S/O phones in the classroom

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are one of the rare families who will not be allowing a phone until at least 16. They will have a smart watch until then if needed. Phones guarantee they will surf and text all day. Look at adults and their behavior with phones.

Hi! I'm right there with you. My 13 and 15 yos have no phones yet and they are surviving and thriving. Many on dcum will pearl clutch, "how will they make plans!?!?". My kids figure it out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are one of the rare families who will not be allowing a phone until at least 16. They will have a smart watch until then if needed. Phones guarantee they will surf and text all day. Look at adults and their behavior with phones.

Here's the thing, you can defer giving your kid a phone but their friends will expose them to everything with their phones.

I didn't give my DS a phone until he was 14, thinking I was saving him from all the toxicity of the internet. Only to find out that one of his friends had been showing him PornHub videos on his phone when they rode the bus together. There's no safe place from phones teens even if you delay giving them one because they'll just use their friends' phones.

That's completely different than him watching that himself. Can you imagine that poor boy with the phone and how much more it is affecting him. Do you want that for your ds?

I don't think it's completely different, but yes, the boy with the phone certainly has a lot more exposure than my DS, I'll grant you that.

I'm just sharing my experience to say that not giving your kid a phone is not a shield from the harms of digital media and technology as long as their friends have it.

It mitigates it, though, and that is so much better than kids who've had free range use of their phones as young as 8. I'm holding out until at least 16 (different pp). I know my kids will be exposed, but it's vastly different than handing him a phone and essentially dropping him off in the Wild Wild West and saying good luck with that. He's seeing firsthand how his peers are addicted to their phones.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Phones are not the main issue here. You need to call the parents of those kids and let them know. Ours is locked down during school hours and I monitor it.

dp.. I recall a conversation I had with the mom of my kid's friend. Kids were in the same class.

The mom told me that the teacher called her to tell her that her son was misbehaving. She said to the teacher, "Well, what do you want me to do.. I'm not there. You need better classroom management."

I was floored. So, even if the teacher calls the parent, some parents push all the responsibility back to the teacher.

I think MCPS needs to implement the yondr pouch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here again. I don't think parents realize how much of a problem the phones are. I think that during covid kids got used to splitting their focus with school.
It was obvious that many kids had other programs open and were doing something else while on zoom. This behavior is has now carried over the classroom.
I'm baffled that parents will pay money to send their kids to a phone free private school, but won't support public school teachers in our effort to combat this problem.

The phones were not the issue. If it’s not the phone it’s the computer or something else.

Sure, everyone is opening up their laptop in the hallway or restroom to check their texts.

Delusional parents.

Yep, parents are in crazy denial about bad this issue is

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Phones are not the main issue here. You need to call the parents of those kids and let them know. Ours is locked down during school hours and I monitor it.

dp.. I recall a conversation I had with the mom of my kid's friend. Kids were in the same class.

The mom told me that the teacher called her to tell her that her son was misbehaving. She said to the teacher, "Well, what do you want me to do.. I'm not there. You need better classroom management."

I was floored. So, even if the teacher calls the parent, some parents push all the responsibility back to the teacher.

I think MCPS needs to implement the yondr pouch.

There should be a record kept of the parents responses in cases like this and a three-strikes rule implemented. If the school calls you three times about an issue with the phone for your kids, by the third infraction, the parent must come into the school with the kid for an intervention conference. And if they refuse that, then the school should escalate it with counselors and social services for child neglect charges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here again. I don't think parents realize how much of a problem the phones are. I think that during covid kids got used to splitting their focus with school.
It was obvious that many kids had other programs open and were doing something else while on zoom. This behavior is has now carried over the classroom.
I'm baffled that parents will pay money to send their kids to a phone free private school, but won't support public school teachers in our effort to combat this problem.

The phones were not the issue. If it’s not the phone it’s the computer or something else.

Sure, everyone is opening up their laptop in the hallway or restroom to check their texts.

