Tuesday. High school art, second period.
They're really cracking down on cell phones, and so Ms. G had asked me to make sure to collect their cell phones at the beginning of the period. I did. And, the students gave them up easily.
Towards the end of the period, a pleasant ring tone rang out. Calm. Melodic. A ring tone I would choose for my phone. (Is it new? I must go and check my phone to see if it has it.)
I looked around. The ringing phone was in the box of cell phones. Where it was supposed to be.
I continued my circuit of the room.
The students? Looked panicked. Whose phone was ringing? They had to stop it.
As far as I was concerned, the phone would stop ringing soon enough, and the students would be more aware of making sure their phones were on silent before turning them in.
But one student came up, searched through the box, found their phone, and silenced it.
I mean, this was a win as far as I was concerned.
Thursday. Eighth grade English, fourth period.
This was a co-teaching day, and the kiddos were doing some standardized testing. Phones were put away in backpacks which were stored at the front of the room, or they were on a charger in the back.
Midway through class, a phone on the charger started to speak. Clearly a ring tone. Ms. C (the general ed teacher) started to comment that the phone was where it should be and the kiddos should ignore it, until the phrase continued with an F-bomb. Oops.
Ms. C made a comment about ignoring the profanity, and she said something about phones on silent. But, again, mostly a win. The phone wasn't in the possession of the student, especially during standardized testing.
So, so far this year, no major problems with kiddos giving up their phones as required. Now we just need to teach them how to put them on silent.
Baby steps.
I can only imagine how connected kids are to their phones when adults can't even walk down a sidewalk without looking at their hands. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, they'll sit on their phones all day rather than do any school work.
DeleteI think cell phones are now banned in schools here. I don't know how they do that. Sounds like they get the kids get the picture there. I can't believe now on blogger my reading list is not refreshing. One thing after another.
ReplyDeleteSo far they get the picture here. It's early in the year yet. I had issues with kiddos on their phones yesterday. That's why ringing phones out of their possession is a win. They won't all be wins, sadly.
DeleteAll in all, that's a move in the right direction. I can see how someone would forget to silence -especially this early in the year.
ReplyDeleteOh yes, definitely good that they weren't fighting the giving up of the phones. They won't all be good days, though.
DeleteNew York State has what is called here a bell to bell cell phone ban In schools, actually broader than that. It also bans any device capable of being connected to the Internet. . . As far as I know, it’s been working well and two victories Is a good start for you.
ReplyDeleteAnd how is that working for them? I would love to hear how it's going from a teacher perspective. Because I know here the parents would lose it, as they want to be able to contact their kiddos during the day.
DeleteIt's hard to get some parents to agree to "no phones." I overheard a mother saying her son was absolutely taking his phone on a field trip. Actually, I'd want one on a field trip to take photos, but this was quite a young student, so I doubt that's what he wanted to do.
ReplyDeleteYeah, some parents are not at all helpful about this.
DeleteMy grands aren’t allowed cellphones or social media accounts in their private school. I think it’s a good thing! It’s all so much more addictive now, even for adults. Glad your school has sensible rules that are easy to follow!
ReplyDeleteMy 13 year old grandson got his first cell phone this year. He went missing for a few hours before he got the phone and his parents had no idea where he was. Turned out he wanted to walk home with a friend and got lost. So now they have Life360 on his phone to keep track of where he is. That's the only reason he got a phone before he was 16. lol
ReplyDeleteHere in Montreal (as far as I know) at least one school has begun banning cellphones. Even the students don't mind it (now), not sure if they were happy about it in the beginning or not.
ReplyDeleteOh, they talk a good game. They say they understand it. But when you get them in a classroom, they change their tune.
DeleteIt’s encouraging to see them giving up their phones without fuss. Teaching them to silence first is just another layer of responsibility-- one step closer to smoother classrooms.
ReplyDeleteJust another thing that I never had to think of when I was in school. And now, teaching online, I still don't have to think about it. I have occasionally asked a parent to verify that their kid doesn't have any "distractions" in the room with them when their in my online class, but when you can only see their face it's hard to tell if they're on a phone or just opened a different window on the laptop.
ReplyDeleteAnd it's worse for you as you can't look over their shoulder to make sure they're doing what they're supposed to be doing. But I've got a captive audience of kiddos who largely don't want to be there, so they're avoiding the assignment anyway. You're kiddos are a bit more motivated and want to be there. It makes a huge difference.
DeleteCongratulations on your victory over the vicious phone companies.
ReplyDeleteIt was a good week. This week, not so much.
DeleteI think it is really a good thing that phones are collected at the beginning of the period....
ReplyDeleteNow, if I could be exclusively in classes where that was the case.
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