December 2018
Dear Curtis Families,
Dear Curtis Families,
I will admit it, I have been a Facebook and Instagram junkie. As my friends point out, I tend to be a “lurker” rather than a “poster.” I scroll through my newsfeed to see who’s doing what and whose kids are surpassing Philip in their milestones! Most importantly, I rely on social media to keep up with my cousins, aunts and uncles, who live all over the world. Facebook allows the extended “Rat pack” to feel family love even though we live in two different hemispheres, multiple time zones and may not see each other for several years in a row.
This past weekend, my husband insisted that we watch the PBS Frontline documentary “The Facebook Dilemma.” I highly recommend watching this report, as it provides a powerful look not only into Facebook, but also into social media’s influence on culture and people. The documentary did cause me to stop and think about my own use of Facebook and other social media outlets. Even more, it left me thinking about our students and the urgency to educate them before they become fully immersed in the pervasive world of technology and social media. What tools will they need to safely navigate that world? What is the right age to begin to discuss privacy issues related to social media? How do we empower students to use technology as an amplifier to become better people, stewards and leaders?
In some ways, these questions are no different than the questions we ask of ourselves every day when thinking about our mission to develop “sound minds, in sound bodies, governed by compassionate hearts.” Curtis’s technology curriculum adopts Common Sense Media’s curriculum to teach our students from DK-6th grade about digital citizenship. Topics such as respect, safety, “screen out the mean,” the power of words online, Digital Life 101, and who you want to be online (“Which Me Should I Be?”) are integrated into the classroom by our teachers and specialists.
Beyond school curriculum, what the PBS documentary taught me was this: If there was ever a time for adults to role-model a behavior, it is now and with our own use of social media. Among the important questions we can ask ourselves is how can we model for our kids a healthy, balanced and positive digital life? Can we model face-to-face conversations and interactions rather than a communication style that is focused on texting? Can we minimize our own use of devices at home so that our children also learn to depend on their imagination, creativity, resiliency and critical thinking to occupy their time?
This December, the monthly Life Skill at Curtis is “Integrity”― doing the right thing. We want our students to live with integrity both offline and online. And, the development of that trait, like so many others we want for our children, begins with us, the adults in their lives.
This holiday, I will not be signing off from Facebook or Instagram. I will still be looking forward to seeing and liking pictures of my family across the world celebrating Christmas and New Year's, but I will also be taking more time to talk with family and friends across the world. And, I will make sure they know that I don’t just “like” their pictures—rather, and above all, that I appreciate and value them and their love and support.
Wishing you all Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!
Warmly,
Meera
Dr. Meera Ratnesar
Head of School
