News & Views
New Canaan Country School Hosted Social Media Wellness Author
New Canaan Country School welcomed noted author and educator, Ana Homayoun, to campus Wed., Oct. 25 and Thurs., Oct 26 to share insights and discuss strategies for navigating an ever-changing social media world with parents, faculty and students of the pre-K through grade 9 school. The Wed. evening parent event, which was open to the public, drew over 100 in attendance.
Ms. Homayoun, author of the recently published book, Social Media Wellness: Helping Tweens and Teens Thrive in an Unbalanced Digital World, is a frequent speaker on topics relating to executive functioning, student engagement, personal productivity and motivation. In her 50-minute presentation to parents, Ms. Homayoun shared the results of a pre-survey she had given to Country School students, saying “I have noticed that schools which end in eighth or ninth grade have fewer issues related to social media use.”
“They [the Country School students] had some really impressive numbers. 1 in 6 experienced stress or hurt due to an online interaction, which is very low compared to most schools I visit. They also have the highest number – 92% - who felt they had an adult to go to if they had a negative experience online. This tells me this is a very healthy community of adults and children.”
Ms. Homayoun shared a wealth of practical information, including tips and tools, specific apps to use and avoid, as well as the latest research supporting her work.
“You don’t need all the language, just a few key phrases and ask some really good open-ended questions without judgement or shame,” Ms. Homayoun advised parents. “The thing that kids tell me that they think their parents should know, but that they don’t tell them, is ‘when we are mad or we are passionate, we go to the internet’.”
The pre-survey also indicated that the top things students would do if they had more time were: spend time with friends, spend time with family, practice hobbies and volunteer. “We all have a choice in how we spend our time online and in real life. Sometimes we get caught up in what other people are doing and saying, but how can we figure out what is important to us and filter out the rest?” asked Ms. Homayoun.
“Ana offered thoughtful and practical advice for how parents and educators can come together to support students in effectively managing their time and safely managing their interactions with social media,” said Alex Wellman, Head of Upper School (Grades 7-9) who, together with Head of Middle School (Grades 5 & 6) Kirsten Rosolen, organized the event. “It was truly a wonderful two-days that underscored the partnership between Country School parents, teachers and administrators.”
For additional resources or to learn more about Ms. Homayoun work as founder of San Francisco Bay Area-based Green Ivy Educational Consulting, an educational consulting firm that works with parents, educators and students., please visit her website: www.anahomayoun.com. To purchase a copy of her book, please visit Elm Street Bookstore in New Canaan.
New Canaan Country School
New Canaan Country School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin and are afforded all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, sex, sexual orientation, national origin or ancestry, or disability in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, financial aid policies or any other school-administered programs.
