Habits

Habit. So soothing. The same thing, the same way, every day.


I am hearing my 3 kids winding up and I'm sort of mesmerized by the intensity, the inexorable nature of their anxiety's escalation.  As I marvel at the situation with a gathering unease of my own I wonder what it is that's fueling this cauldron.

The first thing I notice is that my oldest is being a cruel bastard to his younger brother-typically a loving, supportive relationship but not this morning. Older bra is kicking stuff too. So he's definitely leading the pack this morning.

As I stride quietly into the kitchen for more coffee I make quick eye contact with the older beast and whisper that he needs to relax. In the kitchen I engage my dear wife in light banter intended to warm her up a little and I learn that we will be hosting two cute twin 9 year old girls for the morning "Maybe some swimming, maybe a movie, who knows, we'll play it by ear".  So, as I hear this destabilizing information the oldest beast's attitude makes more sense. Today isn't a regular day, today we have a couple of girls coming over and it's going to be a wide open afternoon-so not the same thing the same way every day, rather SOMETHING TOTALLY NEW, DIFFERENT, AND STIMULATING, which is great but why the cruelty to your brother, why kicking things?  

New stuff is great.  It's stimulating, heightening the senses and fueling inspiration.  Too much of it, though, can be overwhelming.  What will happen?  Will I be OK?  Habits help us curb the sturm und drang of life and give us the kind of support that answers the questions all that new stuff generates. "Yes, I'll be OK, I'm running the same loop I've run for years" "I'm drinking the same coffee out of the same cup for the past decade-I know exactly how this is going to go"


So. Now that we know this how do we let it inform how our kids learn?  What does this truth mean when it comes to the technology we put in front of our kids?  Honoring both the mundane and the unique has to be a lever an educator can pull. To that end, as much as possible, all computing platform jumping off points should be identical every morning. When a lab of machines boots or wakes up its behavior should be predictable and consistent. The desktops should be identical in their presentation and have the same software.  Any presentation equipment should be predictably smiling and ready.  From there the educator can go wherever the light of information takes them-holding their charges hands through the drama, suspense and wonder of learning.


Clearly this kind of environment doesn't occur overnight but in the best schools technology is a true lever for the educator.  A tool that allows an educator one more bite at the apple with a difficult to reach kid, one extra stretch at reaching a kid that's almost two feet out the door.  


If you need a hand in creating the kind of technology environment that's a lever for education get in touch with us at All School IT.  ASIT provides comprehensive IT support for educational environments.  From the educational experience to the metrics of giving ASIT knows the unique Information Technology needs of education.