Goodbye "Rainbow"

We assume that all things have a "life" expectancy; ourselves, our loved ones, our pets, our flowers...everything.  It is often most difficult to say goodbye when we had not seriously considered the loss or the life time of something valuable to us.  We were told today that a "goodbye" is necessary to the NPR program "Reading Rainbow".  It has been a popular childrens' show for 26 years, hosted by LeVar Burton, famous for this gig as well as the role of Jordy in "Star Trek, The Next Generation." (I believe that's the proper Star Trek format, I need to refer to my geeky husband for confirmation.)

Facebook carried the NPR story about 1:00 CST today.  In less than an hour 936 comments of protest appeared on the site.  Each comment related the value of the show to their childhood and to their accomplishments as adults.  A good point was made by many of those who were upset by the loss of this program. They felt that anyone can do or learn just about anything if there is a real drive or desire created for it, and Rainbow gave them that urge to learn. 

The key to learning is creating the desire to learn. There are already hundreds of instruction sites, schools, videos, books, tutors, et cetera to teach a child to read, but all those learning sources will be limited in success if the student doesn't really want to read.

LeVar Burton and Reading Rainbow made children want to learn to read.  He made them see how they could use reading to be a part of the world, to travel anywhere they want at any time with just a book, to escape whatever is negative at that moment and make that moment one of discovery and fun.  NPR is cancelling the show because they want shows that teach kids to read rather than shows that teach kids to want to read.

This sounds like a cyclical logic concocted to rid themselves of a program they no longer find relevant, no matter the public opinion. Someone wants funds to go elsewhere, and this is a quick fix. Otherwise, this move makes no sense. My son literally runs into the living room when he hears Burton's voice. He's even gone so far as to respond when he hears Burton playing Jordy as my husband flips the television channels searching for something decent to watch. Burton has created an excitement in my son -- he's shown my kid new worlds, new societies, new adventures every day. He has spoken of genealogy, Indian culture, oceanic life, as well as desert secrets in the Saguaro cactus.

I have gone to the library and deliberately found many of the books that Burton and the kids on the show introduce to viewers, and we've enjoyed every one. My son remembers the pictures on the covers of the books as the ones LeVar showed him.

This is a shame. It is reminiscent of the effort to make Dora the Explorer a Tweener. Whether canceling a show or suddenly changing it up, neither one is the right thing to do.