Sylvia+Grider

I have been a school principal for over 14 years. Until this year, I was the principal at Helm Elementary, a wonderful school in Golden Plains Unified School District. This year, I am a school principal at San Joaquin Elementary School and my school web site is http://www.gpusd.k12.ca.us/schools/sjes.

Education is not just my vocation, it is my avocation, as well. For as long as I can remember I have been fascinated  with what makes children tick. The mental development of a child is a never-ending, facsinating process to me. Watching children grow and change because of something that I did is what keeps me going to work every day.

I know that our current and future technology are changing the world "as much as the printing press changed it's world." (Steve) I personally have been thoroughly engulfed in the digital revolution since Apple, Inc.'s "Kids Can't Wait" program and the Apple IIe. However, as a nurturer of children, I am concerned that we exercise care in the amount of time that we allow or encourage our children to spend in faux relationships with others on line. Even if we control the access of undesireables to our children's web activity, it is important to be sure that children live a balanced life, with social relationships in face-to-face situations, real time, and multisensory interactions. Just as we would never allow our children or students to eat only one kind of food, it is important that we guide them to vary their interactions and stimuli.