Tag Archives: education

It’s Sunny. It’s Summer

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đź“š Summer Reading: A Rebellion Worth Leading

It’s sunny. It’s summer. Which means kids everywhere are perfecting the fine art of screen time avoidance… unless, of course, the screen is a PlayStation.

All my grandkids are in town. It’s a joy. And yet, as I watch them, I can’t help but reflect on the world they’re growing up in—a world where attention is fractured, screens dominate, and reading often takes a backseat.

As school winds down and summer kicks in, we find ourselves staring at a truth we’ve known for years: when children stop reading, they start slipping.

Jerald McNair’s recent op-ed in the Chicago Tribune—which appeared in today’s Buffalo News—delivers the data plainly. Reading scores for 4th and 8th graders continue to drop. “Summer slide”—the loss of reading progress over break—can erase 20% or more of what was learned. And once that momentum is gone, it’s rarely recovered. The Harvard Graduate School of Education even notes that after the first year of loss, little to no gain follows in the years that come.

So what do we do? We reframe reading as a cultural value, not just a school requirement.

I’ll be candid—I didn’t fall in love with reading until I was 34 years old. Better late than never. But once it clicked, it transformed how I viewed the world.

My friend Kevin Quinn, a lifelong reader with a degree in the classics, remembers his dad coming home from work in the 1970s and saying, “You’ve got two choices—go outside and play, or go read a book.” Growing up in Buffalo, Kevin chose books—especially when the cold kept him indoors.

For my own son, summer reading lists were the norm at his Jesuit high school. He’d spend most of the summer outside, living in the moment, but when August hit, he’d hunker down for a week of binge-reading to finish the list. It wasn’t always polished—but it built a muscle. And today, he still reads.

Now I see my grandkids—members of Generation Alpha—growing up fully immersed in digital devices. They’re bright, curious, and full of energy. But they need guidance to guard their attention spans. We try to encourage books alongside play, and we gently limit iPad time. It’s not about banning technology—it’s about giving reading a fighting chance to remain part of their rhythm.

And influence runs in both directions. My son now has the chance to shape the habits of his nephew—my 9-year-old grandson—who, like many kids his age, is a little too into PlayStation. Sometimes, the best messages don’t come from a parent—they come from an uncle, a cousin, or a grandparent. Maybe all it takes is a simple challenge: “Read for as long as you play.”

We could take a page from Malcolm Gladwell, who once wrote about how the American Cancer Society didn’t just raise awareness through commercials—they sparked a movement through community conversations. Hair salons were a key part of that success. Imagine if we took that same approach to reading. One real conversation. One bedtime story. One Kindle subscription. One nudge from a family member. It might just be enough.

If you’re still wondering why this matters, I point you to Garfinkle’s powerful whitepaper, The Erosion of Deep Literacy. It’s not just that fewer people read—it’s that we’re losing the ability to think deeply, empathize meaningfully, and analyze critically.

In a world addicted to quick takes and TikTok loops, reading remains our most underrated rebellion.

So this summer, forget flashy campaigns. Just ask your kids—or your grandkids—what they’re reading. And if they’re not, you’ve got a few choices: hand them a ball, set limits on PlayStation, or better yet—set a goal: read for as long as you play.

Cell Phones at Work and School: Balancing Technology and Productivity

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Printed in the Buffalo News July 30, 2024 https://buffalonews.com/eedition/page-a8/page_df0c6bec-1fa4-5ad5-9505-5f64a2d60505.html

As I reflect on the evolution of workplace distractions from the 1950s to the present day, I can’t help but draw parallels to the growing concerns about cell phone use in New York State classrooms. I read an article in the Buffalo News editorial about the conundrum governor Hochul Cellphones at school faces with cellphones in the classroom. Every generation faces its own unique set of distractions, yet the challenge of maintaining focus and productivity remains a constant theme.

Growing up, I watched my father, a quintessential post-war provider, navigate his workday with the distractions of his time. He managed to balance his responsibilities, often indulging in the notorious three-martini lunches that were a norm back then. Despite these distractions, he was measured by his output, and he delivered.

Fast forward to my early career in sales during the Baby Boomer era. Distractions were different then. Our office had no desktop computers, just a simple word processor and a fax machine. My distractions were the occasional personal phone call or flipping through a Sports Illustrated magazine. We were taught to focus on one thing: getting results. The tools may have been limited, but our dedication to output was unwavering.

As the workplace evolved, so did the nature of distractions. Generation X introduced a new dynamic with their emphasis on work-life balance and technological savvy. They brought in a need for constant feedback and the free-agent mentality of job hopping. Yet, even with these changes, the goal remained the same—producing results.

Enter the Millennials, now the largest generation in the workforce. They bring their own set of workplace norms: cell phone lockers to eliminate distractions, pets at work, and flexible work environments. Despite these shifts, one thing remains unchanged—output is what counts. Millennials are tasked with repairing the damage done by previous generations while adapting to an ever-changing technological landscape.

This brings me to the current debate about cell phones in classrooms. Just as workplaces have adapted to the presence of smartphones, schools are now grappling with how to manage these devices. The concern is that cell phones, while powerful tools for learning, can become major distractions if not properly regulated. It’s a familiar challenge—balancing the benefits of technology with the need to maintain focus and productivity.

In both the workplace and the classroom, the essence of the challenge is the same: how do we harness technology’s potential without letting it undermine our productivity? My experience across different eras in the workplace has shown me that while the nature of distractions may change, our response to them must be adaptive and focused on outcomes.

Personally I have the support of my two new assistants, Chatty Kathy and Oncall Carl. These AI-powered helpers cost me only $20 per month, and their non-confrontational and refreshing perspectives have been invaluable. They ensure I stay focused and productive, embodying the timeless essence of output that has guided my career.

As we move forward, whether in the classroom or the boardroom, we must continue to find ways to integrate technology meaningfully while setting boundaries to ensure it enhances rather than hinders our productivity. After all, the measure of success remains consistent across generations—output.