This year, there were new phone procedures put into place. The new policy is that the middle schoolers’ phones should be off and away the entire day until school ends. The policy for high schoolers is a little different because it states that their phones must be off and away during instructional time, but they can use them during lunch and between classes.
The goal of these new restrictions on phone use is to make students focused on their schoolwork and academics without distractions. Also, they believe that if kids use their phones less in school, it will “eliminate conflict through inappropriate use of social media” and “encourage interpersonal connections among students.”
I believe these goals have very good intentions but aren’t a complete solution. I think the first goal makes sense, and phones shouldn’t be out while a teacher is talking or presenting notes to a class, but I think if a student’s work is done, they should be able to check their phones. For the next goal, whether social media is being used in school or not, almost every student is active on numerous platforms. Social media does cause some problems, but making these restrictions in school won’t necessarily change that. To address the last goal, I can understand that not using phones could make students interact with each other more, but honestly, it won’t matter if someone is on their phone or not if they don’t want to talk to you. As a high schooler, sometimes I want to go on my phone at the end of class when I’m bored, and it has nothing to do with who’s sitting next to me.
I think the biggest complaint about cell phone use is not being able to bring it with you to the bathroom. I understand the teacher’s point of view that not having your phone will limit the amount of time spent outside of the classroom, but as a student, I like to just have my phone with me even if I’m not going on it. Sometimes, I want to check something on my phone or call someone quickly, and I think as long as people aren’t out in the bathroom for a long amount of time, they should be allowed to bring their phones.
Students should be trusted to manage their phone use until they do something that requires a restriction. For example, if someone is out in the bathroom for an extended time, then maybe they shouldn’t be allowed to bring their phones. Also, if someone is continuously texting while the teacher is speaking or an assignment should be worked on, then it makes sense for their phone to be temporarily taken away. I just think not all students are causing an issue by having their phones with them.
Interestingly, there are different policies for middle schoolers and high schoolers. These separate policies raise the question: if these changes were put in place sooner, would the transition from Ridgewood Ave to the high school be more seamless? The new cell phone rules for middle schoolers are very similar to the rules at Ridgewood Avenue, so there is no big adjustment with phone use to be made. This makes the transition from the two schools simpler since little has changed. I remember coming into high school in seventh grade, and suddenly, I was allowed to be on my phone in the hallway and keep it on my desk, even depending on the class. I liked the freedom of being trusted to decide when to use my phone, and I remember being very happy that I could go on it during downtime. If I were an eighth grader this year, I would probably be upset about not being able to use my phone during lunch, as it is free time when you don’t have any work to do. But if I was a seventh grader this year, I wouldn’t be affected since it is similar to Ridgewood Ave phone rules.
