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My son (in 4th grade) told me yesterday that his school is doing a "no electronics day" at school, where they are supposed to voluntarily abstain from using any electronic device for the entire day.
I thought it was really strange... not good or bad, just weird. Are they THAT worried about kids being "plugged in" too much? Is this a common thing aross the country?
Our school does it, too. The fifth graders had a writing assignment about how a week of no TV affected their lives. Strangely, the very next month, they had a writing assignment that required them to watch a television show.
I personally love the idea of turn off the tv week. It something we particiapte in quite a bit (not just during that specific week at school). I don't think it is weird to try and get kids to leave the video games or ipods alone for a week either. I think our society is too dependant on those things and kids are missing out on some great old school skills.
I have a friend who has never owned a computer or an ipod and he seems to be perfectly happy. People find it odd and ask how it is that he stays in touch with people if he can't email... he sticks to the old fashioned way of writing letters. I love that!
So yeah, I think it is great to get kids to abstain from those things.
I heard a news report poll yesterday that teenagers would rather text each other than talk face to face. Yes, the digital devices are eroding our kids ability to interact as human beings and learn the subtleties of verbal and non-verbal language. Writing skills have become atrocious and many kids graduate middle school without having a true grasp of basic mathematical figuring in their heads.
My husband and I instituted a NO computer Sunday in our house just as a reminder that these devices were meant to be life enhancers not substitutes for interaction.
It's not uncommon at all. Screen Time - Home I think it's a great idea for the whole family. It used to be we would un-plug when we went on vacation with our family but now the boys (all teens or early 20's) bring their lap-tops and play computer games with each other. We're just never un-plugged, and that's not a good thing. My son had to do this for a weekend last fall and we found an old typewriter so he could write his assignments. He was impressed with how hard you had to press the keys to make it work.
My son (in 4th grade) told me yesterday that his school is doing a "no electronics day" at school, where they are supposed to voluntarily abstain from using any electronic device for the entire day.
I thought it was really strange... not good or bad, just weird. Are they THAT worried about kids being "plugged in" too much? Is this a common thing aross the country?
I think the school in question is overstepping its bounds. It is one thing for the school to ask kids to do things in school but crossing the boundary into the home, where parents may have a totally different agenda, is not the place of the school. Schools and parents need to work together, but that does not entail the school telling the parents what their children should be doing at home.
I think the school in question is overstepping its bounds. It is one thing for the school to ask kids to do things in school but crossing the boundary into the home, where parents may have a totally different agenda, is not the place of the school. Schools and parents need to work together, but that does not entail the school telling the parents what their children should be doing at home.
I'm not sure this is any more invasive then any other homework project. And just because one child does not use electronics doesn't mean the whole family has to do that. I think if a parent backs this up, it can be an eye opening experience for the child, not something burdensome. The OP said that it's voluntary, not mandatory.
I don't think it's bad. I am pretty sure that a good number of my kids don't do their homework because they can't tear themselves away from MySpace and their assorted game systems. Personally, when I impose a personal internet ban on myself I get a lot more done in terms of housework, etc.
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I get a lot more done in terms of housework, etc.