Delusional parents.

Yep, parents are in crazy denial about bad this issue is

Seriously. They have no clue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here the reality is that kids don't put their phones away. Then they lie to their parents about it. To the parent that asked what you can do?
If your child's teacher reaches out to tell you that your child's phone use is a problem please believe them. I have no reason to lie about your child's phone use.
Kids know that the phones are supposed to be put away and silent but many classes are disrupted by notifications of some sort.
We have way too many "emergencies". Parents always seem to have an excuse why their kid needs an exception.
Again private schools have taken a hardline on this and Parents don't seem to push back nearly as much. Too many parents think that public school means that they get to do whatever they want.
County school boards also need to provide expectations to parents in the school district. Teachers are given very little support and we are expected to be the enforcers.
As I said in previous post I had a parent threaten me over their child's phone use. It's simply not worth it for me to get hurt trying to enforce a rule.
Thanks to the parents that try to work with us. I appreciate it when parents work with me as a partner in their child's education.

Parent of rising freshman here, I would absolutely take teacher's email/notification about DS not following phone rules seriously. Parents can check usage, set up restrictions, etc. BUT for that parents need to be involved and be a partner in the education experience (overused term, but I dont know a better one). On the other hand I would be against banning the phones in school outright and would not send DS to school that bans them. Phones/electronics are a way of life and kids need to learn how to balance phone use with real life experiences to be successful. Especially in HS, as far as I know colleges and workplaces do not ban "distractions".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Public school teacher here, based on the responses on the other thread I dont think parents realize how much of a phone problem we have. Kids refuse to put their phones away, it's a major distraction. Parents like to talk about classroom management but teachers are no longer allowed to hand out real consequences. Private schools work because the rules are enforceable!
The last two years have been rough on us teachers! I cope by no longer caring. It's sad but true. If your kid doesn't learn that's on them.
If parents want to help they need to keep phones out of classrooms!

I guess that's probably why our MCPS school doesn't allow them the classroom. They confiscate them if students don't comply so we don't have these problems.

This needs to be the MCPS-wide policy.

I would be in total support of the MCPS policy allowing teachers to confiscate phones if they are disrupting class. First strike, kid can get it at the end of the day. Second strike, parents have to pick it up. Third strike, parents again have to pick it up and student and parent waive the right to bring it to school if it happens again. I’m probably in the minority though.

PP here. I would support that, but not outright ban of the phones for everyone.

[Anonymous]

Just got the cell phone policy from my middle schooler's AACPS school. I love it! They also included step by step directiosn for setting up downtime in both iphones and androids

- 1st Offense – Confiscated – returned to the student at the end of the school day/parent notification
- 2nd Offense - Confiscated – returned to a parent/guardian
- 3rd Offense - Confiscated – returned to a parent/guardian and lunch detention
- 4th Offense - Confiscated - returned to a parent/guardian and after-school detention
- 5th Offense - Confiscated - returned to a parent/guardian and Friday/Saturday school
- 6th Offense - Confiscated - returned to a parent/guardian and in-school intervention

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here the reality is that kids don't put their phones away. Then they lie to their parents about it. To the parent that asked what you can do?
If your child's teacher reaches out to tell you that your child's phone use is a problem please believe them. I have no reason to lie about your child's phone use.
Kids know that the phones are supposed to be put away and silent but many classes are disrupted by notifications of some sort.
We have way too many "emergencies". Parents always seem to have an excuse why their kid needs an exception.
Again private schools have taken a hardline on this and Parents don't seem to push back nearly as much. Too many parents think that public school means that they get to do whatever they want.
County school boards also need to provide expectations to parents in the school district. Teachers are given very little support and we are expected to be the enforcers.
As I said in previous post I had a parent threaten me over their child's phone use. It's simply not worth it for me to get hurt trying to enforce a rule.
Thanks to the parents that try to work with us. I appreciate it when parents work with me as a partner in their child's education.

