The return to school of WhatsApp groups: peace is over

Surely this summer you missed those frequent message notices to comment on everything (everything: school and extracurricular) in the school's WhatsApp group. Or maybe they kept ringing? Has it happened as in the back to school announcements, which appear every time before? Has the phone started ringing again with messages about the books, cases and various materials that children have to take on their first day of school? Perhaps the themes are more varied?

The return to school of WhatsApp groups is imminent. Sooner or later, this channel inevitably cheers up and drags us into a whirlwind of themes, sometimes interesting, even necessary, but most of the time totally dispensable and superfluous, if not inappropriate. For this reason and because we want peace to last a little longer, we dedicate these lines to what a WhatsApp group of the school should be and what it should not become.

A summer without WhatsApp ... or not?

If you are someone who has enjoyed the summer silence of the groupYou probably won't be willing to start communicating with other parents on the phone. Are you a social being? Of course not, you have simply wanted to dedicate the holidays to other things, you may even have continued talking to some of those group members (or many, is there no school birthday in summer?) But without disturbing the rest. And most unheard of, you may even have spoken to them in person! Wanting a break in a WhatsApp group is the most normal thing in the world, since in the end they become a small routine "obligation" that anyone might want to disconnect.

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If you are one of those who contain you even if you wanted to comment something in the school group, keep it up. It is good to "disengage" and probably the "monkey" will only last the first week. Don't you feel a certain release now that we have forgotten a little about that active group for ten months a year? And if it is your son or daughter who insists you to put in the group any little thing (a greeting, a holiday photo, a recording, some emojis ...), propose to see one of his friends soon (live and direct) Surely it will calm that desire. And by the way, that friendship is rekindled, that adults also know much better a meeting with our friends-classmates-college-university-work ... than virtual conversations via mobile.

If you are one of those who have continued writing in the groupFinally, think of those whom I have just mentioned, since you can relieve those who want some peace and those who are trying. Maybe it's time to slow down. It is not necessary to say good morning, wish a good weekend all summer or ask "Eoooo ... What is it that you are so quiet?".

Nor is it to share vacation photos at all hours (beware, this applies to any WhatsApp group). This summer break will surely recharge the batteries to all the members of the group and even take it, already in September, with more desire and for what really matters.

Hooked on the phone, hooked on WhatsApp

The issue of this "addiction" to instant messages might seem exaggerated, but it is not a joke and after all it is a manifestation of the hook that many people have for their mobile phone.

In general, there is no need to worry, but psychology experts say that a misuse of the instant messaging application has its risks and can affect the lives of people who dive into it.

In Spain, more than 42% of users claim that they are continuously aware of the instant messages they receive on their mobile, according to the barometer of the Center for Sociological Research (CIS).

Lack of sleep, misunderstanding, disinterest in real life, serious interference in everyday life (studies or work ...) are some of the most serious consequences in extreme cases (which, incidentally, increasingly affect adolescents) of evil use of WhatsApp. You will be thinking that I am exaggerating when talking about these harmful effects, and I do not say that being pending and active in the school group (and in any other) is a symptom of any problem, but they are increasingly widespread.

Okay, we don't have any addictions, but have we thought about the time we spend on mobile for these up-to-date issues? And another thing that perhaps we have not stopped to think about enough: being hooked on the phone all day will make our children see it as normal and follow our steps.

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And that, potentially, is a perfect means to communicate, if we do it rationally, with common sense: it is a cheap, fast, almost universal medium. So, How to apply that common sense to the WhatsApp group of the school? How far have we come, that even from the schools themselves have to set limits on the use of this medium or manifest in this regard?

For the school's WhatsApp group to work ...

We do not want the instant messaging groups of the school to become the worst invention in the world. In every WhatsApp group there are some basic rules of smooth operation and they are not always the same, since it is not the same to communicate with our coworkers (where our bosses may even be included) than with our lifelong friends or with neighbors, family ... There are also rules of good use of the WhatsApp of the school and now that it seems that they begin to cheer up again, it is not bad to comment on those basic rules.

  • Do not be your children's secretary. They will often forget to write homework or exam dates, content that enters the exam, they will forget their books ... If we solve everything via WhatsApp, they will not learn to be responsible and autonomous. It is logical that from time to time it happens to us and you can also choose a father or mother with whom you have more confidence to solve the issue and not talk to the whole group. But if the forgetfulness continues to happen, it is convenient to speak with the teacher to find a solution or improvement in this subject. If the boy or girl gets used to having everything done every day, they will be unable to function on their own when we are not. This, as strange as it may seem, I usually see it in some (fortunately few) cases when it is too late to leave them that plot of responsibility: when they enter the institute and are accustomed to continuous supervision and help to solve their forgetfulness or their mistakes…

  • Do not do the child's homework through the group. Do not ask questions about homework, the answer can be found by other means and, if it is not known, is not understood or is not achieved, the child could explain to the teacher the next day the difficulties he has encountered to leave that answer in White.

