At the beginning, of course...
It all started when...
Just kidding.
Having been away from blogging for about a week, I've actually been flooded with ideas, thoughts, reflections, and more - I probably should have kept blogging during SCREEN FREE WEEK just to keep my sanity. Ah, well, such is life...
Here are just a few conclusions I have come to during the past 168 hours (7 days a week x 24 hours a day):
1) In an age where society is constantly "plugged in," I can see how television, social media, and computers suck us in and suck up a lot of our time.
And I also realize that getting students to READ over watching TV or using their iPod apps is oftentimes going to be an uphill battle. My mission, therefore, over the next month is to come up with some way to make our students accountable for reading over the summer months. Let's face it, summer book assignments (of 1-2 books) is NOT enough...
2) As long as I teach at the 4th/5th grade level, I will use the book Tuck Everlasting.
When students come into school in the morning and before even saying "Good morning," they say, "Ms. Foyle, Tuck Everlasting is SO GOOD. I can't wait for book club today!" you know it's quality stuff you've put into their hands. The students in my group this year have literally been swept up in this idea of everlasting life, weighing the pros and cons for both themselves and the characters. (Plus, one student keeps reading to find out if Jesse and Winnie get together in the end - she's obsessed with the "love story" I suppose.)
I LOVE IT!
3) Facebook and Pinterest are both well and good, but they often prove to be sources of time-wasting.
I'll admit - it was difficult to be away from both of these sites for a week. (Granted, I would sometimes pin websites to Pinterest, but I would not go on and browse.) But the time I gained from my withdrawal was incredible. In the mornings, I had more time to read blog posts & prayer reflections and to just sit in the peace and quiet. At night, I spent more time preparing for school by getting additional resources and videos for the students to enhance what we would be doing from the book chapters this week. I even scored student science assessments OUTSIDE on the back patio. (It was LOVELY!)
So I guess you could say I learned that while I thoroughly enjoy using Facebook and Pinterest, I can live without them - that means (at least for now) I should think about cutting back on my site visits. :) Time is a precious thing I am tired of losing.
4) The hardest times to go without television are a) at the gym and b) on the weekends...and c) when you buy tickets in advance to see NPR's first live cinecast event)
Honestly, I don't watch a lot of TV. But it's hard to escape it at the gym. (I suppose I should have just chalked up my gym membership fees for this week and gone outside to run instead, but I figured since I'm paying to belong to a club, I should go.) So, I guess I did cheat. A little.
It's also hard to not just flick on the TV when you're home at night on the weekend and your brain is fried. Going out with friends obviously solves that (as it did for me Friday night - see below). Reading is also a good pastime, if you can concentrate. And sleep is good too.
What I've learned here, then, I suppose is if I ever need to give up cable, I can do it!
 |
| at my sister's school's fundraiser event |
I hope you have had a most wonderful week. And I encourage you, if only for a day or two (at the least), to try "unplugging" and go SCREEN FREE.
No comments:
Post a Comment