Lifestyle

Why you should stop texting your kids at school

Published

1 year ago

March 11, 2024

IAM

Virginia high school teacher Joe Clement tracks text messages sent by parents to students in his economics and government class:

“What did you get on the test?”
“Did you get a signed tour form?”
“Do you want chicken or hamburgers for dinner tonight?”

Clement has a request for fogeys: stop texting your kids at school.

Parents are alarmingly aware of the distractions and mental health issues related to smartphones and social media. But teachers say parents may not realize how necessary these struggles are at school.

One wrongdoer? Mom and pa whose stream of consciousness questions create an environment of constant disruption and distraction from learning. Even when schools regulate or ban cellular phone use, it’s difficult for teachers to implement it. And the constant vibration of watches and phones occupies a critical a part of the brain, no matter whether children look at them.

A hallway is empty at Baton Rouge Magnet High School on Jan. 30, 2023, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana (AP Photo/Stephen Smith, File)

Just a few changes in parent behavior could make phones less of a distraction at school. Here’s what teachers and experts recommend.

Try: Stop texting your child at school

Many parents stay in contact with their child via text messages, but school is a spot where you can deal with learning and developing independence. Teachers say that in case of a change of plans or a family emergency, you can still contact your child: just contact the office.

If the message is not urgent, it could probably wait.

Think of it this fashion: “If you got here to school and said, ‘Can you take my kid out of calculus so I can tell him something irrelevant?’ we might say no,” said central Virginia school counselor Erin Rettig.

Teachers stressed: They’re not saying parents are accountable for school cellular phone fights, they’re just saying they will do more to assist. For example, tell your children to not text home unless it’s urgent. And if this happens, ignore it.

“When kids text you things that can wait, like, ‘Can I go to Brett’s house in five days?’ — don’t answer,” said Sabine Polak, one in all the three moms who were co-founders of the Phoneless Schools Movement. “You need to stop getting involved. It just fuels the problem.”

Cut the cord from 8 a.m. to three p.m

Many parents became accustomed to constant contact in the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, with children staying at home and learning online. They have maintained this communication as life otherwise returns to normal.

“We call it the digital umbilical cord. Parents can’t let go. And they have to,” Clement said.

Parents may not expect their children to answer text messages immediately (though many do). But when students pull out their phones to reply, it opens the door to other social media distractions.

Anxiety via text message

In a parenting workshop, Rettig, a school counselor in Virginia, tells parents that they contribute to their kid’s anxiety by texting, tracking their whereabouts and checking their grades each day, which does not give children the space to be independent in school.

Some teachers say they get emails from parents right after exam grades are returned, before classes end, because kids feel the necessity (or are instructed) to report grades to their parents immediately.

Dr. Libby Milkovich, developmental and behavioral pediatrician at Children’s Mercy Kansas City, asks parents to contemplate what children are missing out on by having parents available during school hours.

“By texting back and forth with a parent, the child is not able to practice self-soothing or problem-solving skills,” Milkovich said. “It’s easy to text, but if I don’t have my phone, I have to go and ask the teacher or else I have to figure it out myself.”

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Some children who oppose bans on cell phones in schools say it is useful to contact their parents after they feel anxious or nervous at school. For children with severe anxiety who’re used to texting their parents for reassurance, Milkovich suggests regularly introducing restrictions so the kid can regularly practice more independence. He encourages parents to ask themselves: why does my child need constant access to a phone?

“Parents often say, ‘I would like to find a way to contact my child at any time,’ which has nothing to do with the kid’s treatment end result. It’s because of fogeys’ anxiety,” she said.

Take that old phone away

Beth Black, a high school English teacher within the San Francisco Bay Area, advises parents to contemplate confiscating their kid’s old phones.

Her school requires students to place their phones in a special holder when entering the classroom. However, she has seen students put their old, inactive phones there and keep the one which works.

A ninth-grade student places her phone in a holder as she enters her classroom at Delta High School, Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, in Delta, Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)

Like many teachers, he says phones aren’t the one problem. There’s also the problem of headphones.

“Forty percent of my students come into class with at least one headphone in their ears,” Black said. “Children will place their phone in the music holder and listen to music during classes in one earphone.”

Turn off notifications

Parental control over texts is not going to go very far. So work with your kids to show off some or the entire notifications that catch their attention.

