Media use rules for children
Dear teachers,
As parents, my husband and I feel we should limit the amount of time that our middle schoolers watch television, use a computer, iPad or iPod, play video games, and talk or text on their cellphones. How do we go about doing this without seeming like mean parents?
Dear parents,
It is very popular for parents to express concern about all the time their children spend using media. At the same time, not many are making a very serious effort to curb all this time.
A study by the Kaiser Family Foundation showed that 8- to 18-year-olds spent more than a quarter of each day using entertainment media. According to this study, the most time is spent on viewing television, closely followed by listening to music for older teens. Plus, there is now media multitasking, such as using the computer and listening to music and watching TV and texting, which adds to the total time that children are involved with media content. It makes you wonder when children have time for other activities.
The Kaiser study also points out that media use has really increased in the past five years. This can be explained by the easy access children now have to mobile devices such as cellphones, tablet computers, and MP3 players. Just walk down the street and look at the people on their cellphones — either talking or texting. And it is not just teens on cellphones — many young children are also using them. Twenty percent of all third graders now have these phones. By the time children are in middle school 83 percent will have cellphones. Unfortunately, a considerable percentage of older children are using them during class time.
You as parents can definitely have an impact on how much time your children spend on media entertainment. About one in three parents have established rules. Setting rules can reduce heavy media use as much as three hours a day. Here are some popular rules:
• No media of any type at meal times or during family activities.
• No TVs in children’s bedrooms.
• Parents keep their children’s iPods, iPads, and cellphones during homework time.
• A limited amount of computer and video game time.
An excellent reason for making rules is that the less time your children spend using media, the better their grades are likely to be.
Worrying about child’s skipping a grade
Dear teachers,
My daughter is just 9 and finishing fourth grade. She started in a private kindergarten. Then the public school had her skip first grade and go into second. We are ready to move again and wonder if we should hold her back in fourth grade. Is it too late to do this? Currently, she has no issues, but we are worried about middle and high school.
Dear parents,
This will be your daughter’s third change of schools. Admittedly, the transition to both middle school and high school can be difficult for some students. Being able to survive and thrive in past changes is definitely to her credit. No one can predict the future and know if she will have trouble handling middle and high school. Most students who skip a grade continue to do well. Looking at research on this topic online could help to reassure you about your daughter’s ability to handle more advanced schooling.
You say that your daughter has no issues. If this is really true, why are you concerned about her ability to cope well at school in the future? Three years ago, you relied on the public school’s decision to have the child skip a grade, and it seems to have worked out well. Retention is rarely a good option, so why not ask the new school to evaluate her academically to see if this grade placement is correct. You have the whole summer if she needs to catch up on any skills.
The value of a good teacher
Dear teachers,
Nobody forgets the good teachers that they have had. Does having a good teacher give students a lasting benefit? Who do students think the good teachers in their schools are?
Dear parents,
The benefits of having a good teacher go far beyond the year or more that students spend with that teacher. In fact, having a truly excellent teacher actually leads, according to some research, to an increase in earnings later in life. Plus, good teachers have students who are more likely to attend college — even more highly ranked schools. Having a good teacher is also linked to learning more and receiving higher test scores in school.
When asked about the good teachers in their schools, students identified those with certain qualities. Believe it or not, the most mentioned quality was classroom-management skills. Apparently, students want teachers who can keep order. Other qualities the students listed were: enthusiasm for the subject, a good sense of humor, and an ability to explain clearly. Incidentally, most researchers believe that students do accurately identify the good teachers.
Parents should send questions and comments to [email protected] or ask them on the columnists’ website at www.dearteacher.com.
©Compass Syndicate Corporation, 2013.
Distributed by King Features Syndicate
