While many of our Heilicher students might have spent their summer diving into The Hunger Games or The Summer I Turned Pretty, my own reading list looked a bit different. This summer, I found great insight in Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation, which explores the shift from “play-based childhoods” to today’s “phone-based childhoods.”
Haidt highlights how this dramatic change has affected children’s social and neurological development, leading to issues like sleep deprivation, attention fragmentation, addiction, loneliness, social comparison, and perfectionism. His call to action resonated deeply with me, as it aligns closely with our vision at Heilicher to help our students gain the readiness they need to thrive. To achieve this, we will need your support.
During the pandemic, our faculty adapted to meet students’ academic and social needs by adjusting teaching methods and making exceptions to some school practices. Likewise, many families had to adjust by increasing screen time, including social media use, to cope with the unique challenges of that time.
Now, post-COVID, we anticipated a return to “normal” in terms of student performance and behavior. Unfortunately, that hasn’t fully materialized. Schools nationwide, including Heilicher, are observing that the exceptions made during the pandemic have left many children less ready to learn. We’re seeing some students who are less independent, mature, and resilient; less able to focus and control themselves; less respectful toward peers and teachers; and more attached to their devices. In some cases, we’re also seeing an increase in peer aggression.
These behaviors are concerning because they undermine the values that drew families to Heilicher in the first place and compromise our students’ academic and personal development. Addressing these challenges is one of our priorities.
In the coming months, we will focus on essential skills and behaviors to enhance student readiness, while recommitting to a culture of accountability and respect, by
Continuing our work in social-emotional learning.
Emphasizing student responsibility, accountability, and self-management.
Setting clear, developmentally appropriate expectations for behavior and applying logical consequences when students need additional support.
Celebrating student progress.
Your partnership is crucial in helping our students thrive. Here’s how you can support our efforts:
Support School Expectations: Reinforce the importance of school rules and expectations at home by discussing them with your children and encouraging them to take ownership of their actions and learning.
Create Tech-Free Zones and Times at Home: Establish specific areas or times in your home where devices are not used, such as during meals or before bedtime, to promote face-to-face interaction and ensure better sleep.
Reintroduce and Reinforce Daily Responsibilities: Gradually reintroduce household chores and responsibilities, emphasizing their role in developing independence, time management, and a sense of accomplishment.
One of the new initiatives we are excited to introduce is an executive function elective for all sixth graders in the first trimester. You’ll also hear more from administration and your children’s teachers about additional steps we’re taking. We plan to invite parents to class meetings in specific areas, with the possibility of expanding these based on the school’s needs.
We deeply appreciate your support and look forward to working together to ensure our students’ success.