  • Do not answer the questions launched in the group if you have nothing to contribute. When asked about lost clothes, activity dates ... it is not necessary for 20 people to say "I do not know", "We do not have it" ... It is understood that if we do not respond it is not to saturate messages and because we can not be useful .

  • Utility, here's the key to the WhatsApp group of the school working well. It should be used to solve doubts that affect the whole class, to remember important dates, to agree how this year's costume or the little gift to the teacher will be, to plan an extracurricular event, the end of course dinner ... You have to be constructive, positive and not destructive.

  • Do not ask in the group any question that will solve a Google search. If you have internet to use the group, you also have a browser connection and investigate what time the mall opens or when they release the Emojis movie.

  • Do not criticize, insult, threaten or bring sensitive issues to the group, whether they refer to teachers or to other parents of the school or anyone. In this way, in addition, we will avoid misunderstandings that written communication entails. Remember that for speaking badly of the teacher in a group you can drop a fine, since the statements we make through this medium leave a mark and serve to take legal measures if necessary, in the same way that happens with communications through of social networks. In general, it can be said that you do not include anything in the group that you would not say in the face of the person in question. Always keep respect and forms.

Any criticism can be raised in a civilized way if we want it to be constructive. Any doubt, comment, disagreement we have with the teachers, it is better to talk with them.
  • Avoid gossip, gossip, jokes or information that is not relevant. Remember: the group was created as a useful tool for school, school issues, not about such a sound case of separation, to advertise a new restaurant, to talk about football or to make jokes about Donald Trump's latest controversy ...

  • Be sympathetic to those who do not want to participate in the group or for some reason have left it (ask yourself, why have you done it, has bothered you something? Or better, ask it in person). Participating in this communication channel is no obligation and there are other ways to communicate with that person when necessary, so that you are not excluded from certain activities or news ...

  • Do not send family, private, or other children's photos. It seems that sometimes the family's WhatsApp is confused (poor, they have a lot to endure) with that of the school. As much as we want to share the communion of the eldest son or the beach vacation, it is not something that concerns the whole class.

  • Contact a group component privately if you are going to address him alone. It is not necessary for the rest of the members to find out about a conversation that only concerns two people. And, more importantly, it is not necessary to disturb the rest.

  • Do not leave your mobile phone to communicate through this group, you can write or record inconvenient things or make another misuse of the communication channel (send images, message to a single component ...). Nor is the phone any toy for the little ones (who end up sending messages by mistake, look where, to the WhatsApp group of the school).

  • Do not make subgroups, you will avoid misunderstandings and errors since it is very common to confuse the group in which we write or to which we send photos ...

  • Be restrained with the photos or videos you send of that excursion, birthday or class stay. If each member of the group sends 30 photos, imagine shaking the mobile memory. It is worth selecting the best images (why send those blurred or dark ones in which nothing is distinguished?), Those that nobody has sent before (often the same photo is repeated five times) and even send individually to the father or mother the photo if her son appears as the protagonist in it.

  • Not worth any time. It is appropriate to set time limits to reduce this participation. Although in the end, there will always be someone who does not see strange putting messages at 12 o'clock at night or at 6 in the morning, so we can politely comment that he has woken us up, that there are those who do not silence the group ...

You, have you committed any of these "sins" in the WhatsApp groups of the school? Have you witnessed them? Have you ever armed yourself with courage to say something to people who break these unwritten rules? It is complicated, since most of the time you do not have enough confidence, and what we would do with friends or family would be silent in the case of other fathers or mothers in this type of groups.

In any case, we hope that the school's WhatsApp group stays calm for a couple more weeks, Or are you already looking forward to it working? Hopefully, when activated, it serves for really useful issues and, why not, fun for our children, as an interesting excursion that brings the children of the class back beyond the school environment and that makes them (us) to resume with more desire the almost always difficult return to school.

In Babies and more Whatsapp groups of mothers and fathers are the best thing that has happened to schools in years

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In Babies and more | Whatsapp groups of mothers and fathers are the best that has happened to schools in years, Whatsapp groups of mothers and fathers are the worst that has happened to schools in years

Video: Return Journey. BK Jayanti Class. Brahma Kumaris. Peace of Mind TV (March 2024).