For the 2023-2024 school year, the SSSAS faculty decided to implement a cell phone policy to prevent students from getting distracted from their classes and work. On August 23rd, Ms. McGuire, Upper School Administration, sent out this statement via email; “This year, after careful consideration of best practices for teaching and learning, we will be instituting a uniform policy for cell phone use in the classroom. All students will be expected to put their phones into classroom cell phone holders at the start of class. We know this represents a change, and our hope is by creating consistent routines around cell phones, it will limit distractions and allow students to better engage with the material being taught.”
- The purpose is to enhance student’s learning capabilities without students getting tempted by their cell phones. In the past, students would get easily distracted by their phones and, as a result, not do well in their classes because they weren’t paying attention to the lesson. Of course, cell phones are a big part of a student’s life; they give access to communication, social media, entertainment, and much more, but being on your phone for too long can carry on bad habits that can affect your everyday life.
Ms. McGuire was open for an interview about the new policy. She explained that during the summer, faculty members were discussing if they should add cell phone rules or not at the start of the year. Ms. McGuire had a lot of faith that faculty members would think highly of the policy and would instantly see a change during the school year; “I had a lot of confidence that faculty would like this kind of policy. Towards the end of the summer, Mr. Mallet put out a survey to see where faculty would stand.” Surprisingly, some teachers were nervous and hesitant about the procedure being put in place. They thought students would “push back” about having to put their phones in the cell phone holders at the start of class. “I (Ms. McGuire) just said trust me, it’s going to work out. Kids love their phones, but if you start a routine and state that this is the way it’s gonna be, they’re gonna get used to it.”
And she was right – Throughout the year so far, Ms. McGuire and other faculty members have seen such a significant change in students’ learning. There are no more distractions, which means more engagement and comprehension of the material from the students’ end. Ms. McGuire’s hope for the rest of the year is that students are able to stay fully focused in class with as little distractions as possible.
While the SSSAS administration may think fondly of this policy, some of our students have different opinions and feelings about the new rules being put in place.A google form was sent out to all students asking for their opinions about the new cell phone rule. There were a lot of mixed opinions to say the least;
“It’s not a bad policy, I think it’s a great way to implement great habits of knowing when to use your phone and when to focus.” | “I think the idea on paper is good, keeping phones away during class, but in practice it just becomes annoying. I am constantly leaving my phone behind because I think it’s in my bag, and usually during class I’m doing so much that I wouldn’t have any time to check my phone.” | “I don’t think that it is fair that some kids couldn’t help themselves so now we all get our phones taken away. If a student can’t control themselves then that student should be reprimanded. Everyone else should not have to suffer for someone else’s mistake.” | “I didn’t want to have to put my phone up but now I’m really glad I do because I pay better attention.”
Although some students were irritated and annoyed about the new implementation of the policy, there were also students that thought the policy was good and would help them pay more attention in class. Out of our 71 responses, students spend roughly 3-6 hours a day on their phone, which can be considered a lot, especially if screen time interferes with class and/or homework.
About 50% of our students are distracted by their phone while completing school work, and 50% say that they are not tempted by their cell phone while completing their work, which is a good even split between the student body. Regarding the cell phone policy, students were “annoyed”, “confused”, “frustrated” and simply “unbothered” by the policy taking place. Even if students were hesitant and displeased by the new guidelines our school has, this policy will undoubtedly help students focus more on school rather than the brightly lit screens on their phone.
