Welcome to Building Savvy Learners
Do you still remember the days you got your first smartphone or tablet? I’d grown up with dial-up modems and bared my soul to friends through AOL’s Instant Messenger. Getting a smartphone felt like a monumental evolution in the technological landscape.
And it was.
Technology: A Blessing and a Curse
At the time, I was a young elementary teacher. Technology had the potential to revolutionize my classroom. It could solve problems such as organizing materials, collaborating, and personalizing learning opportunities.
But I didn’t expect the unintended consequences of this technology. Only later would I see problems from technology addiction, low-level anxiety, fear of missing out, and doom scrolling.
And that’s just for the grown-ups.
The Pandemic Changed Everything
Being a teacher and a mom during this pandemic was a wake-up call for me. My computer kept me tethered at least 10 hours each day for my virtual teaching responsibilities. Meanwhile, my daughters relied on their devices, too. They needed them for their classes, entertainment, and social opportunities with friends. We were all stressed out and anxious, yet we felt unable to disconnect.
I knew we needed to make a change, and this blog was born from that process.
At the end of last school year, I decided to leave the classroom. I wanted to wrap up my PhD and invest more of my time and energy in my daughters. Virtual teaching was taking a huge toll on my mental health, and we could make finances work for at least a year. The pandemic reshaped my priorities. I joined the ranks of women leaving the workforce to focus on their children.
You Are NOT Alone
I talked to other moms facing similar decisions. Some were even deciding to homeschool for the first time. I realized how much I’ve taken my training as an educator for granted. Suddenly I was talking to parents about math strategies and reading research in ways that had never seemed so relevant before.
We would also talk about the challenges of raising tween girls in a world of evolving social media and communication apps. This topic matters a lot to me. My dissertation is about social media and teacher learning, so I’ve spent years researching the opportunities and perils of social media use.
(To learn more about my past experience and expertise, check out my About Me page).
This Blog is for You
If you ever feel overwhelmed trying to help your child with schoolwork or enforcing boundaries with technology, then this blog is for you. Welcome!
And if you’re a teacher looking for ways to support your students’ families, I’m also glad you’re here.
What’s Ahead
This blog will unpack education theory and best practices in parent-friendly and actionable ways. It will offer specific strategies and resources to support your child’s academic and social-emotional needs. I will also review resources that I’ve encountered such as books, movies, and games. I hope that these reviews can benefit other families navigating these challenges.
We can’t change the past or put the tech genie back in the bottle, but together, we can build savvy learners. I welcome you along this journey with me.
Join the Conversation
What technology or education-related challenges have you faced recently?
I would love to hear more in the comments or connect with you on social media.
