Evening Homework Observations...

I get home from the gym yesterday evening and my 9 year old daughter is doing her homework on the table the two of us built a couple years ago. She’s busy completing her work, collaborating with her classmate via video chat. I was struck by how ordinary she appeared as if saying unconsciously, “Why wouldn’t you collaborate with your classmate remotely to finish your homework via remote video chat?” She did not ask her mom if she could video conference with her friend, she just connected, as simple, and as common, as taking a pencil out of her backpack and beginning her school work.

This morning, I had to take Sawyer to school. Not my usual morning trip as she goes with mom. Mom teaches fifth grade at her school. Getting into the car she tosses her rolling backpack into the back seat, slides into the front seat next to me, and immediately plugs her cracked, two year old iPad touch into the car charger. On arriving at school, she hustles out of the truck, drags her monolithic backpack out of the back seat, tells me she loves me, and snatches the iPod touch in her other hand and marches off. She doesn’t ask if she can take her iPod touch, there is no hesitation in her actions, it’s a non-issue to her. It seems as common to her as taking a pencil out of her backpack and beginning her school work.

I have son who started his first year of college this year. This is not how fourth grade was for him ten years ago.