What educational TV channels would a teen possibly like from which they might learn something? I have a list that my son watches and discusses. I also list some other channels we don’t normally watch but that your teen may like.
If you don’t have cable or satellite TV, it’s time to get it because all the Discovery Network of channels are on cable or satellite. History and its network of channels are also only on cable or satellite.
Science Channel
- Sci Q Sundays – with Dr. Michio Kaku
- Brink
- Ecopolis
- How It’s Made
- How Do They Do It?
- Survivorman
- Colossal Construction
- Deconstructed
- Weird Connections
- Beyond Tomorrow
History Channel
There are several channels associated with The History Channel: A&E, Military History, History Education, History International, and Biography
- Modern Marvels – show on engineering and technology of the past and present
- Cities of the Underworld
- Armageddon Week
- Seven Deadly Sins
- The Universe
- Extreme Trains
- UFO Hunters
- Ancient Discoveries
- Shows about particular periods in the past
- Shows about the wars of the world from ancient times to Iraq and Afghanistan
- Shows about history of the Bible and other religions
Discovery Channel
- MythBusters
- How Stuff Works
- Survivorman (if you don’t get The Science Channel)
- Dirty Jobs
- How It’s Made (if you don’t get The Science Channel)
- Man Vs. Wild
- Destroyed in Seconds
Military Channel
- Future Weapons
- Weaponology
- Puzzles
Other Discovery Network Channels
- Turbo
- TLC
- ID: Investigation Discovery
- Discovery Health
- Animal Planet
- Planet Green
- HD Theater
MSNBC
- The Rachel Maddow Show
Rachel speaks our teens’ language and delivers the news with dry wit and lots of humor while making wicked smart arguments and observations, and asking the deeper questions about the world and current events with a decidedly liberal tilt, but no spin.
Rachel isn’t a typical newscaster or anchor. She’s young, only 35, and has a Ph.D. in political science from Oxford University in England. She was a Rhodes Scholar and received the John Gardener Fellowship upon receiving her undergraduate degree in public policy from Stanford University.
She has impeccable integrity and always corrects any mistakes she makes, no matter how minor, apologizes when she is wrong, and makes sure there is complete and total disclosure about any conflicts of interest involving a guest on the show, and of her own. She occasionally talks about Clear Channel radio, and makes sure to disclose that her show on Air America Radio is broadcast on some Clear Channel stations before she gives any opinions about Clear Channel, for example.
She insists upon civil debate and does not tolerate argument melt-downs, impolite behavior or name calling of any kind. She’s an excellent role model on how to have a heated, yet very civil debate or discussion.
My son started watching this show on his own. I watch and one day he started getting off the computer and watching this show for an hour.
Your teen may prefer other networks, other shows, and other anchors. But have them find something that they don’t like to miss so they learn to keep up with current events and can discuss and debate issues effectively and civilly. No Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity or Bill O’Reilly as role models. They don’t debate anything. They preach their opinions and there is no room for discussion or disagreement with them. They are also extremely rude to their guests and audience participants. To make a more civil and just world, we need to learn to debate without rudeness and disdain for our opponents. The debate needs to be heated, but the people themselves need to get along and stick to the subject without personal attacks or condescension.
Don’t forget to check your local library for DVDs of shows on specific topics to check out and watch. Also, many news shows are available via podcast free of charge through the show’s website or on iTunes.
February 26th, 2009 at 12:28 pm
Has anyone else heard about Robert Downey Jr. doing a Sherlock Holmes movie?
February 27th, 2009 at 9:16 am
Is there a post on any upcoming movies for 2009?
May 26th, 2009 at 5:24 pm
I find watching television to be a terrible substitute for actual teaching, or even reading. If you think it’s ok to park your teenager in front of a screen all day long, why not just send him to the public school? He’ll get the same benefit for no cost (as cable is an expense few could afford these days).
Also, why direct a child to a rabidly partisan pundit without also requiring them to observe the other side, as well? Kids actually have a hard time seeing bias without opposing viewpoints. Maddow is dippy and immature in the same vein as Hannity or Olbermann (who, without O’Reilly, would have nothing to rail against, am I right?), and a child would learn more by watching Maddow followed by Hannity, for example, and contrasting the differences in the content of the shows, attitudes of the anchors, etc.
May 28th, 2009 at 1:21 am
@Rachel: I’m not suggesting sitting a teen in front of the TV as a substitute for teaching, only as a supplement that may stimulate a continued love of watching documentary TV instead of the prime time drivel that most adults watch. I don’t know who is winning on American Idol, I don’t care who is Lost, and Desperate Housewives can remain so without my baring witness to them.
