Parents Learn Together

The Parents Association is dedicated to building community across all areas of the school. This year’s PA-sponsored Tech Talks initiative is no exception. Tech Talks brings this spirit to increasing shared knowledge and understanding of the impact of technology on young people. It recognizes that navigating technology is not just a matter of rules and restrictions, but a shared and ongoing process of discernment. Tech Talks include divisional and grade level sessions for Grades 2-7 with the support and participation from the School.

Tech Talks have been warmly received and are helping parents make more informed decisions about issues like screen time, group chats, and the best age for a smartphone. Parent organizer Andrea DiPasquale comments, “This is a new frontier, and we are learning together by asking questions, making suggestions, and exchanging ideas – in what feels like a very Quakerly way.”

Creating a sense of community around this topic has the potential to result in future collective action for the benefit of students. This dialogue has already given the School administration a better sense of parents' concerns, resulting in technology-related recommendations. The Lower School’s recent recommendation against group chat for all LS students is one such example.

In the coming months, Tech Talks will continue to share research-backed insights, practical and age-specific tools, grade-level solidarity around delay intentions, alongside the wisdom of Friends families. Tech Talks help the community move toward a digital culture grounded in Friends’ values of integrity, community, and care for each child.