Giving my phone away for classes was a normal daily pattern in high school. It never felt comfortable to do so, but it also never felt weird to me that teachers would ask us to give them our personal phones. I remember gazing at the shoe hanger or box full of phones during classes, wondering if I got an important notification or just out of discomfort with the fact that my phone was not secure with me. Only recently after Jesse’s talk and our class conversation this week did I come to realize how weird it is that I’m so used to teachers taking my phone.
If I think about it carefully, I should have the right to refuse giving my own personal phone away to a teacher, but I know for a fact that some, if not most teachers wouldn’t have reacted well to a student’s refusal. I’ve never tried it, but I just can’t see it ending well with how serious my teachers were with their phone jails. Also, if I look back on my personal learning experience and learning outcomes from high school, there is no difference in productivity and success between classes where I had my phone or didn’t. However, it’s no lie that devices can be a distraction, so navigating that in my future classes is going to be a learning process that starts now.
jessicaj
Hey Yireh,
I can agree with you about asking questions when we had to give our phones away. Defiantly would’ve been an interesting conversation to hear what the teachers had to say. I also want to say I absolutely love your drawings! – Jessica
lexicorday
Hi Yireh!
I can’t believe that your teachers took away your phone in high school, at that age I feel as though students should be mature enough to be responsible for their own devices. I know exactly how it feels when you can’t go on your phone and you feel like you’re missing out on things that you probably wouldn’t be worrying about it you did have access to your phone. I agree that phones can be a problem and it is difficult for us as future educators to decide the best strategies to make sure students are focused while also feeling comfortable in the classroom.
P.S. I love the drawings on your blog! they look amazing… I can’t wait to see what else you come up with and keep checking in on your free inquiry which look so interesting 🙂
karigroot
Hi Yireh,
My school also had a no-phone policy and would take away student’s phone’s if they noticed they were using them in class. When we were asked yesterday in class to put our phones in “phone jail” I didn’t feel that strange because it was something I was use to doing for so long. I never questioned it at the time but it does feel kind of odd now that teachers have the ability to do this. Like you said, taking away the teachers phone never crossed my mind because that’s just something you don’t do-but why not? I’m pretty sure that if someone asked for my teacher’s phone back in middle school they would have gotten in trouble for “talking back” even though they are asking the teacher the same thing she/he asked them. I don’t agree with cell phone jails but I think whatever way you decide to regulate cellphone use in your classroom, you need to make sure you are consistent and also uphold the same standards yourself.
Meaghan
Hi Yireh!
I agree with you that we should have the right to refuse giving up our own phones. Yet, for some reason we don’t. If we refuse, there are consequences, or we come off as “disrespectful”.
I never felt at ease when I would get my phone taken away too. My parents were more overprotective when I was a child, and therefore they would require to reach me during school days, especially on field trips. When I explained to my teachers that my parents wanted to be able to reach me, the teachers would say that my parents could call their phones instead. However, my parents were not big on being a hassle to others, and it was just easier to reach their own child, rather than having a ‘middleman’ communicator. Therefore, I do not believe in taking a child’s phone, however, if the student is using it in disrupting ways, I do believe there should be consequences.
PS. I love your drawings!!