2024-2025
Volume 28, Issue 2
About U.S.
A Publishing Tradition of the Unquowa School
A Message From the Head of School
F
ew people in today’s culture of fast flow information
are not being used as tools for writing or research. Long before
could be convinced to memorize Homer’s epic poem, The
Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation championed free
Odyssey. However, we would all do well to at least commit
play, Unquowa understood and protected its value. Students
to memory the scene when Odysseus finally returns home from
of all ages here have two outdoor device-free recess/social
war disguised as a beggar hoping to catch the suitors of his
periods every day for chatting and playing with classmates, and
supposed widow Penelope off guard. As Odysseus approaches
our family-style lunch tables are mixed-grade, with teachers at
his home for the first time in twenty years, it is only Argos, his
each table to encourage enjoying food and socializing with each
faithful dog, who “when he
other. Setting tables, serving
marked Odysseus standing
food and clearing is also a
near, wagged his tail and
tech-free part of lunch and
dropped both his ears.” Only
one which kids see as both a
Argos recognized Odysseus,
service and a pleasure.
and how did he know him? It
At home families can do
is said that it was because he
the same in simple ways like
looked past all the noise… to
having device-free meals and
the truth.
tucking devices away in the
Of course, we know that
car to encourage meaningful
looking past the noise is tricky
conversation among whoever
in our modern world filled
happens to be in the carpool.
with noise of no value, both
Parents can also establish
visual and oral. It competes
family tech spaces for doing
effectively for our attention
homework and charging devices overnight, and they
with what does have value – our personal interactions with our friends, our family and
can designate sleeping spaces as “device free” so that kids don’t
especially our children.
find themselves texting friends, surfing sites, or playing games
On a grand scale, without our permission or awareness, our
when they should be sleeping. Modeling that as parents is also
collective attention has become economically monetized by the
a huge step towards the simple practice of paying attention to
world marketplace. But while our collective awareness has been
each other.
compromised, we can still protect our individual practice of
In 370 B.C., Socrates, placed as a character in Plato’s
attention. We simply have to recognize the size of the challenge
Phaedrus, expresses the fear of that day’s new technology,
and commit to realistic goals to protect our relationships – both
writing. He predicts that it will foster forgetfulness, hinder true
how we model attention for our children and how we actually
knowledge transmission, and lead to the appearance of wisdom
pay attention to our children. Remembering that “the small
without genuine understanding. Hindsight tells us that Socrates’
things become the big things,” paying attention on a small,
fear about writing was unfounded. But as we transfer Socrates’
personal scale has immeasurable possibilities, so our achievable
fear to today’s new technology, we must remember that if we
practice of attention has to focus on where it matters most, in
are to balance the gifts of modern technology with the threats
our homes and in our schools with our children.
it presents to human relationships, we must, like Odysseus’
In what small ways can we do this? Here at Unquowa, we
faithful dog Argos, look past its noise to the truth. At the end of
balance the positive uses of smart devices with their attention-
the day our relationships with each other are what we must pay
robbing power by asking students to check their cells and
attention to, nurture, and protect because, in the end, they are
smartwatches in with advisors at the beginning of the day, and
what matter most.
we ask that Chromebooks be closed in classrooms when they
Sharon Lauer, Head of School