Issues that concern a culture are frequently reflected in the myths or stories that it tells. Education of its children frequently has caused discussion and debate in American society on topics such as "keeping up" with the Russians or whether test scores are higher or lower than five or ten years ago. Since television has become an influential medium, it is possible to discern trends in education by analyzing television shows, from 1950 to the present, that deal with teachers and students. Early television shows, such as "Leave It to Beaver" and "Our Miss Brooks," show the teacher as an authority figure, or the teacher as hero. Later television shows, such as "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood" and "Sesame Street," accent the student's role as learner, or the student as hero. Finally, more recent shows, such as "The Paper Chase" or "Fame," portray students and teachers on nearly equal terms, or student as hero, teacher as hero. Although debates on competing educational philosophies may never be completely resolved, insight into the dilemmas they pose may be gained from such an analysis. (DF)