Last week, Number 3 and Number 4’s school had a school-wide “game day.”
It was a reward earned by the all the students in the school for good behavior in the hallways.
30 minutes of game time.
The children were told they could bring in games from home.
Sounded good to me.
Let the children interact with each other in a way that they don’t typically have the opportunity to do at school.
Let them read the directions to figure out how to play.
Let them come up with a way to decide who would go first.
Let them cooperate.
Let them make eye contact with each other.
Interact.
Talk, and laugh, and have fun.
Extend the game day to an hour, or all morning, as far as I’m concerned.
“What game do you want to bring in?” I asked my 7-year-old.
“Can I bring your iPad?”
Wait… What?
“No, you may not bring in my iPad,” I told her.
“But Mom, it’s Electronics Day,” she said, rather convincingly.
“Can I bring in your phone, then?”
“Your iPod?”
The answer was no, on all counts.
“But Mom, we’re allowed to bring them in to school,” she said.
I put this out on Facebook.
Was this true?
Was it Game Day?
Or something altogether different?
Was it really Electronics Day?
There was some confusion among the parents who commented on my question.
Some children said they could bring in any kind of game.
So it wasn’t Electronics Day. It was, in fact, Game Day. But electronic games were included. By some of the teachers, anyway.
I told my daughter she could not bring in anything electronic.
Nothing that cost more than $15, either.
But she was not going down without a fight.
She came home the next day with a note from the teacher.
“See? I TOLD YOU. We are allowed to bring in electronic devices!”
I told her I didn’t care.
I told her to stop asking.
The next day, I sent her in to school with Chutes and Ladders.
If I was lucky, she would forget to ever bring that one back home.
When she left for school, she was angry.
And so was I.
I have a problem with 7, 8, 9 and 10-year-olds being allowed to take an iPad, or a cell phone, or even an iPod into school.
For a couple of reasons.
The first is purely financial.
I know how kids are.
I know how my kids are.
I do not want to be held responsible for replacing someone’s else’s DS, Kindle, laptop, iPod, iPad, iPhone, or iWhatever when my kid accidentally drops it, or spills something on it, or finds some other way to inadvertently destroy it.
These are not toys.
They are tools.
And they are not meant to be used by unsupervised 7, 8, 9, and 10-year-olds.
I know they are supervised in school.
Most of the time.
And I know that there are controls and filters at school so that questionable sites on the internet are not accessible when a kid sneaks his or her electronic device into the bathroom.
Or the cafeteria.
Or the playground.
But there’s no supervision on the bus.
The bus, where my 7-year-old spends over an hour of her day.
One, unsupervised hour.
Where, as long as the school system allows, and even encourages children to bring electronic devices into school,
she can listen to music and play video games.
Music and video games that I might not find appropriate.
Where she can text people.
Where she can get on the internet.
Where she has access to anyone,
and anyone has access to her.
Because while I won’t allow her to bring any of these things in to school, other people will.
And the children of those other people will share these things with my children.
And this is not okay.
So to the schools who have a strict rule forbidding my child from bringing in cupcakes for her birthday,
a rule which, I guess, is meant to protect her health,
how about a rule forbidding children from bringing in any electronic devices to school?
A rule protecting her innocence?
Because if she loses that while accessing something inappropriate while she is at school,
or on the bus,
well,
the shit is going to hit the electronic fan.
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Deanna says
Not to mention those families that dont HAVE electronics to send. There are quite a few families at my kids school who dont allow their kids to have a DS (or whatever). Im with you on this…it wasnt a good “treat.” Pajama day would be better (even tho that one sends me into a tizzy because my kid doesn’t wear pajamas and Im always scrambling trying to find something he can wear that would resemble pajamas)
not your average mom says
I like game day as a reward. I just don’t like the electronic part of it. And my issue is really more with the policy in general. I don’t want any electronics anywhere. Ever. Especially on the bus.
