HHS joins schools across the country with the adoption of a stricter cell phone policy— every classroom now features brand new cell phone holders (or jails if you ask some students) where every kid has a designated place to put their phone at the start of class. The new policy comes as a shock to returning high schoolers, but for many freshmen it is a continuation of the HMS’s out-of-sight, out-of-mind approach to technology.
In the age of covert technology, cell phones are only the beginning of teachers’ problems. Apple watches, airpods, and all types of gadgets make their way into the classroom. It’s becoming obvious that students who welcome distractions in class will find a way out of their course work. Students that place higher value on their studies will continue to use their class time wisely in class, even when tempted by their cell phones. Outlawing device usage for all students is not an effective measure.
In a modern classroom, assignments are undoubtedly tech-oriented, so seizing cellular devices will not affect the rate of plagiarism in HHS. The policy prevents some students from cheating on assignments in class, but there are only so many assignments that can be overseen by staff. Cell phones can also be used as resources in many classes, with the use of applications such as cameras, timers, and access to academic resources currently blocked by school filtering software. Cell phones, while distracting, also offer a convenience not supplied by chromebooks or in-class tools.
In preparing students for life after high school, the new policy doesn’t address the need for self control in a student’s routine. The first thing a student does when a bell rings is head to their phone holders to check their notifications. Entry into college and the workforce doesn’t permit an individual to hand in their devices at the start of the day. High schoolers need to be able to build routines on their own, so they will be able to manage an everyday lifestyle in the future with a phone in hand. The problem isn’t eradicating cell phones, but integrating them into the lives of students.
The attempt to control device usage is warranted. Walk through any hallway during passing time, you will find the majority of kids staring at their phones. But the new policy doesn’t solve this problem for incoming high schoolers — it just avoids it for the next four years.
