Digital Prep Academy

Digital Prep Academy I'm Kathy or Coach KVB, a 20-year mom, 30-year teacher and coach, with 67,000+ hours interacting with kids. DM me.

I help parents by coaching kids to prep for their first phone & navigate social media

Are you concerned about your kids and tech?

05/11/2026

Would you give a 12-year-old
a car…
…but no driving lessons?
Of course not.
But we hand them a phone
with:
→ constant stimulation
→ endless content
→ no stopping point
…and expect them to manage it.
We expect focus, have self-control, and discipline.
Those aren’t automatic.
They’re built.
And right now, many students are being asked to use skills
they haven’t had the chance to practice consistently.
📌 Would you rather delay the phone… or teach the skills first?

“Want to play soccer after school?”“Sure!”Next day…“Hey, where were you? I thought we were meeting at the park.”“Oh yeah...
05/08/2026

“Want to play soccer after school?”
“Sure!”
Next day…
“Hey, where were you? I thought we were meeting at the park.”
“Oh yeah… I forgot. I started playing a game on my phone.”
Bummer!
A plan turns into a missed moment.
Something else pulled them in first.
These aren’t just small misses.
They’re the moments where kids would have been:
→ moving
→ connecting
→ interacting
→ being present
This matters so much because this where so many of the skills we’re asking for later are
built.
So when schools remove phones…
It’s not just about taking something away.
It’s about what comes back in its place and helping students understand that shift and
build the skills to handle it.
That’s exactly where Converlation fits.
📌 Where do you see this most: missed moments, or difficulty pulling away?

05/08/2026

Some days…
You give directions.
You repeat directions.
You clarify directions.
And then…
“Wait… what are we doing?”
😅
We have to laugh, so we don’t cry, but it’s something many teachers are noticing more
and more.
It’s not just that students aren’t listening,
but holding information has gotten harder
because they are blasted with information...
All. Day. Long.
📌 Be honest: how many times a day are you repeating directions right now?

05/07/2026

The facts.
Plain and straight.
FOMO, anxiety, comparison.
Attention engineers designing it to keep them coming back.
Dopamine hits that make their bodies crave more and more.
And now schools are seeing the other side of it:
→ shorter attention
→ harder transitions
→ lower tolerance for stillness
📌 Do you think students understand what’s happening or just feel the effects of it?

We go over the directions for kickball.They’ve played before. REALLY!They know the game.And still…“Wait…what is foul?“Is...
05/05/2026

We go over the directions for kickball.
They’ve played before. REALLY!
They know the game.
And still…
“Wait…what is foul?
“Is there leading?”
“Can I run if the pitcher has the ball?”
You’d THINK they’ve never played.
And it’s not just kickball.
We’re seeing this more and more.
Not because students don’t know, but because holding the steps,
and acting on them without prompts has gotten harder.
Like much harder.
It’s not about the game.
It’s about the skill underneath it.
And as schools move toward phone-free days,
these moments are showing up even more.
That’s the part many schools are starting to notice
and exactly where Converlation fits.
📌 Where do you see this most: students knowing what to do, or actually doing it?

05/05/2026

Popular question:
What age should my child get a phone or social media?
Can they fight against the algorithm, against the attention engineers who undermine the
fight to NOT get sucked in?
Are they strong enough to stand up against FOMO and dopamine hits?
📌 What age do you think?
I share my thoughts in the video.

05/01/2026

Off and away in your locker for the day.
That is the school rule for cell phones.
Student comes into class with a backpack.
Why do you have a backpack?
ANOTHER student says because he just NEEDS to carry his cell phone around with
him. He misses it too much otherwise.
Please go put your backpack in your locker.
Removing the phone is one thing.
But helping students understand and adjust to that shift is something else entirely.
And it’s exactly the work we’re doing with schools.
📌 Where do you see this most: the need to have the phone, or the struggle to be
without it?

My oldest said something to my youngest the other day:“The biggest change in college?They don’t remind you all the time ...
05/01/2026

My oldest said something to my youngest the other day:
“The biggest change in college?
They don’t remind you all the time when things are due.”
And it stuck with me.
That shift needs to start much earlier.
In small moments like:
→ remembering to turn something in
→ keeping track of what’s due
→ following through without a reminder
And right now, many students are used to:
→ constant prompts
→ repeated reminders
→ someone always telling them what’s next
So when that reminder isn’t there…
Things get missed because that internal system hasn’t been built yet.
And that’s the work.
Not just helping students know what to do, but helping them learn how to manage it on
their own.
This is something schools are starting to think more about - how to build independence
before it’s expected.
📌 Where do you see this most: students needing reminders, or following through
without them?

04/30/2026

TV guides
Sears catalog
Landlines
Photo booths
Remember these?
Now they’re gone. For the most part.
And with them…
a lot of the natural practice that built:
→ patience
→ attention
→ tolerance for stillness
So when schools remove phones, those gaps show up.
That’s the part many districts are realizing they don’t yet have a plan for.
Converlation fills those gaps.
📌 Which do you miss the most?
Mine is TV guides. It just popping up on the tv isn’t the same:)

Before phones are removed:→ constant stimulation→ no gapsAfter:→ silence→ hesitation→ discomfortThat gap is where the re...
04/30/2026

Before phones are removed:
→ constant stimulation
→ no gaps
After:
→ silence
→ hesitation
→ discomfort
That gap is where the real work begins.
That space can either be filled again…
Or used to build:
→ attention
→ communication
→ resilience
This is the piece many schools are realizing matters most and is often missing.
That is what Converlation fills.
📌 What are students doing with that space right now?

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