In the mid-90s, I was visiting a principal of a small village school outside Windsor in the United Kingdom. The quaint atmosphere was orderly and disciplined, but also full of life, play and creativity. I laughed as she showed me her newly donated and vacant playground structure, and then pointed to the nearby wooded area where all of her students had swarmed to build their own forts with sticks, stones and tree boughs they had collected.
That scene speaks to the continuing delusion in education that our fabricated tools (including technology) must be imposed on children, regardless of age or interest. Unlike many in education today, the Eton End village school understands children. Days consist of inspiring stories read aloud and retold, quality hand work of beauty and intricacy produced by boys and girls alike, listening and observation of the best in music and art, deliberate building of models and diagrams to illustrate principles of mathematics and science, and keen interest in history not as dry facts, but living narratives.
The existent technology of the 90s: televisions, computers, and the emerging Internet were not necessary to produce the objective: a love of learning.
A short distance down the road was famous Eton College, the prestigious school of Princes William and Harry, equipped with the best in technology and tools. When the renowned Eton College professors finished their day and went to retrieve their own children from school, where did they go? Ironically, to the tech-free Eton End village school.
Almost 20 years later, this enigma continues. Alan Eagle, an executive communications employee at Google as quoted in the New York Times said, “The idea that an app on an iPad can better teach my kids to read or do arithmetic, that’s ridiculous!” One of many Silicon Valley execs of Google, eBay, and Apple, Eagle’s 5th grade daughter attends the Waldorf School, an American clone of Eton End, where quality education is taught in an atmosphere where students “experience” literature, math, science and the arts, knowing more about knitting socks and wood carving than searching Google. (See the article here: http://www.good.is/posts/why-are-silicon-valley-executives-sending-their-kids-to-a-tech-free-school )
To be fair, the use of technology is not seen as evil by these schools, but it must be age appropriate, and has no value in pre-school and elementary classrooms. Having been inspired by story-telling, invigorating discussions with teachers, and problem solving skills, Eagle’s middle school son is just now engaging creatively with technology, and he approaches this discipline with a more creative mind, with more to show for his education than a standardized test score.
“But I don’t want my child to be left behind!” This ungrounded fear has no basis. Children will learn technology. Want to better prepare your child for life and higher education? Try taking away their smart phone and having engaging family conversations at dinner. This ability to make verbal conversation and express opinions has more value than any technology skill, according to research. That should be the norm at home, and in its way, in our schools. For some ideas of how to engage your students at dinner, I would encourage you to check out this website: http://solutionsforyourlife.ufl.edu/hot_topics/families_and_consumers/family_dinners.html.
Have any of you chosen to limit technology in certain areas of your house, or times of the day? How do you think it has impacted your family?
Bobby Scott, headmaster of Perimeter School in Johns Creek, Georgia, and director of the ChildLight Schools Association, has over 30 years of educational experience. He is a co-author of When Children Love to Learn (Crossway Books), a Charlotte Mason education book for school educators. Bobby has been the headmaster of Perimeter School in Johns Creek, GA (a 500+ student school of grades K-8) for 26 years. Since 2004, he has annually led teacher training teams to the Punchmi Christian Academy in Karanse, Tanzania, East Africa, as well as been an adjunct instructor at the Joshua Teacher Training College, also in Tanzania. He holds a Master of Education in Counseling and a Master of Education in School Administration. He and his wife, Valerie, have a son and two daughters.
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