Dear Families,
“[T]he deeper reason that technology so often disappoints and betrays us is that it promises to make easy things that, by their intrinsic nature, have to be hard. Tweeting and trolling are easy. Mastering the arts of conversation and measured debate is hard. Texting is easy. Writing a proper letter is hard. Looking stuff up on Google is easy. Knowing what to search for in the first place is hard. Having a thousand friends on Facebook is easy. Maintaining six or seven close adult friendships over the space of many years is hard. Swiping right on Tinder is easy. Finding love – and staying in it – is hard.”
-Bret Stephens in “Plato Foresaw the Folly of Facebook” in The New York Times, November 17, 2018, https://nyti.ms/2zeVvKj, Marshall Memo v.763
I found the above excerpt from Mr. Bret Stephen’s The New York Times article in the Marshall Memo to be an important reminder of the limitations of our digital age. As I was picking up my fourth grade son from his community center, I was struck by how many students were on their cell phones waiting for pickup when they could have been having conversations with each other. Cell phones, laptops, and TVs are not are bad, but, like most things in life, moderation is the key. Please take the time to survey your child about their screen time usage (especially if they are using it right before going to bed or in place of better opportunities to connect in person).
Here are two statistics that stand out:
- According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, "excessive TV viewing has been linked to obesity and may lead to decreased school achievement, poor body image, increased aggression, and increased risk of substance abuse."
- According to Common Sense Media, 59 percent of parents say their kids are “addicted” to their screens, while 66 percent of parents say their kids spend too much time on screens.
These are statistics that we should pay attention to so that we can keep our kids living a healthy lifestyle and in positive relationships. Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any suggestions or questions.
Our Winter Concert is coming up next Wednesday, December 12. Thank you in advance to Mr. Steven Mossberg for leading our students in a celebration of the holidays. This is new as we are separating our Winter Concert from our MLK Assembly. The concert is for students from JK/K to fourth grade and will start at 8:20AM. It should last about half an hour.
Finally, please feel free to reach out to us if you are in need during this holiday season. We know that for some families these times can be difficult and our team is here to help in any way possible. We are fortunate to be in a city that has so many great resources available and we are here for you. Thank you for being a part of our wonderful community.
Yours truly,
Gerald Yung, Principal