Phones have increasingly become more popular in today’s society. They have evolved from thick, heavy hunks of plastic into almost paper thin pieces of plastic and glass. 77% of all students at LNE take their phones to school with them daily, according to a survey across the U.S. Students who use their phones during class time for non-educational purposes are possibly doing worse in school because of the distraction of electronic devices.
Students who use their phones in class are more distracted than before there were phones. According to Mr. Glathar, kids have an “addiction to phones.” It has become increasingly worse over the past 5 years. Phones are a “huge distraction to students.” Mrs. Skorupa allows phones in her class, but not on desks. They can be in laps or backpacks, and she doesn’t care if students check them occasionally. She says that maybe 75% of her students check their phones during class. They are usually talking to parents, work, dealing with personal drama, and school work. Sometimes, Mrs. Skorupa will find students playing games or movies on their phones instead of paying attention in class.
Since their appearance, cell phones have distracted students. According to a survey, 54 out of 60 students said that they get on their phone during the 8:00-3:00 school day. 12 students said that they use their phones for educational purposes.
Mr. Chapman says that phones are distracting for learning. Students are “not doing what they’re supposed to be doing in class” when on their phones. Some even seem to be addicted to them.
Most students might be considered addicted to their phones because of the amount of time they are on their phones during the day. “Most people are not good at multitasking, we focus on one thing; the other is not given our full attention,” says Mr. Chapman. Many students don’t focus on school work when they should. Instead they are glued to their phone screens.
“The biggest issue comes when a teacher has stated their expectations, they’ve explained what they are, they’ve worked with the student, they’ve negotiated, they’ve talked to the student more than once, maybe called parents, the student still will refuse to comply, will refuse to put the phone away. This wastes lots of time for something that could be turned off,” says Mr. Glathar. Many students get their phones confiscated because of this refusal to comply.
If Mrs. Skorupa isn’t lecturing her students, kids are on their phones all the time. They usually use their phones for both recreational and educational purposes; it just depends on what happens in class. She says that about 10-15% of her students don’t get on their phones, but she thinks that is because they don’t have a phone. According to the survey taken, 52% of students said that phones are necessary for school learning. This would cause some administrators to believe some students have unhealthy addictions to their phones, and thus would cause for phones to be taken away more often.
Many students who don’t comply with the rules given to them should have their phones confiscated. “Administrators spend a lot of time taking phones,” says Mr. Glathar. This is only because those students don’t follow expectations given to them. Mr. Chapman says he gives his students one reminder, then takes phones when the students don’t put them away. This usually leads to him making a plan with the noncompliant students, by either having them zip it up in their backpack or just handing it over to him at the start of class. Mrs. Skorupa takes phones when they become a distraction to student learning. She talks to the students who had their phones confiscated. If she thinks the conversation went well, she gives the student their phone back at the end of the class. If the pattern of behavior continues, she takes the phone to an administrator. Classes that happen after lunch usually have a lot of redirecting that happens. This doesn’t lead to better grades for students. If phones aren’t allowed out during class time for non educational purposes, then students won’t be as distracted, so their grades will improve. “What are two important things to teens? Entertainment and socializing,” says Mr. Glathar. Kids who don’t get on their phones very often throughout the day don’t have as bad of an addiction as students who are constantly on their phones. Taking phones from students and keeping them away for a whole day causes students to be less tempted to take their phones out.
Students who get on their phones are possibly doing worse in school due to being distracted. These students aren’t paying attention to their school work. Students need to start forming the habit of leaving their phones in their bags when they walk into class. Phones should only be used for emergencies and educational purposes. Mr. Glathar says, “Information is always changing.” Meaning kids are trying to find the newest information for gossiping and news on their cellular device.