Dear Ninth Grade Families,
Last week in Advisory the 9th graders completed an anonymous “Online Experiences” survey that asks, among other things, “what worries you most about participating in today’s digital world?” I’ll be sharing some of those results with you at our Parent Forum on November 10th, but one immediate reaction I have is how closely their feedback aligns with the research reported in Emily Weinstein and Carrie James’s new book Behind Their Screens: What Teens are Facing (and Adults are Missing). Let me reassure you: it’s not all doom and gloom! Students engage in a lot of positive behaviors online that foster healthy relationships and promote learning, and they also recognize their own vulnerabilities and work consciously to manage them.
They are navigating what Weinstein and James call the “core dilemma” of learning “to be a good friend – or even just a compassionate person – in an age of radical connectivity.” We spent time focusing on that in this week’s grade meeting. Clear majorities of 9th graders believe that D-E kids are mostly kind to one another online, but they do worry about the stakes of making a mistake in a public (and potentially indelible) forum. We reviewed the school’s “cyberbullying policies” and talked about why it’s sometimes hard (but necessary) for them to pause and think before they post. These conversations are all a part of our ongoing efforts to help students develop healthy boundaries and practice “mindful use” in their digital lives. I look forward to sharing more of what I’ve learned with you next week!
Best,
Emily Sclafani