As both a parent and educator I passionately agree that whole school implementation of whatever policy/system is chosen is an effective way to handle this. It's much easier on the parents and teachers when a uniform decision is made. The middle school my son attends has a policy for no cell phones during instructional time or they will be confiscated and they seem to follow it closely. There's still a lot of social pressure to have a phone during passing/lunch. That being said the older my son gets and has more involvement with sports/clubs I do want him to have access to a mobile device so just leaving it home isn't something I am comfortable with either. I like the idea of having it on their person all day but not being able to use it to encourage real interactions/take off the social media pressure while in the school building.
Thank you for this reflection, Lindsey. At a certain point, not having a phone really does interfere with young people's independence and ability to make/keep friends, and it definitely makes arranging those "late pick ups after practice" easier for parents. But wow it is a lot to manage both at home and at school.
I am a teacher in a NY state middle and high school. Our high school began using the pouches this year and it has been a game changer. Students are more engaged and actually socializing. Students were not happy at first but a few weeks in I don't really hear anything about it. They also have to put their earbuds and smart watches in the pouch.
I work in a residential treatment setting, that also has a public school on campus. The feedback I continually hear from public students is they are less distracted, less anxious and more productive in school with us. This is because all electronics are checked at the door, and returned at the end of the day. Hearing your phone go off and not being able to check it induces anxiety and can distract thoughts all day. Having a crisis plan in place so parents can contact students in a crisis is important to have in place. The bottom line, students not having phones in school appears to be a definitively better option for education and peer relations.
As both a parent and educator I passionately agree that whole school implementation of whatever policy/system is chosen is an effective way to handle this. It's much easier on the parents and teachers when a uniform decision is made. The middle school my son attends has a policy for no cell phones during instructional time or they will be confiscated and they seem to follow it closely. There's still a lot of social pressure to have a phone during passing/lunch. That being said the older my son gets and has more involvement with sports/clubs I do want him to have access to a mobile device so just leaving it home isn't something I am comfortable with either. I like the idea of having it on their person all day but not being able to use it to encourage real interactions/take off the social media pressure while in the school building.
Thank you for this reflection, Lindsey. At a certain point, not having a phone really does interfere with young people's independence and ability to make/keep friends, and it definitely makes arranging those "late pick ups after practice" easier for parents. But wow it is a lot to manage both at home and at school.
I am a teacher in a NY state middle and high school. Our high school began using the pouches this year and it has been a game changer. Students are more engaged and actually socializing. Students were not happy at first but a few weeks in I don't really hear anything about it. They also have to put their earbuds and smart watches in the pouch.
It has all been wonderful so far.
Oh wow, the earbuds too! I’m glad to hear it’s making a difference.
I work in a residential treatment setting, that also has a public school on campus. The feedback I continually hear from public students is they are less distracted, less anxious and more productive in school with us. This is because all electronics are checked at the door, and returned at the end of the day. Hearing your phone go off and not being able to check it induces anxiety and can distract thoughts all day. Having a crisis plan in place so parents can contact students in a crisis is important to have in place. The bottom line, students not having phones in school appears to be a definitively better option for education and peer relations.
That's so so cool to hear!
That point about anxiety is really true! Thanks for sharing this experience, Erin.