The Screen That Ate Your Child’s Education

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My elementary and middle school-aged children all have entirely screen-free educations. They don't have phones or ipads either. It's...amazing.

And how much do you pay for that privilege?

Six figures a year in tuition between three kids. It's unjust as several PPs have pointed out that screen-free education (which is so obviously superior) is for those who can afford it.

Eh, you can get screen free private for less if you can handle Christian classical. Plenty of non Christian kids at our school, tuition is about 17k/kid. Not hard to supplement multiculturalism/interfaith perspectives on the side, just more good books to read.

[Anonymous]

Pp here but yes, I agree it is unjust that tech free is not really available in public unless you get in a 504 or IEP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pp here but yes, I agree it is unjust that tech free is not really available in public unless you get in a 504 or IEP.

Yes but the parents need to band together and push back! Check out this lady trying to lead the charge:

https://thescreentimeconsultant.com/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My elementary and middle school-aged children all have entirely screen-free educations. They don't have phones or ipads either. It's...amazing.

And how much do you pay for that privilege?

Six figures a year in tuition between three kids. It's unjust as several PPs have pointed out that screen-free education (which is so obviously superior) is for those who can afford it.

Eh, you can get screen free private for less if you can handle Christian classical. Plenty of non Christian kids at our school, tuition is about 17k/kid. Not hard to supplement multiculturalism/interfaith perspectives on the side, just more good books to read.

But these don’t even exist in many places- even if you wanted to send your child and pay. Most people have the option of public school or middle of the road private that also uses tons of screens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My elementary and middle school-aged children all have entirely screen-free educations. They don't have phones or ipads either. It's...amazing.

And how much do you pay for that privilege?

Six figures a year in tuition between three kids. It's unjust as several PPs have pointed out that screen-free education (which is so obviously superior) is for those who can afford it.

Eh, you can get screen free private for less if you can handle Christian classical. Plenty of non Christian kids at our school, tuition is about 17k/kid. Not hard to supplement multiculturalism/interfaith perspectives on the side, just more good books to read.

But these don’t even exist in many places- even if you wanted to send your child and pay. Most people have the option of public school or middle of the road private that also uses tons of screens.

And some of those Christian Classical schools require that you sign a statement approving their values - some of which I am really not comfortable signing off on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is funny that only the wealthy will be able to access tech free education. So ridiculous that we need to pay to have less of it. Ed tech has really fooled the masses.

They are paying high salaries to human beings to teach their kids. Are you willing to do that?

Private school salaries are typically significantly lower than public school salaries.

We pay around ~15K/student for a low tech Classical Christian school. We live in a county that spends about $20,000/student.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Naw. Screens are an integral part of our lives. They belong in schools.

Not going back to slate and chalk. Nope.

This.

There were a number of phases btwn slate/chalk and screens. I’d personally like to go back to pen/paper, text books, and physically present teachers who actually teach.

Textbooks are heavy, outdated and dumb. No need for them when we have the internet. Agility is a plus in education.

What’s the point of pen and paper in a digital age?

Someone didn't read the article at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My elementary and middle school-aged children all have entirely screen-free educations. They don't have phones or ipads either. It's...amazing.

And how much do you pay for that privilege?

Six figures a year in tuition between three kids. It's unjust as several PPs have pointed out that screen-free education (which is so obviously superior) is for those who can afford it.

Eh, you can get screen free private for less if you can handle Christian classical. Plenty of non Christian kids at our school, tuition is about 17k/kid. Not hard to supplement multiculturalism/interfaith perspectives on the side, just more good books to read.

But these don’t even exist in many places- even if you wanted to send your child and pay. Most people have the option of public school or middle of the road private that also uses tons of screens.

I think they’re much more common now. You don’t have to approve or agree, but you have to consent to having your child have usually a conservative form of Christianity communicated to them. Not unsimilar to Catholic school; we have Hindu friends who go to Catholic and don’t blink.

That said, I agree that there should be non tech options for public.
And some of those Christian Classical schools require that you sign a statement approving their values - some of which I am really not comfortable signing off on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's worth remembering how EdTech has worked out when people try to sell you on the next phase, AI. It's a scam from people trying to sell you something. Books and teachers work, the rest is bullshit

Couldn't agree more. Funny how the people i know that work for these edtech/Ai companies send their kids to no tech elementary schools!

