Thomas Messes With Education

Preschool education is big business. All products associated with preschool are guised as educational, and most of them are in some manner. Last weekend, my family and I traveled to Granite City, IL to take part in "Day Out With Thomas" which celebrates Thomas the Tank Engine's birthday. Thomas, a loveable train, is owned by HIT Entertainment, the same company responsible for Barney. HIT's corporate site advertises that the company "delivers engaging and inspiring content… and has earned the trust of parents and caregivers around the world." Unfortunately, HIT's "Day Out With Thomas" does not earn trust, but instead devalues what is a normally an honest educational enterprise.

The values listed on HIT's corporate site lacked in "Day Out With Thomas." One value, "HIT's trusted content is safe and wholesome, created with attention to detail and thoughful consideration to the hearts and minds of children everywhere" failed in numerous ways. Not only did HIT not pay attention to detail on their website (the misspelling belongs to HIT) but the day most likely broke hearts, whether it was with limited playing and craft time, or a "Thomas Train" that failed to fool three-year olds. Engagement is another value that disappointed yet again: "HIT's characters are great friends for life's early lessons." Thomas' boss, Sir Topham Hatt, only made scheduled appearances, did not engage preschoolers and only taught the lesson that HIT can rip mom and dad off for about a hundred dollars.

HIT's contradicted values are seen the most in their employees for "Day Out With Thomas." Instead of having trained employees or finding responsible local ones, HIT merely goes through the motions of fulfilling every promised component. For instance, the "Thomas storytelling and video viewing area" consisted of a middle-aged lady mispronouncing, whispering, and generally stumbling over a preschool book. Making "birthday cards for Thomas" promised true engagement, as a real Thomas was there to receive the cards, but staff encouraged the preschoolers to keep the cards. Huh? This station was a short drive away from college students who need to earn community volunteer hours. HIT could pay teachers from nearby schools to work. Attention to detail would have derailed the sloppy and inattentive job by employees. It also would show that HIT seriously executes its values.

Shame on HIT Entertainment for not only taking advantage of young boys and girls' love of Thomas the Tank Engine, but for missing a great educational opportunity. Parents trust HIT's programs and products to springboard education opportunities for their children. On television, Thomas is an educational train who makes mistakes and teaches life lessons and with every episode. In real life, HIT slights preschoolers and overall fails at upholding their company values with "Day Out With Thomas."

Photo Credit: Tom Raftery