Time to put the phones away

If you heard a wailing sound from the NRHEG Secondary School on the first day, it was probably directly related to the new cell phone policy that was put in place: Put them away.

The policy differs a bit, depending on if you are in grades 6-8 or 9-12. For the middle school, there are no phones allowed, hard stop. High schoolers can check theirs between classes and at lunch.

 

We’re not the first to walk this path. Blooming Prairie, Maple River, and Owatonna have preceded us in this experiment. And the push from the Minnesota legislature that all schools must have a cell phone policy in place by March has helped jump start the rest of us. The legislature didn’t specify what the policy had to be, just that there has to be one.

 

More and more studies are showing that the dependence which teenagers are showing on their phones is harmful. It is an addiction. Part of it is the dopamine release every time a notification pops up: Somebody likes me! (The same thing happens with adults!)

 

But there are also plenty of mental health problems that arise from overdependence on the screened objects. What if very few people “like” something you put on social media? What if you lose your Snap streak that you’ve had for 1,087 days? What if someone says something mean about you?

 

That last one has been an issue long before cell phones. Remember when we just passed notes? But it is exacerbated when that mean thing is sent out to hundreds of people instead of just a few who see the note. (Side note: The song “Mean” by Taylor Swift popped up on my Apple Music as I was typing this paragraph. Spooky.)

 

Phones have also become a distraction in the learning environment. Teachers had varying levels of laxity with allowing kids to have them following instructional time. I allowed them for listening to music, but that can just as easily be done by logging into Spotify on their Chromebooks and putting in earbuds. And yes, I know kids would sometimes do more than just listen to music. Time for change.

 

We have to make changes to help get kids better prepared for life after high school. I used to be on the side that said we need to help them learn to use their phones at appropriate times, but that side of the pendulum has swung all the way to the other side. I walk into Casey’s or Target or wherever and see employees on their phones. And it’s not like they put them down when a customer walks in, or even when you need help.

 

And I can already hear the arguments against this new policy. “What if my parents need to get ahold of me?” Well, youngsters, let me tell you tales of a time before cell phones. If there was an emergency, the parents would call the office, who would then give you the message. If you needed to call home, you could use the phone we have in the office. Somehow, some way, that method used to work.

 

I’ve worked for years on teaching kids to properly use their email. Maybe they, and their parents, can start using that method of communication. “Johnny, you need to take the bus to your grandma’s after school tonight” can be an email. We have problems with students and parents missing out on information that is sent via email. This can help cure that ill.

 

If there is a really big emergency that impacts everyone, by all means, get your phone. If there is a sudden change in a sporting event, go ahead near the end of the day and communicate using your cellular device. If school is shutting down early because the weather doom is upon us, get your plans in place with a text.

 

Like the English language, there are always exceptions. Some students monitor medical conditions with their phones. We’re not going to take that away. There could be other situations that arise where it would be imperative for a student to have easy access to their phone for messages from family. Those things can be handled on an individual basis. 

 

I’m sure kids will test the system. We’ll have to keep an eye on how many bathroom breaks some take, and how long they’re gone, since the first thing we thought of was that they would use that excuse to go check their phones, not to use the facilities. But if/when they get busted, the consequences will rapidly escalate; the second offense in a year means a parent has to come retrieve the phone.

 

I’ve been reading plenty of material on this subject from schools around the country that have already walked this path. Most of what I see is positive. The learning environment is vastly improved. After the first couple weeks, kids settle into the new normal. It’s the same as someone giving up smoking; it’s going to be rough at first, but it will get better.

 

Will the NRHEG policy be perfect? I’m sure there will be some cracks that will need to be filled, and kids are always good at finding those cracks much sooner than we do. But as long as the staff is all in this together, we can make our school a better place to learn. Addition through subtraction!

 

Word of the Week: This week’s word is evanescent, which means fading quickly, as in, “The anxiety from not having their phone became evanescent over time as the student became accustomed to focusing in class.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!