Last time I looked at my property tax bill, I pay a hefty amount for our public school system, so it isn’t free by any means. Our public schools also just received an award for drastically improved test scores. They beat my generation’s scores for the first time ever.
I wouldn’t disrespect public schools on my blog just because you, I or anyone home schools their children. I went to public school, graduated with honors, got a 29 on my ACT when the highest score was a 31, and graduated from the premiere public land grant and sea grant university in my state with a degree in chemistry. I would put my education up against anyone’s.
A public education doesn’t mean a poor education. Public school is a choice just like private school and home school. Parents must have the right and freedom to choose the best education for each of their children. Some of my home school buddies here home school one or two children and may send one to public school and another to private school. They did what was best for each particular child. There is no one way that works for everyone, there are many, and parents need the flexibility to choose.
My son has watched Hannity and O’Reilly once, decided they were full of bullpuckey and massively fact-free on nearly every point they made, and chose by himself to watch Rachel Maddow and Keith Olbermann. He’s also heard all he cares to hear of Rush Limbaugh. Where we live there is no shortage of right-wing extremist nut job TV and radio. Getting anything on the liberal side is solely up to MSNBC. I balance it with NPR. You can’t even be a moderate here without being dissed for it, let alone a liberal or progressive. That I homeschool my son has me listed under the left-wing liberal pinko commie set anyway.
You may not like Maddow’s style, but I think she’s exceedingly intelligent (you don’t graduate from Stanford in 3.5 years with honors and become a Rhodes Scholar with a Ph.D. by being a dumbass). If you aren’t paying close enough attention, you miss the satire of a point or you don’t understand the reality and facts behind the humor. If you listen to her, she makes a lot of sense, and teens like her because she can explain complex issues so they can relate to them as well as understand them.
I also find far more depth on her show than on any other. Over the past two days, she has spent over 45 minutes on President Obama’s candidate for the Supreme Court, 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Sonia Sotomayor. Maddow spent most of that time examining Sotomayor’s opinions, how many have been appealed to the Supreme Court and how many were overturned. She also spent a lot of time interviewing law professors and specialists on the Supreme Court on Sotomayor’s opinions compared to the decisions of the Supreme Court. Will Sotomayor have trouble being confirmed? Will she move the court to the left or right? How might her background affect her decisions? What is her judiciary experience? Nobody else has spent half that much time on these issues.
Maddow follows her stories for long periods of time and reports updates as they become available, even if it’s been months since a story broke. She’s also one of the few liberals who cares deeply about the wars we’re in, the soldiers fighting it, and the military in general. She is a liberal, but her father is a retired Air Force officer and she was raised in a middle class, conservative family. She’s also spent entire shows just on the war in Iraq or the war in Afghanistan. Entire shows. Nobody else does that and I find it a national treasure to get that much depth on a subject.
If you think Maddow is dippy, you’re not paying attention, or you’re a conservative and will never agree with her no matter what. She may appear immature but that means you missed her point. And when it comes to handling tough guests and potentially explosive situations, she has the brains to stop an explosion, very unlike everyone else on cable TV news. Her show is intense, but civil. There may be disagreements, but honest debate is respected and fighting isn’t permitted. She can even debate civilly with Pat Buchanan.
That may be what you don’t like. Her show is significantly different in format with no guests yelling over each other. I personally can’t stand that, and it’s why I don’t watch Hardball and the Ed Show. It’s also why I don’t watch anyone on Fox News or listen to Rush Limbaugh. They are anything but fair and balanced. And Limbaugh is nothing short of a megalomaniac. They get into dueling guests or insulting callers on nearly every segment of every show.
NPR is far more Maddow-like than all the others, or maybe it’s the other way around since NPR came first.
Olbermann is a liberal version of Bill-O, but if you check his facts, he actually gets them right and he cracks me up. Bill-O wouldn’t know a fact if it bit him in the butt, and he never lets the facts get in the way of him spewing his own misguided ideology. Don’t get me started on Glenn Beck…
January 18th, 2010 at 3:09 am
Nooooo! I am using my iphone and I cant seem to be able to open the page right. I will be back to read this tonight when I get back from school. The topic looks like something I must read.
January 24th, 2010 at 5:43 am
Great Post. Can you email me back, please. Thank you.
What’s on your mind? I prefer to keep discussions in the comments so everyone can learn from them. If it’s something private, please comment again and I will contact you directly. Or, you can email me through my “about” page.
February 1st, 2010 at 10:36 am
Awesome post! You have a great blog, absolutely the best Ive read so far. I will be looking forward to your next entry. Thanks again.
November 19th, 2010 at 1:51 pm
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