World Views

My wife and I, after a busy day, decided on a late dinner out, and selected a restaurant that based on previous experiences, would be fairly quiet. I just wanted to be able to sit across from my wife and not have to shout above the din, to have a conversation. Oh well,it was a good thought anyway. Our quiet dinner was anything but! There was a large table of about 12 adults who were celebrating a birthday and were rather loud and boisterous, as people are, after consuming mass quantities of adult beverages. It was the cow bell and the party hooters that the reveler's delighted in ringing and hooting, making it sound like a New Years Eve party in Whoville, (Ya-Who's no doubt) that really irked me. There is a point to my story. The following morning I got up early and settled in to scanning the news papers for material to post on the site. What do I find ? A review of a book entitled, "Silence." Normally, I would have bypassed it, but because of my previous night's experience, it caught my attention.

We live in a world of earbuds, muzak on elevators and every business you walk into, not to mention gas pumps, and multiple screens blaring different sporting events, smart phones that talk to you and emit various rings and beeps. Today's society experiences a constant deluge of sound that assaults us from every direction. Jane Brox is the author of the book, "Silence," in which she explores the history and cultural meaning of silence. The book review itself is an interesting read, written by Christine Rosen of the WSJ.

By the way, I had the fish sandwich and Tracey did the fish taco's, both were good.

Attachment: The Rest Is Noise - WSJ.pdf

I, as a preschool teacher and a grandmother, am quite concerned for our little ones in this new world of screens.  In this review, Ms. Gurdon writes about the hidden magic of reading aloud to children. It is not mentioned in this article, but it is interesting to note that some of the folks who have developed our new world of screens, are intentionally sending their own children to schools without screens.  It is important that we consider what is best for the development of our children in choosing how they experience time with technology. This is especially true for preschoolers!!

 Louise O'Boyle

Click on the Link to the PDF file