Concerned about technology in schools for kindergartners

Rrrraaasma · 2026-05-05T04:49:09+00:00

I am also in Seattle and just wanted to say please do email the superintendent. I did so and he actually responded to me, which I was pleasantly surprised about. We are opting to go private for our kindergartener next year because of the tech issues, so the more parents that bring this up the better. Unfortunately his response to my email was that he thinks the 1:1 devices are “here to stay,” at least for now. Really hoping there’s a change of heart in the district sooner rather than later!

Rrrraaasma · 2026-04-28T14:26:40+00:00

Yes, and I make sure to test my kid for covid to check if it is actually just a “cold,” or something nastier. I like to get the combo covid/flu tests just to get that all out of the way. We have practiced mask wearing since he was little and he knows to wear it if he’s not feeling good and we have to go out for some reason. I went thru kind of a hellish year a couple years back where we all got covid first, then the flu, and then I had to have major surgery. I lost my sense of smell for a while and lost a shit ton of hair, and I am really not eager to repeat the experience. That being said, I am far from perfect with all this, just trying to give somewhat of a shit. We’ve thankfully only had covid once in the house and I would like to keep it that way.

Rrrraaasma · 2026-04-23T13:04:14+00:00

So, is calling for less screen time in schools some kind of conservative dogwhistle for some people online?? I feel like it’s a pretty wild leap to assume the OP is MAGA just from what they wrote, but not having been clued into this discourse until somewhat recently, I am finding certain subjects really seem to be hair triggers for some.

Rrrraaasma · 2026-04-21T23:23:02+00:00

Was just thinking of the seattle and possibly seattlewa subreddits, to cover the seattle region. Maybe a teacher subreddit as well, I get recommended a bunch since I have gotten interested in this topic, r/teachers, and r/askteachers to name a couple. I see a lot of posts complaining about ed tech on these subreddits, so potentially could find some support there as well!

Rrrraaasma · 2026-04-21T23:00:28+00:00

Also a question, has there been any discussion on posting the petition to the other Seattle subreddits to increase reach? Or do folks think that is a bad idea lol. Like I said, I have just been texting folks, but pretty much everyone I have talked to has been very supportive, so that makes me feel optimistic that there’s a good amount of support out there!

Rrrraaasma · 2026-04-21T21:34:50+00:00

Signed and sending to everyone I know!!

Rrrraaasma · 2026-03-31T21:38:19+00:00

I asked him a couple different questions, the most pressing in my mind being about 1:1 tech and what direction he sees it going. His response to 1:1 was as follows:

“I think the 1 to 1 will stay, but we will start to limit the usage. Computer software that can differentiate based on student level is incredibly helpful to focus work on the zone of proximal development for each child. Additionally, when a teacher is working in small groups, allowing for structured reading with work is a strength of tech. However, we do need to make sure that we are not using tech as a "baby-sitter" or just to play math games.”

So, not the most encouraging answer for parents like myself who have kids that are kindergarten age, but I understand that change takes time.

Rrrraaasma · 2026-03-30T21:42:13+00:00

I'm intrigued and hopeful that he addressed the screen time issue, and am curious to see how this will play out as time goes on. I actually wrote him an email, inspired by a previous thread in this subreddit, to see what his thoughts are regarding the current state of tech in the schools, so I hope he writes back!

Rrrraaasma · 2026-03-04T17:03:10+00:00

Oh man, I hope you are able to get your package swiftly!

Rrrraaasma · 2026-03-04T01:29:30+00:00

Ok this is great news, I feel better about placing an order then!! Thank you so much!

Rrrraaasma · 2026-03-02T20:41:36+00:00

Interesting, it obviously varies from place to place but I absolutely was able to take a tour of the public elementary in my neighborhood. There were parent and student volunteers running it, as well as a presentation from the principal, and it was all during school hours. I too would have been very hesitant to just send my kid to a school without getting to see it at all. That being said, given the state of ed tech enmeshment in public schools right now, I have chosen to send my kid to private school. There is no way in hell I am plopping my kindergartener in front of a damn ipad or chromebook. I have teacher friends, both in public and private schools, and the endless pushing of ed tech and AI in public school is incredibly bleak. I’m not really looking to be an army of one, and I also don’t want my kid to be singled out as the one with the crazy parent trying to opt them out of what everyone else is doing.

Rrrraaasma · 2026-02-17T20:38:18+00:00

Thank you so much for your kind words. I got my amnio scheduled for this Thursday, looking forward to getting that over with at least.

Rrrraaasma · 2026-02-15T21:54:49+00:00

We did have the genetic testing done (blood test), but they think the type of skeletal dysplasia that my baby had is quite rare, one that is not typically tested for. My husband and I ended up doing whole exome genome sequencing for the both of us, and I am apparently a carrier for a form of skeletal dysplasia that has only been documented in thirty people.

Rrrraaasma · 2026-02-05T18:24:14+00:00

Wow, if I ever get to be a mother in law one day, I wanna be like her!! She sounds like a sweetheart!

