They’re supposed to be paying attention, but some are on their smartphones instead. The instructor is a little annoyed, as she should be.
But this is not aclassroomfull of students obsessed with their smartphones and their devices – it’s a faculty meeting.
Yes, some of the sameteachers, myself included, who don’t allowphones in class, are sneaking a peak at theirs, perhaps not an hour after lecturing our students about having theirphones out or snapping, “Put that damnphoneaway!”
In looking for solutions to problems in our schools, there’s an unfortunate tendency to look for specific villains to blame, and to see addressing these as a silver bullet. (Paul Buckowski/Albany Times Union via Getty Images)
And while some adults love to speak contemptuously of “those kids and theirphones,” put any group of people in a large room for a meeting and you’ll have the same result.
STATE LAWMAKERS PUSH FOR BAN ON PHONES IN SCHOOLS
Banningphones is the idea of the moment among politicians, educators and education advocates. For example, California Gov. Gavin Newsom pledgeshe will sign a smartphonebaninto law this summer. The Los Angeles Unified School District Board just voted tobanphones starting in January.
LAUSD will prohibit students from using theirphones during school hours, including nutrition and lunch. Each school will decide how to implement thephoneban.
VideoThe reasons for thebanare obvious:phones are absolutely a distraction in theclassroom, and social media cause conflict between students.
VIRGINIA GOV. YOUNGKIN RESTRICTS CELLPHONE USE IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Recently, one of the deans at our school, after breaking up another fight, shook his head and said, “Most of these damn things are caused by posts on social media.” Two girls get into a social media war, their boyfriends each defend their girl out of a combustible mix of chivalry and stupidity, and they end up in a fight.
Other conflicts are born of traditional bullying, but now broadcast to a much wider audience.
VideoHowever, most school districts’ internet already blocks social media sites such as Instagram and TikTok, as well as various websites. And,banor no, social media wars can and will go on outside of school hours.
SURGEON GENERAL’S ADVISORY ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH COMES AMID ‘REAL-TIME EXPERIMENT’
Parents are already speaking out against thephoneban – phones allow them to coordinate pickups and scheduling and to communicate with their kids in an emergency.
Parents are accustomed to being able to get messages to their kids whenever they want – ifphones are taken away, schools will have to deal with an influx of calls from parents, at least until parents become accustomed to theban.Teachers will have to live with students being yanked out of class to take calls and classes being interrupted with hand-delivered messages from the school office.
VideoThe larger problem is how to enforce aban. For some students, taking away theirphoneis a grievous act they tenaciously resist.It’s not uncommon for students to walk into a class sixth period buzzing about a big blowup that happened in fifth when ateachertried to take away a student’sphone. Nor isitnot unheard of for ateacherto have a physical altercation with a student over aphone.
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Moreover, students’phone-based activities and distractions havealready beenmigratingto their Apple Watches to evade our class rules limitingphones, a trend abanwill accelerate. From ateacher’s perspective, the watches are muchmoredifficult to policethanthephones.
Removingphones is winding back the clock on technological progress, and such attempts usually fail, particularly whenitconcerns a convenience all of us, includingteachers, appreciate.
VideoIn looking for solutions to problems in our schools, there’s an unfortunate tendency to look for specific villains to blame – video games, smartphones, social media, and whatever else we lament about “kids today” – and to see addressing these as a silver bullet.
If enforcing thebanis not a continual battle, an endless cat-and-mouse game, or a lot of extra work for already overworkedteachers, I certainly wouldn’t miss having to deal withphones in class. But even if we could get them to disappear,it’s not going to change things that much.
I hope I’m wrong, but my guess is thatphonebans will prove to bemoretroublethanthey’reworth.
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Glenn Sacks teaches social studies and represents United Teachers Los Angeles at James Monroe High School in the Los Angeles Unified School District. He served as a strike captain in both the 2019 and 2023 teacher strikes. His columns on education have been published in dozens of America’s largest publications. Follow him on Twitter @GlennSacks.
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