Parent of rising freshman here, I would absolutely take teacher's email/notification about DS not following phone rules seriously. Parents can check usage, set up restrictions, etc. BUT for that parents need to be involved and be a partner in the education experience (overused term, but I dont know a better one). On the other hand I would be against banning the phones in school outright and would not send DS to school that bans them. Phones/electronics are a way of life and kids need to learn how to balance phone use with real life experiences to be successful. Especially in HS, as far as I know colleges and workplaces do not ban "distractions".

This is not entirely true. At my workplace certain employees are prohibited from having their phones out and with them while performing their job duties. I've actually had to write people up about this. We had a staff member cause thousands of dollars worth of damage to a piece of equipment because they were distracted by a phone during operation of the equipment. Heck my son works part time at a sandwich shop they're not allowed to have have their phones out especially when they're near the meat slicer!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here the reality is that kids don't put their phones away. Then they lie to their parents about it. To the parent that asked what you can do?
If your child's teacher reaches out to tell you that your child's phone use is a problem please believe them. I have no reason to lie about your child's phone use.
Kids know that the phones are supposed to be put away and silent but many classes are disrupted by notifications of some sort.
We have way too many "emergencies". Parents always seem to have an excuse why their kid needs an exception.
Again private schools have taken a hardline on this and Parents don't seem to push back nearly as much. Too many parents think that public school means that they get to do whatever they want.
County school boards also need to provide expectations to parents in the school district. Teachers are given very little support and we are expected to be the enforcers.
As I said in previous post I had a parent threaten me over their child's phone use. It's simply not worth it for me to get hurt trying to enforce a rule.
Thanks to the parents that try to work with us. I appreciate it when parents work with me as a partner in their child's education.

Parent of rising freshman here, I would absolutely take teacher's email/notification about DS not following phone rules seriously. Parents can check usage, set up restrictions, etc. BUT for that parents need to be involved and be a partner in the education experience (overused term, but I dont know a better one). On the other hand I would be against banning the phones in school outright and would not send DS to school that bans them. Phones/electronics are a way of life and kids need to learn how to balance phone use with real life experiences to be successful. Especially in HS, as far as I know colleges and workplaces do not ban "distractions".

College professors absolutely ban phone usage in their classrooms.

You are in denial over the addictive nature of phone apps. It is perfectly appropriate to keep young brains safe for 7 hours a day and prioritize education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here the reality is that kids don't put their phones away. Then they lie to their parents about it. To the parent that asked what you can do?
If your child's teacher reaches out to tell you that your child's phone use is a problem please believe them. I have no reason to lie about your child's phone use.
Kids know that the phones are supposed to be put away and silent but many classes are disrupted by notifications of some sort.
We have way too many "emergencies". Parents always seem to have an excuse why their kid needs an exception.
Again private schools have taken a hardline on this and Parents don't seem to push back nearly as much. Too many parents think that public school means that they get to do whatever they want.
County school boards also need to provide expectations to parents in the school district. Teachers are given very little support and we are expected to be the enforcers.
As I said in previous post I had a parent threaten me over their child's phone use. It's simply not worth it for me to get hurt trying to enforce a rule.
Thanks to the parents that try to work with us. I appreciate it when parents work with me as a partner in their child's education.

Parent of rising freshman here, I would absolutely take teacher's email/notification about DS not following phone rules seriously. Parents can check usage, set up restrictions, etc. BUT for that parents need to be involved and be a partner in the education experience (overused term, but I dont know a better one). On the other hand I would be against banning the phones in school outright and would not send DS to school that bans them. Phones/electronics are a way of life and kids need to learn how to balance phone use with real life experiences to be successful. Especially in HS, as far as I know colleges and workplaces do not ban "distractions".

College professors absolutely ban phone usage in their classrooms.

You are in denial over the addictive nature of phone apps. It is perfectly appropriate to keep young brains safe for 7 hours a day and prioritize education.

