joan parlin

When I was Director of Admissions at Newark Academy in 1983, a Korean family came in with their boy who was applying for the 7th grade and two older sisters for whom the family was not applying.  The boy sat slumped in his chair, yawning at times, and looking completely disinterested, while the two girls sat at the edge of their seats listening raptly to my every word.  When I asked why the family wasn’t applying for the girls, the father, who did all the talking, told me in so many words that the girls weren’t important.  It was the boy of the family who was special and needed the good education.  I had to work hard, over a period of several weeks, to get the family to apply for the girls.  Finally, they did and of course, the girls excelled.  The boy was admitted and did graduate but in no way distinguished himself.  I like to believe that times have now changed, even for Korean families.

 

A second happening, indictive of the times, was the introduction of the computer to the English Department at Newark Academy.  Our computer guru announced that he was placing one on a small desk inside of the sliding door closet, the doors being kept open so all could access this new toy.  This was about 1987.  After a week or so, the guru asked how it was going with the new computer.  We replied that we hadn’t used it yet.  “Why not?” he asked.  “Well, we’re afraid we will delete something important or somehow ruin the computer.”  He laughed uproariously and told us it was impossible to delete by mistake…the computer would “ask” us first.  He told us to “just click around” and we would learn how to use it.  He had, of course, given us some basic instructions.  “Just click around” had become my very useful mantra.

 

About ten years later, when I was Head of the Middle School and computers were in most households and every kid knew how to use them, I began to have disciplinary problems involving these computers.  In the evenings, kids were spreading nasty rumors about each other causing many tears, fights, and great unhappiness.  This was difficult for me, because although the mischief was done at home, the ramifications carried over into the school day.  Where to draw the line?  The best I could do was to inform the parents and give stern warnings to the kids.  I spent many Morning Meetings talking about the dangers of the Internet.  It was a new age. Although it is now many years later, I’m sure the teachers and administrators are still having to deal with some of these same problems.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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