Pebble in the Pond

From the Road

by Michael Mann

National Institute on Media and the Family

A Pebble in the Pond

Sometimes it seems like the task of making a healthy difference in our children’s lives can be daunting. It helps to think of yourself as a pebble being tossed into a pond; the pond may be huge and the pebble small, but when the pebble breaks the surface of the pond, ripples are sent out. Ripples that flow on and on, sometimes for a long way. This is the story of one of the many pebbles that have been tossed by Early Childhood Media Wise Education, made possible through a grant from the McKnight Foundation.

Mary Ann Maple is the director of Grandma’s House Childcare, located at Redeemer Health and Rehabilitation Center. It is a very special place that believes the whole environment at the center should be life-giving for everyone.

Mary Ann came to a Media Wise Training the other night. She is the latest “ripple” caused by pebbles tossed last spring at a Media Wise Training. Mary Ann came to the training at the urging of Celeste Pryde and Laura Stone, two childcare professionals who work for her at Grandma’s House. These two dedicated teachers are the “pebbles” of our story.

Celeste and Laura attended a Media Wise training last June, and when they returned, they were so energized. They urged Mary Ann to send Dr. Dave’s Media Wise Tip Sheets to parents of children at their center. The 10 different tip sheets each contain a set of healthy media tips for parents, and they sent one sheet in each of their monthly mailings. But the ripples did not stop there. After lunch each day at Grandma’s House Childcare, there is a transition time to help each individual child get ready for a nap. While some were getting personal attention from the teachers, other children were traditionally allowed to view approved videos until nap time began. Not any more. Now these Media Wise educators allow the children time for quiet social interaction and then, when all are ready for nap, they read a book to them. More ripples flow out as these children are given this added opportunity to connect with two critical pillars of literacy: social interaction and wiring of the neural pathways for imagination.  Additionally, screen time is now earned when the children accomplish certain goals. And the most recent ripple was Mary Ann, coming to see for herself what had caused the energy in these two people she works with.

At Media Wise our goal is not just to have you become knowledgeable. That’s the splash of the pebble.  Our goal is also to have you be able to help others become knowledgeable. So you can create the ripples. Here’s to Celeste and Laura -  making the ripples go on and on.

That’s the news from the road,

Michael Mann

10-24-06