Maureen says
That is beyond ridiculous. I can’t believe they are allowing this. When my daughter was in elementary school, they would be into a lot of trouble if caught with any electronic devices. What the heck happened? Geez. Not liking that. Even if it is just for one day…
not your average mom says
I just want them banned. And confiscated if they are found. Let the parents who allowed their kids to take them to school drive to school to get them back.
Jennie, http://thediaryofarealhousewife.blogspot.com/2014/02/bitta-blankie-review-and-giveaway.html says
I could not agree with you more! I cannot believe that the school would let them bring those items in! My oldest is only 2 and not in school yet. He does have several friends though who are two and have these types of iwhatevers to play with! I know I have lots to learn as he grows but I think its so silly that kids could play those things alone!
I am doing a giveaway on my blog and would love for you to check it out, http://thediaryofarealhousewife.blogspot.com
Jo says
I agree that electronics are not appropriate for young, unsupervised children. I also have a huge issue about the insensitivity shown by the teachers. Many children do not have these devices, either for parental or financial reasons. A similar pet peeve of mine (not about electronics, but teacher insensitivity) involves classroom discussions – those centering on weekend activities, summer vacations, and holiday gifts. There is a large wealth disparity in my school district. Teachers should know better than to dwell on discussions that highlight that fact to the children.
Kristin says
I say we start a nationwide petition to ban personal electronics in school. School have banned everything else deemed “pointless” “hazardous” or “unconstitutional” like religion, cupcakes, and running; but they are promoting something that MANY parents feel is more of a danger than any of those: electronics! My child can’t have a moment of silence to pray, or a cupcake to celebrate his birthday, or time to run and burn of energy playing… but he cant sit addicted to a screen watching, who knows what? It infuriates me, Susie you are not alone on this one. And I will stand strong with yon on this one and will not let my son bring electronics to school until he is old enough to drive and gets a (very basic) cell phone!
split says
Tell ’em!
Lisa says
I want to say I agree with you in theory but for children like my son his iPod is integral to his education. My son is a high functioning autistic with a sensory integration disorder which means he has a high IQ and is very smart so is in a regular class but has problems focusing if there is anything going on around him. The solution he brings his iPod with music we put on and listens to it during times it is needed, because he is not the only one in the school with this need they made it a school wide rule you could bring a personal music player to school and when it is time listen to it. This stops children like my son from standing out more and becoming more isolated and eventually becoming a problem child or failing to have the life he is capable of because he needs to do things a little different. Most people would not notice a difference in my son unless they spend lots of time with him but without the music he was failing at things he should be successful at with the music he did fantastic but out of jealousy other kids made fun of him so he refused to use it. Allowing it school wide stopped that. A lot of kids have a sensory disorder in some way (if you have to have a blanket on to sleep, or can’t stand the feel of a certain fabric that is a sensory problem) so listening to music at times the school deems appropriate (when the kids have a task to do but there could be noise, disruptions or talking) has helped many “normal” kids too. The school has many rules including wifi with a password the kids don’t have (they use school supplied I pads in the classroom as part of the curriculum) so they have no internet access, phones are not allowed only I pods or mp3 players, they are carefully monitored to ensure they aren’t playing games only listening to music (we monitor what is on my sons so if he plays a game on the bus its OK he doesn’t have internet access), all devices have to be put away in cubbys unless the teacher says, you are only allowed to listen to and touch your own device, for anyone who doesn’t have a device they can listen to one of the school supplied ipads but anyone who doesn’t follow rules will lose the privilege. So I think in todays society schools can use some electronic devices as tools instead of toys things are different than they were even five years ago as long as they are only used to add to an education without taking away things like human interaction or in your case playing a board game. Children need to learn how to use technology without missing out on learning how to be a person. 30 years ago the thought of computers in the schools was far fetched and parents didn’t like the idea at first but now they are another tool schools use to teach. Eventually mobile devices will replace computers. I do agree that cell phones and devices with mobile internet (that do not need wifi) do not belong in schools I monitor what my child does.