Confession time: I am really addicted to technology. Not like some people are. I'm more addicted in a teenager-who-can't-stop-checking-social-media sort of way.
I'm not a game-player.
I don't online shop (most of the time).
I don't binge-watch Netflix on my computer.
I mainly spend hours on Facebook or Pinterest ... ensuring that I am "up-to-date."
I'm not a game-player.
I don't online shop (most of the time).
I don't binge-watch Netflix on my computer.
I mainly spend hours on Facebook or Pinterest ... ensuring that I am "up-to-date."
I WISH my addiction was beneficial ... like that I was so into technology I was always creating products or that I was always doing research or something helpful, but that's not always the case.
So I decided to do something about it.
Around December 1st, I decided that I would deactivate my Facebook account.
Until Christmas.
It was going to be hard, because this was the time leading up to the holidays and people would be posting all types of news and fun pictures. But then I realized, that was exactly why I didn't want to be on there.
So often I found out information about people before they even had a chance to tell me themselves.
This was especially true of my students. And that was one of my main motivations for deactivating. Leading up to the holidays, my students are excited, they have family traditions, baking cookies at grandmas, all of them have Elves on their Shelves that do mischievous things in their homes, they go on trips to visit the magic tree .... they have all these fun and exciting things to tell me, and I have found that over the years I have had Facebook, and parents have "friended" me, I find things out about my students before they've had a chance to tell me their story from their point of view.
[Which is always just a little different than those five-or-so best pictures that mom/dad/grandma decide are post-worthy.]
So often I found out information about people before they even had a chance to tell me themselves.
This was especially true of my students. And that was one of my main motivations for deactivating. Leading up to the holidays, my students are excited, they have family traditions, baking cookies at grandmas, all of them have Elves on their Shelves that do mischievous things in their homes, they go on trips to visit the magic tree .... they have all these fun and exciting things to tell me, and I have found that over the years I have had Facebook, and parents have "friended" me, I find things out about my students before they've had a chance to tell me their story from their point of view.
[Which is always just a little different than those five-or-so best pictures that mom/dad/grandma decide are post-worthy.]
In a world where multi-tasking and getting things done quickly is king, I too often found myself saying "I saw your elf this morning on Facebook!" and it took me a while to realize what was happening: these students are being raised in a world of technology, by parents who need things to happen instantly, and now they had a teacher who doesn't want to hear their stories either.
I was mortified.
I was mortified.
So this year, it was my goal in the weeks leading up to Christmas break to be as un-attached to social media as I could be and really LISTEN to my students and their stories (which usually involved an elf who hung toilet paper all over or made snow angels in sugar). This way, I wouldn't have already seen what Susie's elf did and SHE could tell me herself.
While I felt closer to my students, I felt less connected to others. My co-workers who rely on Facebook to keep our personal lives "connected" and my friends who rely on Facebook to send out massed-messages/emotions/pictures because that, unfortunately, is our society.
I will confess that I got onto Facebook twice during this time of being "unplugged" ... once to turn off my mobile device [even though I deactivated my account, I was still getting text messages from them, and I didn't like that]. Once because I had sent some pictures from my classroom to our district's communications director and someone said he posted them onto Facebook, so I wanted to check and see which ones he posted.
I will confess that I got onto Facebook twice during this time of being "unplugged" ... once to turn off my mobile device [even though I deactivated my account, I was still getting text messages from them, and I didn't like that]. Once because I had sent some pictures from my classroom to our district's communications director and someone said he posted them onto Facebook, so I wanted to check and see which ones he posted.
I have four days left until I will reactivate my Facebook.
And I can't say that I won't be just as active as I was before, but I will look at it another way.
And I can't say that I won't be just as active as I was before, but I will look at it another way.
Another interesting thing that happened when I de-activated:
I lost TONS of phone numbers. People would call/text me and I'd be like "Who is this?!" without understanding why I didn't have their number. People like my brother no longer had a name or photo in my phone. All because of Facebook.
I lost TONS of phone numbers. People would call/text me and I'd be like "Who is this?!" without understanding why I didn't have their number. People like my brother no longer had a name or photo in my phone. All because of Facebook.
I still used Instagram and SnapChat.
I still read all my regular blogs.
I still read all my regular blogs.
I still used Pinterest.
I still got onto my TpT account and used my email.
But nothing like I used to; my laptop mostly stayed closed during the evenings while I watched t.v. and I went to bed much earlier every night.
I still got onto my TpT account and used my email.
But nothing like I used to; my laptop mostly stayed closed during the evenings while I watched t.v. and I went to bed much earlier every night.
Technology is a funny thing. So helpful, and yet so burdensome.
