When you are at school, you are truly there to learn, so maybe the middle of your Precalc class isn’t the best time to comment on Lebron’s last Instagram post? This year, teachers are putting in the extra effort to enforce the phone policy by asking students to put their phones away in caddies.
Every classroom looks and functions differently and not every class utilizes the phone caddies. Math Teacher Valerie Coon said, “I know other teachers who used the caddies last year and found them very beneficial in eliminating phone usage during class. I have chosen not to use them, because I feel like what I have been doing over the years works for me. From day one, I let students know that they are not allowed to use their phone in my class.” Coon says that she stays consistent with her expectations and things work out pretty well for her.
AP Government Teacher Michele Fournier started having students place their phones in caddies during class everyday starting this year. She said, “I don’t know if it’s the mix of students that I have, but they definitely seem to be more engaged and more willing to answer questions. I definitely know that they don’t have something to distract them so they’re not worried about somebody texting them.”
There are many factors that affect a class’s productivity and efficiency and phones are definitely one of them. Times weren’t always like this, believe it or not. Students survived without phones back in the day. Fournier said, “For the past few years I have had an entire class that wouldn’t answer questions or participate and I don’t know if they were just distracted by their phones or if it’s just the mix of students.”
Senior Marcus Sackett is an AP Government student in Fournier’s class, and he said, “I do think that some classes need it more than others. For example, in the multimedia class you use your phone a lot for taking videos or as part of the class while in a science class you don’t really need it. Because of that, I think the rule only really needs to exist for some classes.”
As much as we want to say that our phones don’t distract us, they are made essentially to be soul-sucking machines. They divert students’ attention from everything else around them. Fournier said, “I think all of us get easily distracted; I know I do. If my phone is out on my desk and I see it light up, I’m like ‘Ooh who’s…?’” We all know that this issue is not unique to students or teenagers. The technology’s compelling nature is affecting all of its users.
Coon said, “I see students getting on their phones as soon as class is over. I also see many students on their phones at lunch and walking through the halls. Many students are missing out on interacting with their peers because they are so focused on their screens.”
Sackett said, “Putting our phones away has the benefit of keeping students on track and focused along with stopping possible distractions, but on the other side, in case of an emergency, someone might not be able to reach you.”
No system is perfect and there will always be room for improvement. Sackett said, “The biggest thing I would change is to implement a strike system. For example if you are taking your phone out too much then you have to put it in the pockets for that day or grading period. I also think that it is something that should be put in place for younger students and not on the older more mature ones [seniors].” These processes are also not always designed to serve students of all ages and maturity and it can impact some students. Regardless, if a student has taken on a certain responsibility that requires phone usage, communication with the teacher or instructor is always essential.
Just how we follow trends on social media, schools do the same in their own little network. Coon said, “We just heard about the LA Unified District’s ban on phones at school. At first, I thought it sounded like a great idea. As I have thought more about it, though, I realize it impacts more than just phones at school. For students who have long commutes to school, the phone offers a sense of security for parents knowing they can contact their student as they are traveling to and from school or wherever the student may have to go before they get home.”
Every classroom environment is different and every teacher has their own policies that work best for them and their students. Whether we like it or not, phones are a distraction. At the end of the day, the truth is that one can survive 56 minutes without looking at one’s phone.