Wednesday, 6 January 2016
Technology Is Killing Our Kids!
Prescott, Ariz.
In the far corner of the desolate looking yard outside Mountain Oak Charter School, a boy of 9 or 10 is digging a hole. A few other children are standing nearby, periodically checking his progress and taking a turn with the shovel.
Mountain Oak is a charter school that offers an education inspired by Waldorf, a progressive model that encourages exploration of the natural world and rejects the use of technology in the classroom and even in the home. When I ask later in the afternoon about the ditch digging, eighth-grade teacher Jeffrey Holmes smiles. “Oh, they’re playing Minecraft,” he says, referring to the popular online game. Last year “they had a whole system of ditches and they were bartering with rocks too.”
In addition to eschewing technology, the schools tend to delay formal reading instruction—say, until the age of 7—and testing, and to reserve kindergarten entirely for imaginative play, especially with blocks and natural materials such as leaves and other things found outdoors. Students at all levels receive extensive instruction in music and art. They also do physical exercises in the classroom to break up their lessons.
But this model is no longer limited to private education. In recent years Waldorf-inspired charter schools have begun popping up—there are almost 50—especially in the West. Mountain Oak is one of the older ones, launched in 1999. It serves about 150 students in grades pre-K through 8, about half of whom receive a free or reduced-price lunch.
Mountain Oak students perform at the state average on tests, but the school has been given an A grade by Arizona’s state education department because of the academic improvement its students experience compared with their peers with similar backgrounds at public schools. Unlike parents at the private Waldorf schools, though, many Mountain Oak parents must be persuaded by teachers that the elimination of tablets, smartphones and even television at home is an important part of this success.
Sunshine Reilly, who lives on a farm near Mountain Oak and has a son in sixth grade there, recalls putting him in front of the television for hours a day when he was a toddler while she did chores. It wasn’t until he started kindergarten that she understood that the screen time was hurting his ability to entertain himself, to enjoy books and even to like playing outside.
Teachers at Mountain Oak say they can walk into a classroom and immediately tell who has been using devices at home. “We see it in their behavioral problems, their ability to reason, their cognitive skills, even their ability to communicate with other people,” one teacher tells me.
Jennifer McMillan, who teaches kindergarten, says she has to “have the conversation in a gentle way.” Many of these parents simply don’t understand the effects that staring at a screen can have on children’s behavior and their ability to learn.
Why would they? Most schools that cater to low-income children are trying to get them more technology, not less. Los Angeles spent $1.3 billion in 2013 to put an iPad in the hands of every child in the district. Schools show parents these shiny new toys as evidence that they are giving their children a leg up, helping to bridge the so-called digital divide.
While there’s evidence to suggest that poor children are slightly less likely to have access to laptops and tablets, those without are a pretty small slice of the population. According to a Pew report this year, “Fully 87% of American teens ages 13 to 17 have or have access to a desktop or laptop computer.”
For families earning less than $50,000 a year that number is 80%. As for a racial divide, Pew found that African-American teenagers are more likely to own a smartphone than any other group of teens in America.
What no one tells low-income families is this: The real digital divide is between parents who realize the harmful effects of technology on their children and try to limit them, and those who don’t. It’s the difference between parents buying wooden blocks this Christmas and those racking up more credit-card debt to buy a Leap Pad.
Research backs this up: In December the Journal of the American Medical Association, JAMA, published a studyshowing that electronic toys hinder verbal development. An article in the journal Mind, Brain and Education found that traditional toys “sparked higher quality conversations.”
The teachers at Mountain Oak say they have the toughest time trying to reduce media use among children in single-parent households. Typically these mothers tend to be younger and less educated, and it is very tempting after a long day at work to come home and turn on a screen to keep a child occupied. The teachers keep prodding anyway.
Felicia Fishback, who is recently divorced, has never liked videogames, but once she started sending her four children to Mountain Oak, she realized that these were making her oldest son’s behavior worse and hindering his academic performance. He had been diagnosed with ADHD and was gaining weight from a lack of physical activity.
Now her children are not allowed any screen time during the week and a little on weekends. “Mountain Oak,” she says, “has made me a better parent.”
Ms. Riley is the author of “Got Religion: How Churches, Mosques and Synagogues Can Bring Young People Back” (Templeton Press, 2014).