To prove how distracting smartphones are, Clement conducted a classroom experiment through which he asked students to silence their phones and switch on notifications for 2 minutes.

“It sounded like an old-time video arcade – buzzing, buzzing, ringing and ringing for a good two minutes,” he said.

Many studies have shown that students regularly check their phones during class. A study last 12 months by Common Sense Media found that teenagers are bombarded with as many as 237 notifications a day. About 25% of them come in the course of the school day, mostly from friends on social media.

“Whenever our concentration is interrupted, it takes a lot of brain power and energy to get back to the task at hand,” said Emily Cherkin, a Seattle teacher-turned-consultant who focuses on screen time management.

Teachers say the perfect school cellular phone policy is one which physically removes the phone from the kid. Otherwise it’ll be difficult to compete.

“When the phone vibrates in their pocket, their attention is now on the pocket. And they wonder, “How do I get this on the table?” How to check?” said Randy Freiman, a high school chemistry teacher in upstate New York. “You ask them a question and they don’t hear a word you say. Their brains are elsewhere.”

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com

Lifestyle

Tabitha Brown refers to negativity after he talked about the influence of the target boycott on black authors: “I pray for love to find you”

Published

11 hours ago

May 22, 2025

IAM

Tabitha Brown will all the time be in favor of black authors, black corporations, content creators and creations, regardless of what haters can say.

After Backlash after she told about how the target boycott affects black authors on Tuesday, May 20, a 46-year-old web personality and the writer doubled her support of her peers in the film sent Instagram.

“This is my prayer for you”, the founder of “Donny’s Reptipe” began in a movie, returned to all users flooding her comments and DM “uneducated” hate news.

“I pray for love to find you, true love. I pray that she finds you and keeps you tightly,” she continued. “I pray that somebody will love you sufficient to see you, see you whenever you do not feel good, see you whenever you need real support, to see you whenever you need sympathy to see you whenever you need kindness. I pray that somebody loves you sufficient to sacrifice your life.

In the video signature, Vegan influence on food explained that he was not withdrawing from his support in the near future.

“There is no hatred and ignorance that will stop me from using my platform and voice to support and raise small companies, black companies, black content creators, black authors,” said. “Take it with God because he gave me my voice, blessed me with a platform and I’m going to use it.”

Earlier on the same day, Brown devoted a moment to share an insight into how the destination boycott, began at the end of January after the retailer announced that he would withdraw the DEI initiative, influenced some of her peers. In the filmShe noticed that she had just received a plaque from the New York Times bestsellers on the occasion of her kid’s book “Hello Im, Sunshine”, and made her think about other black authors who try to move the titles from the shelves at the Big Box seller.

“Target is a huge seller of books that sells our books, so because of the boycott, many books of our black authors did not sell well, because people did not buy books because they are sold in target,” explained Brown. “This influenced their sale. This affected their ability to be on the New York Times bestseller list. But the bigger problem is that it also affects the next contract.”

Although she noticed that she wanted boycotters to be “attentive” on the impact of not shopping in Target, she also encouraged people to support black authors through other channels “because if not, they may not display their number.”

She also turned to publishers, calling them not to consider selling the last five months for the “truth” of these authors.

“These numbers do not reflect … their truth,” said the actress. “They are talented writers with beautiful stories and they have something that they did not do on them.”

When a boycott began for the first time, Brown was one of the first to defend black corporations. In January she received a bottle when she called for consumers to consider black corporations and black authors, trying to send a message to the seller.

In his film on Tuesday, Brown updates the followers of a boycott, saying that “he prays that it has soon ended and we receive resolution.”

(Tagstranslate) Tabitha Brown

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com

Lifestyle

Schools announced to the National Battle of the Bands

Published

2 days ago

May 21, 2025

IAM

HBCU Marching Band, Alabama State University, battle of the bands

Another national battle of bands will happen in Houston on August 23 at the NRG stadium.

According to Webber Marketing, he accomplished a press conference. The company is working With the unit of Harris – Houston Sports Authority and Lone Star Sports & Entertainment to bring the public the national battle of the Pepsi Battle of the Batts. It shall be the eleventh anniversary of the event.

Eight schools will present talents of musicians participating in the National Battle of the Bands.

