Principal's Pen

We have had a sharp focus on community this term and I would like to say a huge thank you to all those parents who have come to one of our events in College. This week it was a pleasure to attend the Secondary School Reading Workshop for parents in the Sports Cafe and to explore the many ways that we can encourage reading in teenagers. With research showing the impact of technology on the attention span of children it is more important than ever that young people balance their use of technology with non-technology based activities. Cal Newport, in his works Slow Productivity and Deep Work, suggests that the nature of our technology taps into our need to communicate quickly with a small circle of other people in the days when we spent most of our time hunting and gathering food. Much of the work we must do now is very different and the distractions of technology can inhibit our concentration and prevent us from completing deep work. Reading requires more focused concentration for an extended period. It is also the best way we can support our children in developing curiosity and academic competency. Arthur C. Brooks also stresses the importance of being bored in this article in the Harvard Business Review. He argues that a lack of boredom leads to a lack of direction and purpose which in turn leads to increases in anxiety and depression.