Tuesday, October 25, 2005
"Dora the Explorer -Speak"
In my job, you have to learn to speak 3-year-old. When I enter an exam room, I talk simply and directly to a toddler first. I ask about their favorite color, their baby sister, how their day in preschool went. It's not that I give less credence to mom or dad, just that I think kids, even by age 3, recognize genuine interest in their affairs. Mom may have important information to add, but all in due time, because I want to hear what the kid has to say from the outset. It seems to relax them and instills their confidence in articulating to adults. It doesn't take that much time either.
All of which leads to the amazing Dora the Explorer phenomenon.
Every 3- and 4-year old I've seen in the past 4 years has answered the following questions correctly. That's more than 500-600 Generation T'ers (Thomas the Tank engineers).
Q. When Dora and Boots see Swiper (the Fox), what do they say?
You get a silver star if you said "Swiper, no swiping" and repeat it ad nauseum.
And now the logical followup...
Q. What does Swiper say back?
A gold star for the answer "Oh, man."
How does this happen? Sure, the show is very good, a bit repetitive if you're a parent, almost hypnotic, and it teaches rudimentary Espanol to the rugrats. Ditto for the Blues Clues set, maybe a year younger, although some parents - suffering from a type of road rage variant -- have been rumored to have smashed their TV sets after the 2000th rendition of "We've Just Got a Letter. Let's See Who It's From" or "I'm the Map."
Fast forward to my 10-15 year-olds, many of whom are in the early throes of miserable adolescence. Whenever I ask them the name of the Vice-President, I get blank stares or answers straight from the "Jaywalking" segment of the Leno Tonight Show. Only 3 kids in 5 years have answered Cheney and one of them got his first name wrong.
Where's the disconnect here?
All of which leads to the amazing Dora the Explorer phenomenon.
Every 3- and 4-year old I've seen in the past 4 years has answered the following questions correctly. That's more than 500-600 Generation T'ers (Thomas the Tank engineers).
Q. When Dora and Boots see Swiper (the Fox), what do they say?
You get a silver star if you said "Swiper, no swiping" and repeat it ad nauseum.
And now the logical followup...
Q. What does Swiper say back?
A gold star for the answer "Oh, man."
How does this happen? Sure, the show is very good, a bit repetitive if you're a parent, almost hypnotic, and it teaches rudimentary Espanol to the rugrats. Ditto for the Blues Clues set, maybe a year younger, although some parents - suffering from a type of road rage variant -- have been rumored to have smashed their TV sets after the 2000th rendition of "We've Just Got a Letter. Let's See Who It's From" or "I'm the Map."
Fast forward to my 10-15 year-olds, many of whom are in the early throes of miserable adolescence. Whenever I ask them the name of the Vice-President, I get blank stares or answers straight from the "Jaywalking" segment of the Leno Tonight Show. Only 3 kids in 5 years have answered Cheney and one of them got his first name wrong.
Where's the disconnect here?