“Officially, there is the composition of the National Battle of Pepsi in Pepsi in Pepsi and we bring 8 most dynamic marching teams in the country to the NRG stadium in August!”

“We try to raise the platform and experience each year,” said Derek Webber, general director of Webber Marketing and executive producer of the National Battle of the Bands. “NBOTB is more than a performance. It’s a move that celebrates tradition, talent and impact of HBCU throughout the country.”

Recommended schools are:

Alabama A&M University – Marching Maroon & White
Albany State University – Marching Rams Show Band
Florida A&M University – “100” marching
Jackson State University – sound boom in the south
Langston University – Marching Pride Band
North Carolina A & T State University – Blue & Gold Marching Machine
Prairie view a & m university – Marching Storm
Texas Southern University – “Ocean of Soul”

The event will include several functions for the community except and in reference to NBOTB.

2025 nbotb Weeknitowe Wydłody includes:

Emerging Experience Conference: Powered by JPMorgan Chase, combining innovators and small business leaders. Free of charge with registration.
Fan experience (Saturday, August 23 at NRG Center from 12:00 – 15:30):
Free, community -oriented event that enlivens the energy of the NBOTB weekend. The impressions of the fans are the following foremost activations:
Pepsi experience: Interactive experience with national performances of artists, live entertainment and the living market of suppliers and partners.
HBCU College & Career Fair: An event wealthy in resources that mix students with HBCU and profession possibilities through details about parties, representatives on the spot and lots of others.
Walk from the competition: Dynamic showcase of step and walking culture, celebrating black Greek letter organizations and HBCU tradition.
Nbotb cares community outreach: Transfer of initiatives corresponding to feeding the involvement of the homeless and youth.

To get details about the event, people can go to the website www.nationalbattleofthebands.com. Information can be available through social media: @Nationalbattleoftheofthebands on Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok and YouTube. @Nationalbotb on Twitter.

(Tagstotransate) Battle of the Bands

This article was originally published on : www.blackenterprise.com

Lifestyle

Prayer led Bobby Brown to search for therapy after losing Whitney Houston, daughter of Bobbi Kristina and son Bobby Jr.

Published

3 days ago

May 20, 2025

IAM

Over the years, Bobby Brown had to endure great regret, including the worst nightmare of every parent, the death of a baby.

During the looks ofJennifer Hudson Show“On Monday, May 19, a 56-year-old R&B singer opened on how he moved in regret after the death of his daughter Bobbi Kristina, son of Bobby Brown Jr. and his ex-wife Whitney Houston.

“First of all, a lot of prayer, which absolutely took me to the point where I accepted therapy in my life,” said Brown Hudson. “I accepted going to the therapist and really solve all the problems I had in me.”

Brown, who was married to the manager Alicia Eteredgedge since 2012 and has five additional children, assigns her family and stays near his family members, “when times become” as a source of strength.

“They are still there because (regret) doesn’t end. It’s not like it is going to simply disappear. It will likely be with you ceaselessly, nevertheless it’s about coping with it and really being attentive to yourself. Paying attention to how you’re feeling that day and informing someone how you’re feeling.

Brown and Houston, who had a famous but passionate relationship, were married for 14 years from 1992 to 2007. They welcomed Bobbi Kristina, their only child together, in 1993 on February 11, 2012, Houston died by accidental drowning related to the use of drugs on the hotel on the Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills. She was 48 years old. Bobbi Kristina died in an especially similar way on July 26, 2015, on the age of 22, and on November 18, 2020, Bobby Brown Jr., whom Brown shared with Kim Ward, also died of drug overdose. He was 27 years old.

From the death of Bobbi Kristina, who in July in July within the tenth anniversary, Brown honored his heritage while launching Bobbi Kristina Serenity HouseNon -profit, which provides resources to victims of domestic violence.

Brown told Hudson that his daughter was not largely due to domestic violence.

“What happened to my daughter, I don’t want it to happen with a child of another man or a woman,” said Brown. “That is why we have Bobbi Kristina Serenity House to be a safe haven for those who undergo domestic violence.”

He added: “It’s time to speak. You know, people have to speak and ask for help. And when you don’t ask for help, a friend must ask for help. We must watch out for themselves. House of peace is there, as I said, be a safe haven for those who have to escape from a situation that is not healthy.”