Yep. My sister is a college professor. She bans phones in class and said she would love to ban laptops, but knows it’s not possible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here the reality is that kids don't put their phones away. Then they lie to their parents about it. To the parent that asked what you can do?
If your child's teacher reaches out to tell you that your child's phone use is a problem please believe them. I have no reason to lie about your child's phone use.
Kids know that the phones are supposed to be put away and silent but many classes are disrupted by notifications of some sort.
We have way too many "emergencies". Parents always seem to have an excuse why their kid needs an exception.
Again private schools have taken a hardline on this and Parents don't seem to push back nearly as much. Too many parents think that public school means that they get to do whatever they want.
County school boards also need to provide expectations to parents in the school district. Teachers are given very little support and we are expected to be the enforcers.
As I said in previous post I had a parent threaten me over their child's phone use. It's simply not worth it for me to get hurt trying to enforce a rule.
Thanks to the parents that try to work with us. I appreciate it when parents work with me as a partner in their child's education.

Parent of rising freshman here, I would absolutely take teacher's email/notification about DS not following phone rules seriously. Parents can check usage, set up restrictions, etc. BUT for that parents need to be involved and be a partner in the education experience (overused term, but I dont know a better one). On the other hand I would be against banning the phones in school outright and would not send DS to school that bans them. Phones/electronics are a way of life and kids need to learn how to balance phone use with real life experiences to be successful. Especially in HS, as far as I know colleges and workplaces do not ban "distractions".

This is not entirely true. At my workplace certain employees are prohibited from having their phones out and with them while performing their job duties. I've actually had to write people up about this. We had a staff member cause thousands of dollars worth of damage to a piece of equipment because they were distracted by a phone during operation of the equipment. Heck my son works part time at a sandwich shop they're not allowed to have have their phones out especially when they're near the meat slicer!

A Secret Service member was on his phone when an intruder got into the home of a Senator. Yep, phones are distracting to adults, as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here the reality is that kids don't put their phones away. Then they lie to their parents about it. To the parent that asked what you can do?
If your child's teacher reaches out to tell you that your child's phone use is a problem please believe them. I have no reason to lie about your child's phone use.
Kids know that the phones are supposed to be put away and silent but many classes are disrupted by notifications of some sort.
We have way too many "emergencies". Parents always seem to have an excuse why their kid needs an exception.
Again private schools have taken a hardline on this and Parents don't seem to push back nearly as much. Too many parents think that public school means that they get to do whatever they want.
County school boards also need to provide expectations to parents in the school district. Teachers are given very little support and we are expected to be the enforcers.
As I said in previous post I had a parent threaten me over their child's phone use. It's simply not worth it for me to get hurt trying to enforce a rule.
Thanks to the parents that try to work with us. I appreciate it when parents work with me as a partner in their child's education.

Parent of rising freshman here, I would absolutely take teacher's email/notification about DS not following phone rules seriously. Parents can check usage, set up restrictions, etc. BUT for that parents need to be involved and be a partner in the education experience (overused term, but I dont know a better one). On the other hand I would be against banning the phones in school outright and would not send DS to school that bans them. Phones/electronics are a way of life and kids need to learn how to balance phone use with real life experiences to be successful. Especially in HS, as far as I know colleges and workplaces do not ban "distractions".

This is not entirely true. At my workplace certain employees are prohibited from having their phones out and with them while performing their job duties. I've actually had to write people up about this. We had a staff member cause thousands of dollars worth of damage to a piece of equipment because they were distracted by a phone during operation of the equipment. Heck my son works part time at a sandwich shop they're not allowed to have have their phones out especially when they're near the meat slicer!

A Secret Service member was on his phone when an intruder got into the home of a Senator. Yep, phones are distracting to adults, as well.

I'm a physician that had to speak to a younger colleague because patients were complaining about his phone use. Things I never thought I'd being doing.

[Anonymous]

Op, would it help if like minded parents got together and went to admin, strongly requesting that the rules be enforced?