MTA offers an annual parent education session on timely and relevant topics to help parents learn more about the issues their teens are facing. This year’s virtual event took place on Wednesday, April 21, and featured guest speaker Dr. Eli Shapiro, director of The Digital Citizenship Project, who discussed “The Impact Of Technology Before, During and After COVID-19.” The evening began with opening remarks from Head of School Rabbi Joshua Kahn, who shared a dvar Torah, discussed the tremendous sense of achdut created among the MTA community at events that bring everyone together and introduced Dr. Shapiro. His presentation focused on the relationship that parents and children have with technology, which has shifted over the past year due to increased screen time and decreased in-person contact. Parents learned new tools to assess the impact that technology is having on their teenage children, including lack of sleep, increased exposure at a young age and cyberbullying. Dr. Shapiro shared specific techniques for promoting healthy relationships with technology and devices. “The main message of the evening is showing parents that everything we do must be done within the context of a positive relationship with our children, as we instill our values in them and teach them how to flourish on their own,” shared MTA’s Director of Guidance Mrs. Tamar Sheffey. “The partnership between yeshiva and home is vital to the success of each boy and these events help us work with parents to ensure that the social emotional needs of their children are being met in both places.” The evening concluded with a Q&A segment, providing parents with the opportunity to connect with Dr. Shapiro and dig even deeper into this topic.