Ep.110 - Andrew Pudewa on Why Screens Are Destroying Your Child's Mind | Institute for Excellence in Writing | Classical Education | Homeschooling
Tue Feb 03 2026
Well over half of high school students have not read a single book in the last year. A good chunk of them have never read a book in their entire life.
Andrew Pudewa has spent thirty years fighting to reverse that trend. He is the founder of the Institute for Excellence in Writing and has taught tens of thousands of teachers and parents how to cultivate language in children.
The problem is simple. You cannot get something out of a brain that is not in there. And the linguistic input of children has collapsed because media is dumbed down and screens have fractured attention spans. Technology atrophies the skill it replaces.
Key Takeaways:
• The more screens in a classroom, the lower the reading, writing, and math skills
• Technology amplifies character so disorganized children become more disorganized
• Memory has been abandoned though it is essential for forming the mind
• Read to children at a level above their decoding skills to pull up vocabulary
• Follow CS Lewis's rule and read one old book for every new book
• Book recommendation: The Restoration of Christian Culture by John Senior
Andrew Pudewa
Founder & Director, Institute for Excellence in Writing
Dr. Johann D'Souza
Clinical Psychologist & Host 🔗 https://www.valuesfirsttherapy.com/ 🔗 https://www.valuesfirsttherapy.com/ 🔗 https://www.valuesfirstcollective.com/ 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/johanndsouza/ 🔗 https://x.com/drjohanndsouza 🔗 https://drjohanndsouza.substack.com/
#AndrewPudewa #IEW #ClassicalEducation #Homeschooling #VirtuousLeaders #ScreenFree #ReadingMatters
👇 When was the last time you finished a book?
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Well over half of high school students have not read a single book in the last year. A good chunk of them have never read a book in their entire life. Andrew Pudewa has spent thirty years fighting to reverse that trend. He is the founder of the Institute for Excellence in Writing and has taught tens of thousands of teachers and parents how to cultivate language in children. The problem is simple. You cannot get something out of a brain that is not in there. And the linguistic input of children has collapsed because media is dumbed down and screens have fractured attention spans. Technology atrophies the skill it replaces. Key Takeaways: • The more screens in a classroom, the lower the reading, writing, and math skills • Technology amplifies character so disorganized children become more disorganized • Memory has been abandoned though it is essential for forming the mind • Read to children at a level above their decoding skills to pull up vocabulary • Follow CS Lewis's rule and read one old book for every new book • Book recommendation: The Restoration of Christian Culture by John Senior Andrew Pudewa Founder & Director, Institute for Excellence in Writing Dr. Johann D'Souza Clinical Psychologist & Host 🔗 https://www.valuesfirsttherapy.com/ 🔗 https://www.valuesfirsttherapy.com/ 🔗 https://www.valuesfirstcollective.com/ 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/johanndsouza/ 🔗 https://x.com/drjohanndsouza 🔗 https://drjohanndsouza.substack.com/ #AndrewPudewa #IEW #ClassicalEducation #Homeschooling #VirtuousLeaders #ScreenFree #ReadingMatters 👇 When was the last time you finished a book?