Step Away from that Computer Screeen

Kids today spend an average of four-five hours per day in front of some screen: TV, computer, iPod, iPad, DS, video games. This is having a huge effect on our students in school.

I ask my third-graders first thing every Monday to come into the classroom and sit down and write a paragraph about his/her weekend. Every year for the past five or so years, I’ve had students who couldn’t write about anything other than video games or movies they’d seen. 

I’d ask them, “Did you see any friends?”

"No."

“Did you go outside and play?”

"No."

“Did you help your Mom or Dad around the house?”

"No," again.

WHAT? Were you plugged in all weekend long?

The sad answer is yes. The only thing they are able to write about is the ninjas fighting, attacking a space ship, gobbling up monsters.

Not only do I not want to read about these various attacks, but kids need to have face-to-face time with their peers, siblings, parents neighbors.

This time will give them life experiences to write about in class. It will also teach them those necessary life skills that we teachers spend so much time teaching today, because they’re not being taught at home.

I’m sure there are parents out there who have talked themselves into believing that all of this screen time is actually beneficial to their children. Hey, it’s teaching them how to use the computer, how to communicate via text or e-mail, how to keyboard and even how to defend themselves. I disagree completely. These kids need hands-on time. No need to worry or fret; our students will learn keyboarding so fast it’ll make you wonder why it took you a semester in typing class to learn the home row.

Twenty-one years ago when I started teaching, children didn’t have all of the electronic gadgets they have today. I would ask my students to write about their weekends, and they’d tell me tales of going to the park, playing tag, house, Candyland, Monopoly, building and painting their tree houses. 

When my class earned so many “class points,” we’d have some sort of celebration. A favorite was watching the movie, The Red Balloon, a silent, black-and-white film about a boy who follows his balloon through Paris. Those students would sit silently for half an hour, just thrilled that we were watching a movie in class!

Not in 2011.

If my class earns a movie, there is  still the excitement that they’ve earned something, but the whole movie-watching experience has changed. After about five or 10 minutes, my students begin to get fidgety. They’re up and down wanting to color, work on class work, do a project—anything but sit and actually watch the movie. 

I’ve pondered this, and the only thing I can come up with is that my students watch so much television and play so many video games that this is no longer a treat.

They’ve become part of “Generation Now” who sit, do homework, text, listen to iPods and have a snack all at the same time.

Seems to me that if they’re so productive and using time so wisely, they should have oodles of time on their hands for these life experiences that seem to be missing from our students today. 

My own teenagers are guilty of this multi-tasking as well. The result: Nothing is done well. I’ve had to limit screen time at our house; otherwise, my high school twins’ grades plummet, especially my son.

After all, I need to practice what I preach and make my kids UNPLUG/MOVE AWAY FROM THE SCREEN so they will have those valuable experiences to write about at school—not to mention turn out as civil human beings.

Parents need to be good examples for their children: Put away the cell phone when you’re at the park with your child, turn off the television during dinner and TALK to your child about his/her day. This will help your child be successful in school.