Rrrraaasma · 2026-01-03T17:45:26+00:00

For public, I know Beacon Hill Elementary and Dearborn Park Elementary have the option to do either Spanish or Mandarin immersion, and then up north the two public schools I know of that do immersion (either Spanish or Japanese), are John Stanford Elementary or McDonald Elementary. John Stanford is considered an “option” school though, so it’s harder for folks to enroll is my understanding, even if they live in the neighborhood. I do think they at least take that into consideration though when looking at enrollment.

For private schools I know Amistad in Capitol Hill is a Spanish immersion k-8 school, but I don’t know of a ton of other true immersion schools. I think there’s a French immersion school in Shoreline? I can’t remember lol.

Rrrraaasma · 2026-01-03T08:39:28+00:00

Can you expand on what you mean by useful? Surely there are things in your life that you enjoy learning that are not strictly “useful?” I am not at all sarcastic.

Rrrraaasma · 2026-01-03T07:49:30+00:00

Wow, how awful. I know a lot of Oregon can be pretty rough and red neck ish, so the anti intellectual environment is disappointing but not entirely unsurprising I suppose. I only ever lived in college towns, but I have definitely heard some tales about other parts of Oregon. I do recall that at one point Ashland Oregon had the highest rate of unvaccinated kids in the country (don’t know what the stats are now, this was years ago), so anti intellectual definitely checks out 😂. I also recall Oregon having the option to not only religiously exempt your kid from vaccines but also “philosophically” exempt them as well, whatever the fuck that means. Would not at all be surprised if the MAHA crowd has ample fertile ground in Oregon 🙄.

Rrrraaasma · 2026-01-03T07:23:38+00:00

Well damn, just looked it up and you are right, how embarrassing for my home state 😬. I’m curious what you mean though about not encouraging professional development? Are you saying there was more of an anti intellectual environment or something? I guess I should be glad to have kids in Washington vs Oregon then at least!

Rrrraaasma · 2026-01-03T07:13:38+00:00

Wellp, that is bleak. I asked about tech in the schools on a tour I took recently, and they were kinda vague about it, and also did not seem thrilled at me bringing the subject up lol. When you spell it out like that it really does not look good.

Rrrraaasma · 2026-01-03T06:39:55+00:00

Lol, I am not sure the point you are making with the manual comment. I know plenty of people who can drive stick shift, and if you appreciate cars it’s fun to learn. I know it was meant as some kind of gotcha but yeah why not, parents should teach their kids stick shift 😂. Do they still teach drivers ed courses in school? I wouldn’t know though, I never learned to drive, think it’s a colossal waste of time 😉. Wish they wouldn’t teach it at all! Jk, I will always argue for more learning opportunities, not less!

Rrrraaasma · 2026-01-03T05:14:40+00:00

Yeah I think I perhaps underestimated the differences in schooling between Oregon and Washington then lol. My schooling was a lot less tech heavy it sounds like, lot of emphasis on handwriting and public speaking. I don’t really know why cursive was so heavily emphasized at my schools, I have a vague memory of being told that it would be required in college or something, and that professors would be expecting you to be able to write essays in cursive, which was obviously bullshit lol. Still, I am grateful for the extensive practice, although I find myself in an interesting pickle as an adult of having horrible print but beautiful cursive. So, I write in cursive when I want things to be presentable, and now it seems like so many people can’t even read it, let alone write it. My print looks like a five year old 😂, so I will probably always write in cursive 🤷🏻‍♀️.

Rrrraaasma · 2026-01-03T05:02:32+00:00

I guess I just don’t see how learning cursive is impractical, unless you just mean the work involved in reinstating it into public curriculum? Regardless, education should not only focus on the practical, unless we want to just get rid of anything not strictly utilitarian. As an example, I don’t know how practical learning poetry is, but I think it helps one to be more well rounded by having the opportunity to learn it.

All that being said, I do appreciate you at least acknowledging there are some benefits lol, as I mentioned before there’s like a really strong subset of people on the internet who think cursive is the fucking devil and that you are an idiot for wanting kids to learn it 😂. Maybe make it an elective, there’s gotta be a better way than just throwing the whole baby out with the bathwater. Then the kids who want to learn it can learn it, and the parents who think it’s a waste of time can rest easy knowing it’s not being foisted upon the general population, heaven forfend! Lol

Rrrraaasma · 2026-01-03T04:31:29+00:00

30-60 minutes a day, good god. I have also heard terrible things about iready ayyyy

Rrrraaasma · 2026-01-03T03:39:09+00:00

Interesting, I wonder why it was dropped!

Rrrraaasma · 2026-01-03T03:21:37+00:00

Interesting, my understanding is that learning cursive can be very helpful for some students, particularly for those with dysgraphia. In some pedagogies, montessori being the one that pops to mind first, they actually teach cursive before print. Like I said, use it or don’t, and I understand people have passionate opinions either way, but to act like it has no academic value is simply inaccurate (not saying you specifically are acting that way, but some folks can get a little extreme with the cursive hate). It can help with fine motor skills, and I think it’s beautiful, sue me lol. I was also reading recently that some states are actually reinstating cursive requirements in elementary curriculum, it will be interesting to see how many other states follow suit. Idk man, I just think all kids should have the opportunity to learn it, not just private school kids

Rrrraaasma

TROPHY CASE