04/01/2023
As a school board member and a mother of four children, the gravity of what happened this past week in Nashville is weighing heavily on me. At this point, the mental health crisis in our country is glaring us right in the face and as school districts, are we doing all we can? Or are we fueling an out of control fire?
As a mom, I have always followed my gut when it comes to determining what is best for my children, regardless if it defies what an ‘expert’ may say; not only in education, but also when it comes to their healthcare. I wholeheartedly believe a mother knows best.
Up until this year, my kids (currently 9th grade, 6th grade and 3rd grade) were ‘no-tech’ kids in the classroom. That meant their tests and majority of school work were completed with pencil/paper. I know it was an inconvenience, mostly for myself and my children, and it put them in a position where many times they were the ‘odd man out’. But I am super proud of my kids. If nothing else, my journey as a ‘mama bear’ and school board member has taught them to have incredibly thick skin. In addition to being singled out, my kids have experienced behavior from adults that have given us ample opportunity for a multitude of learning experiences on how NOT to treat others. And I wouldn’t trade these lessons for the world. I am genuinely thankful this opportunity will make each of us far better and more compassionate people.
However, at the beginning of this school year, I turned 40. I was 8 months pregnant. And tired. So, I very hesitantly decided to go along and allow my children to participate in all things technology at school. And, OH the regrets I have had. In the last 8 months, I have seen a significant increase in the ‘need’ for tech time at home. As well as attitude and behavioral changes…and not in a positive way. Let’s face it, so many times kids are handed some sort of technology to prevent boredom, because the reality is IT’S WAY EASIER. We’ve all seen the meme that kids are different these days, and I beg to differ. Our world has changed drastically. But kids and still kids. Their developing minds still need the human interaction they have always craved. Just last night, we were without electricity for 6 hours, and it was some of the most beautiful 6 hours I’ve spent by ‘head lamp light’ in months with my children. We laughed, talked, and played games (that only came with a few tears among our competitive natures 😉). And to round out the night, we heated up water on the gas stove and all together sat around and gave our 4 month old, Leo, a bath. Talk about food for the soul.
I related this time to how having a baby at 40 has slowed me down in ways I never imagined. I find myself spending an entire afternoon rocking, reading to and talking to our newest addition. I can see the wheels turning as his eyes study every inch of my face and movement of my mouth, while trying to mimic my every motion.
Which leads me to, what on earth are we doing to this next generation? Because we have allowed big tech companies to come in and sell us on technology being the ONLY way to make our kids smarter, we have had to increase our class sizes to accommodate from a budgetary standpoint. Resulting in the quality of our education decreasing over the previous 10+ years. And I could not disagree more. We have no choice but to get back to the basics. The educational and EMOTIONAL welfare of our children depend on this.
As someone who has spent ample time in the classroom and as a school board member, one item that was incredibly important to me was class sizes. We, as a board, have made class sizes a priority, and the feedback from staff that we have received has been incredible. This change has truly been life changing for our staff and students.
Now it is time to really acknowledge the elephant in the room. TECHNOLOGY. My momma gut says reducing the usage in our elementary school will drastically move towards healing the hearts of many. Let’s give our students the face to face human interaction they crave and need, so they can succeed in life. VOTE for me on Tuesday, April 4th.
