(TL;dr— I am a DHS graduate and young working adult from the same technology-generation as your kids. I think devices are not all bad, and are arguably very important in our current day and age.)



I come by this forum page occasionally to check on how my dear old school is doing, and recently noticed quite a few posts regarding handphone usage in the school. Thought I would like to share my two cents on this issue.

I was a student at DHS from 2008-2013, at a time where smartphones and laptops were already prevalent and used often within the school. Our age group is probably one of the earlier “smartphone generations”, and I am proud to say that just about all of us have since successfully graduated from uni education and are now productive working adults.

During our time, it was already common for teachers to send out reminders, notes, and other information via email or WhatsApp. Students were also not restricted from bringing phones/laptops to school and they usually could be freely used outside of class time. During class, it should only be used if the teacher gives permission for it, for specific activities.

Besides “official” correspondences with teachers, it is also common to have class WhatsApp groups where classmates chat, ask questions, or even organise events and group projects on. Are there sometimes frivolous chit-chatting and game-playing on devices? Definitely yes. But there is also a lot of information sharing, group work, and effective communication that cannot be achieved without handphones. As a working adult in a fast paced organisation now, we rely immensely on our phones and emails to communicate and get things done. We work at a far faster pace now than perhaps 20 years ago, and it would not be possible to do the work we do without phones. To a certain extent, this is similar to how schools of today are operating— at a far faster pace of knowledge sharing. This is the direction where our information-based world is heading, and we have to embrace it. Especially in a more rigorous environment like DHS, students must learn how to be responsible and make use of technology to their benefit. When they get into Senior High, University, and work, you’d be surprised that their reliance on technology for productive work will only increase.

Neither do I see anything inherently wrong with technology for entertainment! In our grandparents’ day, the TV was seen as a definite evil and the great technological disruptor. Today we understand it to be a useful source of info and entertainment when used right. It’s exactly the same for our phones. Young people will have to learn to self moderate, and not isolate. But if indeed the kids are not mature enough to be in control, there are always parent control apps that can be installed to ensure that they do not go overboard— I’m not familiar with these, back when we were students I don’t think they existed!

[As a rite of passage, most young people are bound to stay up late and get distracted on their devices at some point in their lives, whether parents control them or not! The more rebellious ones may in fact be the ones that were more “restricted” at home! All that is said and done, this is just a part of growing up for us. We all make mistakes in order to learn and mature.]

I remain in touch with many of my DHS schoolmates. I’m proud to say that most of us are doing well now as young adults. Many are excelling at our jobs, in stable relationships (with some even settling down!), or continuing with further studies in Masters, PhD’s and so on. For the majority of us, our devices, social media, and the occasional gaming remain an important part of our life and work. I even know a few peers that have taken to social media and online platforms to expand their creative pursuits, and I am proud of them for their resourcefulness and tenacity.

At the end of the day, every household sets their own rules and directions. I’m here only to provide my humble sharing, and taking the opportunity to reminisce of my time at DHS. These days, my dear mummy muses at how our schooling years simply flew by, and how we children are now all big and grown... haha. Enjoy the journey with your dear children now, mummies and daddies! The kids will be alright.