[Anonymous]

This is a huge problem in my household. Some kids do totally fine with these chromebooks, but sadly my son isn't one of them. He brings it home everyday and is addicted to some "math" game (that is not educational and hardly has any math) and it brings out the absolute WORST in him. When I go to take it away he absolutely loses it. I emailed the teacher asking if he could leave the chromebook at school, she said no, the school can't be liable. It was like dropping a bomb in my house. Then I look into disabling the website, nope! The school district has a system and the parent can't block any website. Meanwhile in class a bunch of kids are getting in trouble for perusing the wrong websites when the teacher is teaching. It's a disaster and caused so much more problems that wouldn't exist without them. All the tests etc are on the chromebooks. I am considering private even though we are not religious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is a huge problem in my household. Some kids do totally fine with these chromebooks, but sadly my son isn't one of them. He brings it home everyday and is addicted to some "math" game (that is not educational and hardly has any math) and it brings out the absolute WORST in him. When I go to take it away he absolutely loses it. I emailed the teacher asking if he could leave the chromebook at school, she said no, the school can't be liable. It was like dropping a bomb in my house. Then I look into disabling the website, nope! The school district has a system and the parent can't block any website. Meanwhile in class a bunch of kids are getting in trouble for perusing the wrong websites when the teacher is teaching. It's a disaster and caused so much more problems that wouldn't exist without them. All the tests etc are on the chromebooks. I am considering private even though we are not religious.

I'm sorry but not surprised to hear your story. The most vulnerable students also tend to be the most poorly served by "ed" tech. I've also experienced this and also know that by the time the boys are in high school - you have very little education control or input into their progress. The window of influence has closed. And the years of "ed" tech are years of missed opportunities for growth in reading and writing. I implore you to find a no-tech alternative as soon as possible. My biggest regret is the middle school years of ed-tech rot ilo pencil in hand classwork. Even if my kid had stared out the window 80% of the time, the 20% time spent reading and writing would have been more than done with the computer in hand. It would have been more impactful for his lifelong learning.

[Anonymous]

I would love to know whether people think that EdTech is more harmful during the elementary years or middle school years. I accept that screens will be ubiquitious by 8th grade, but trying to decide what to do up to that point. We pulled DS out of public school during early elementary school in large part due to EdTech. He's now in a religious private and learning with pencil and paper.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Naw. Screens are an integral part of our lives. They belong in schools.

Not going back to slate and chalk. Nope.

Boy are you going to be surprised.

At what?

My kids grew up with screens in the classroom, one just graduated UVA Summa Cum Laude and has a professional services job in Manhattan where she is thriving (and working with screens, match). The other is a junior at Virginia Tech and also thriving. She is working toward a career in public health.

The kids will be ok.

Think how much smarter they’d be otherwise. You’d have a lawyer and doctor.

They didn't want to be doctors or lawyers. But it's hilarious that you think doctors or lawyers are inherently smart.

BTW, talk about two professions about to be completely disrupted by AI: Doctors and Lawyers are near the top of the list. Robots are already performing surgery and GenAI is oblitering the need for lawyers who do doc review.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Naw. Screens are an integral part of our lives. They belong in schools.

Not going back to slate and chalk. Nope.

Boy are you going to be surprised.

At what?

My kids grew up with screens in the classroom, one just graduated UVA Summa Cum Laude and has a professional services job in Manhattan where she is thriving (and working with screens, match). The other is a junior at Virginia Tech and also thriving. She is working toward a career in public health.

The kids will be ok.

If your kids are grown, then they are not the same as the kids that are learning to read on laptops by playing a game where you have to rapidly jump a rabbit to get to the right phonetic sound - or fight another penguin to get to do a math problem. But you definitely will want to do something about it before your grandchildren get to school because they will also not learn if this continues.

+1. Kids who are in or recently out of college right now did not go through elementary or even middle school when most students had access to a smartphone or tablet or even when all students were 1:1 with Chromebooks starting in kindergarten.

pp here. my kids have been on tablets and chrome books since very early elementary school. Both at home and at school.

you luddites clamoring for textbooks and pen and pad are wild.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My elementary and middle school-aged children all have entirely screen-free educations. They don't have phones or ipads either. It's...amazing.

Where is this and how do I get there?

Probably a Christian private school

They teach things like people rode on dinosaurs like in the Flinstones. Hard pass.