Why We’re Screen Free
Over the past several months, as I've shared more about the vision behind REC, one question seems to come up more than any other: Why have we chosen to create a screen-free learning environment?
It's a reasonable question, especially in a world where technology has become part of nearly every aspect of our lives. I use technology every day to communicate with families, write curriculum, manage a nonprofit, and design resources. I have no desire to pretend that screens don't exist or that our children will never need to learn how to use them wisely.
Our decision has never been about rejecting technology. Instead, it has been about protecting something that I believe is becoming increasingly rare: a child's ability to pay attention.
One of the greatest gifts God has given children is their natural sense of wonder. Anyone who has spent time with a young child has experienced it. They stop to examine a tiny insect crossing the sidewalk. They ask questions that adults often overlook. They become fascinated by a puddle, a feather, a stick, or a bird's nest. They are naturally curious because they were created to discover the world around them.
As both an educator and a parent, I have become increasingly concerned that we are asking children to divide their attention among so many competing voices that they have very little opportunity to develop that curiosity. Between tablets, televisions, phones, video games, advertisements, and the constant stream of digital entertainment surrounding them, children are consuming more information than any previous generation. The result is not simply that they are spending more time looking at screens. I wonder if they are also spending less time observing, imagining, questioning, and creating.
Research continues to explore the effects of excessive screen use on children's attention spans, sleep, emotional regulation, and mental health. While those findings are certainly worth considering, my concern runs even deeper. I believe God designed children to experience His world through real relationships and real experiences. They were created to climb trees, dig in the dirt, build forts, read stories, solve problems, create with their hands, and spend time in creation that quietly points them back to its Creator.
When Jesus taught, He often drew people's attention to the world around them. He pointed to birds, seeds, vineyards, sheep, lilies, and changing seasons. His listeners didn't simply receive information; they learned to see familiar things with new eyes. Throughout Scripture, we find that creation consistently directs our attention toward the character of God.
I sometimes wonder if our greatest challenge today is not that our children know too little, but that they are being exposed to too much. Their minds rarely have the opportunity to rest, to become bored, or to linger over a single idea. Yet some of the richest learning happens precisely in those moments. Curiosity grows in unhurried spaces. Creativity often begins where entertainment ends. Deep thinking requires time, and wisdom is rarely formed in constant distraction.
That conviction has shaped every aspect of REC. We want children to spend their days asking questions instead of simply searching for answers. We want them to discover that the natural world is not merely a backdrop for learning but one of God's greatest classrooms. We want books that invite imagination, conversations that require thoughtful listening, and experiences that engage all five senses.
None of this means our students will never use technology. They will. It is an important tool, and learning to use it wisely is part of preparing them for adulthood. But we also believe there is tremendous value in giving children a season of life in which their attention is not constantly claimed by a screen. Childhood is remarkably short, and once it has passed, we cannot give it back.
Perhaps the question is not whether technology has a place in our children's lives. The better question may be whether we are leaving enough room for the kinds of experiences that technology can never replace.
That is the childhood we hope to cultivate at REC.
With grace and grit—
Kehla
