that don’t come easily,” Clinton told 120 leaders of the National Parent Teacher Association. TV teaches, she said, that “you can just hit the remote control.”

“Many of my friends who are teachers tell me they feel they are clicked off all the time because a lot of learning is simply hard, boring, repetitive work.”