Ever wondered why the keyboards we type on have the letter layout they do? Who decided to start the top row with QWERTY?
The first typing keys were laid out like piano keys. It was the early telegraphers who found this system cumbersome. Then Remington designed a typewriter with a keyboard layout that supposedly slowed down typing to avoid the mechanism jamming. Remington bought out all the competitors and before you knew it, everyone was used to the QWERTY layout we use today. Any attempts to change the layout hits inertia with concern of the unknown. The potential for changing the keys layout and improving efficiency would be lost by everyone having to retrain and losing what has already been learned.
Change needs to have a compelling reason to overcome the inertia of what has been before and what could be in the future.
In the last eNews I wrote about the coming social media delay and how that is an opportunity for change and a healthy reset. Speaking with parents and caregivers, it’s being seen as a chance to have a wider conversation and help us be a little less isolated as families.
How often do you hear at home that everyone gets to watch whatever they want, or every kid has the latest iPhone and they’re the only one left out? Teenagers can be experts at trying to make us feel that we’re the cruellest parents on the planet.
It’s hard as a parent to know what’s actually happening out there. To hear the voice of the quiet majority of parents and what most of us are doing.
Next term Kolbe is going to work towards helping make parenting conversations a bit easier. There’s a practical way of supporting each other with the common topics that come up in our homes. For example, if your child is having a birthday party, are you comfortable for a parent to introduce themselves at the door when dropping them off?
We’re not going to dictate what decisions anyone makes or intrude on parenting decisions, rather we’re finding an avenue for parents to share how they tackle the same challenges.
The social media delay legislation is a good opportunity to help have a healthy reset with technology, and for the Kolbe community to work together for changes that will hopefully lead to a happier environment for all. Kolbe is a strong community that is at its best when we can lean on each other. Please tune in next term when we run webinars for Kolbe families to open up the conversation within our community.
If you’d like to learn more about encouraging healthy social media habits with your children, Rockingham Library is hosting a Social Media and Mental Health Workshop on Wednesday, 9 October.