This Is Love
The elderly man in his eighties, hurried to his doctor appointment at 8am. He wanted to finish quickly because he must be somewhere by nine. The doctor asked what the next appointment was. He proudly said that at 9am every morning he is at the hospital to eat breakfast with his wife. The doctor asked in what condition his wife was in. The man said that his wife had Alzheimers disease, and for the past 5 years she hasn't known who he is. The doctor was surprised and asked the man why he continues to go faithfully if she has no idea who he is....the old man replied, " because I still know who she is. "
<3 this my friends, is real love..... <3
★¨`*•♫.•Pass it on!! Give someone else a reason to smile. ♫ ..•* ★
I Am A Jew
I just watched this.... Jews are being targeted around the world just for being Jews. This is our response. http://www.israelvideonetwork.com/jews-are-being-targeted-around-the-world-just-for-being-jews-this-is-our-response/
Tuesday, 5 January 2016
Sunday, 3 January 2016
When And Then
WHEN AND THEN
By unknown author
When I lose twenty pounds, then I’ll be happy. When I firm my up my abs, then I’ll plan that beach vacation When the holidays are over, then I’ll go back to the gym. When I can get back to my goal weight, then I’ll get involved in that group. Do you ever have thoughts like these? I sure do. Sometimes it feels overwhelming—the list of things I could or should do for my body to make my life “better” never ends. . . I should eat kale, not leftover candy. I could exercise more. I should switch to all organic cosmetic products . . . The list is never satisfied. So, I retreat to a world all my own. It’s a magical place that only exists in my head. I call it When-Then Land. Oh so much better than a Disney Park, When-Then Land is where my dreams come true. Within its borders, I’m a “better” version of myself—which somehow makes everything else in life instantly better, too. Plus, this idyllic future’s existence only depends on one person: Me. When I can just accomplish this thing, then my life will improve. Of course, this thinking doesn’t restrict itself to my body image. Other life issues can send me to When-Then Land too. For example: When my kids can potty themselves, then life will be easier. When I get a new job, then I’ll feel better about myself. When I can be a better wife, then I’ll have a great marriage. There’s nothing wrong with having goals, right? Yet, while When-Then Land appears to be a safe place, it’s filled with robbers—vandals that steal without us even realizing it. Allow me to explain. I stopped by When-Then Land earlier today. It was such a quick trip; I didn’t even have to pack snacks. The journey proceeded as follows: Thought: It’s time for us to get a new family photo taken. Second thought: “When I can lose a few pounds, then I will schedule the pictures.” Express train to When-Then Land now arriving on platform three. Should I choose to stay in When-Then Land, I’ll never schedule those family pictures. The resident thieves convince me that I’ll look better in the future—I’ll be happier then and like the pictures more. In doing so, they rob me of the chance to capture the memory of the way my family looks now, today. And that’s the biggest downside to living in When-Then Land. We miss out on the Here-Now. Our mental visits to When-Then Land keep us from living life to the full. In fact, the very existence of When-Then Landmakes enjoying the Here-Now even more difficult because of the pressure we put ourselves under to accomplish the goals that will take us to this ideal place. The burden of this is too big to carry. Trying to lose that weight, tone that body, be our “best” or just be “good enough” every day in a vain attempt to make the future “better” rates as difficult as carrying an overstuffed diaper bag while running a marathon. So how do we escape the temptation to dwell in When-Then Land? How do we take the pressure off and dwell in the Here-Now? Here are two places to start. • We often live in When-Then Land because we believe a lie. That is: life would be better, happier, more joyful, easier, or freer if we had that thing we want–be it a better body, a better hmarriage, or even more self-sufficient. The expectation that we’ll love our lives When-Then we reach those goals is looking for true salvation in a place we’ll never find it. • Be Thankful. Try to savor the Here-Now.The easiest way to do that is through practicing gratefulness. No, not every day here on earth will be awesome. Struggle and pain are real. But, having an attitude of thankfulness can change our perspective on the Here-Now and keep us from mentally drifting into believing a future here on earth will be anyway more magical. Write down what you are thankful for. Practice thanking Hashem for His great blessings when you pray. If you still feel yourself constantly drifting into that fantasyland, watch your media consumption—watching or reading a lot of fantasy or low-quality fiction can keep us trapped in When-Then Land, too.
So Well Said..... I Want A Boy Who Is Learning...(author unknown)
Subject: I want a boy who is LEARNING..........
I want a boy who is LEARNING....
Learning from his mistakes....
Learning from the mistakes of others....
Learning how to give without expecting anything in return....
Learning how to forgive others for their shortcomings....
Learning how to find true emes in a world brimming with sheker....
Learning how to take no for an answer....
Learning how to accept the will of Hashem when life gets stormy....
Learning how to utilize the tools Hashem gave him to become a better eved Hashem....
Learning how to find good in the frustrating nuances that happen throughout his day....
Learning how to grow and become A BETTER HIM.
I want a boy who is WORKING....
Working towards a greater goal....
Working on his middos a little bit more each day....
Working on strengthening his relationships with his rebbeim....
Working on improving his relationships with his family and friends....
Working on deepening his connection to Hakadosh Baruch Hu daily....
Working on giving life all he's got....
Working on thanking Hashem for all the little things in life....
Working on finding hashgachat Hashem in everything that happens to him throughout his day....
Working to overcome his natural negative tendencies....
Working on bringing Mashiach a little bit closer every day....
Working on growing and becoming A BETTER HIM.THIS is the person I want to marry.
Just learning? Only working?! Forget that idea! I want BOTH.
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