APS Yondr Pouch: Opening at home questions

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sincere question: WHY is APS doing the pouches? Was someone pushing them for this?

It’s laziness or kickbacks

It’s neither, it’s because Fairfax is doing it, and that’s typically enough to get Duran on board with anything. That’s where he came in from, and he seems to think that FFX is best-in-class, or at least the closest comparator to APS. He doesn’t want to stray too far from whatever they do to avoid unfavorable comparisons.

Usually that’s dumb, but in this case it’s right, because the pouches aren’t just a one-off FFX thing, but are being adopted in tons of places and are generally well-received. I’ve read newspaper articles about them going back years.

Definitely Duran should not take ideas from other school districts that work. He should spend time coming up with new ideas just for fun to make sure he seems super smart and original.

Please note not one other reasonable suggestion on this thread to manage this issue which doesn’t involve dumping it back on teachers.

I'm PP and I think you misunderstand me. I'm totally in favor of taking ideas from other school districts that work. I absolutely think Duran should do that. In his position I'd do the same thing, shamelessly and repeatedly. But so far the things he tends to take from FFX are dumb things. He will often cite the FFX study of religious holidays as if APS did it and as if it's the final word on the subject, which is why our calendar now looks like swiss cheese.

I'm totally in favor of the pouches. Other schools have been doing this for years and by all accounts it has worked well. If the goal is to maximize student attention in class while minimizing the burden on teachers to manage enforcement during class time, then pouches works better than any other solution. I just think that Duran wouldn't have given pouches a second thought if FFX hadn't introduced them at some level first.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No parent that I've spoken to in person is in favor of this pouch nonsense. I sometimes wonder who is on the other side of the screen in here.

The pouches are a good idea and everyone will adapt. The helicopter parents who use their child’s possession of a phone to manage their own anxiety need to get a grip.

+1

My kid is at one of the Fairfax pilot MS, and after the first week, students don't care and teachers say it's drastically improved the atmosphere at the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My only hang up is the limited number of unlocking devices. I think each teacher should have one in the classroom, even if there’s rarely a need for it. Also, for middle schools that sometimes have their last period of the day outside (some schools have free blocks or TA blocks), there needs to be a plan to remind kids to unlock (as they may not go back inside before going to the bus and won’t be part of the large group of students that serve as a visual reminder to unlock before leaving). I don’t think it’s whining to address real issues with the program and hopefully APS will make adjustments that make it more palatable for everyone.

100% this

If the unlock could happen in any classroom, I think it would help win over a good number of people who have legitimate issues with this (half-baked) plan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No parent that I've spoken to in person is in favor of this pouch nonsense. I sometimes wonder who is on the other side of the screen in here.

It’s a trial between the pouch schools and the no pouch schools. If the students in the no pouch schools can keep their phones away just as well this year APS can go that route.

From what I’m hearing from teachers, the no pouch schools are doing great.

If by doing great you mean the teachers don’t enforce anything, then yes doing great.

No, that's not at all what I mean.

What middle school is your kid at where the phones are away all day no problem? Curious.

High school. There you go. A lot changes between 7th and 12th grade.

No one is talking about high school. I have a kid in high school and middle school. I’m aware of the changes between middle school and high school. In the middle schools it is not “going great”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:APS is very good at wasting money.

I can't take most of the parents seriously who are complaining about the expense of these pouches because these are many of the same parents who thought the millions of dollar on the virtual academy was a good idea. The cost of these pouches is just a drop in the bucket in the whole budget.

[Anonymous]

It is a no brainer (to me) to do these pouches at every middle school. The I have to track Johnny's every move crowd will figure it out. Not convinced they are the answer for high school but would be interested to hear from people what they're seeing and experiencing at Wakefield, which is supposed to have a pilot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:APS is very good at wasting money.

I can't take most of the parents seriously who are complaining about the expense of these pouches because these are many of the same parents who thought the millions of dollar on the virtual academy was a good idea. The cost of these pouches is just a drop in the bucket in the whole budget.

The unifying thread in all of their positions is high anxiety.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My only hang up is the limited number of unlocking devices. I think each teacher should have one in the classroom, even if there’s rarely a need for it. Also, for middle schools that sometimes have their last period of the day outside (some schools have free blocks or TA blocks), there needs to be a plan to remind kids to unlock (as they may not go back inside before going to the bus and won’t be part of the large group of students that serve as a visual reminder to unlock before leaving). I don’t think it’s whining to address real issues with the program and hopefully APS will make adjustments that make it more palatable for everyone.

100% this

If the unlock could happen in any classroom, I think it would help win over a good number of people who have legitimate issues with this (half-baked) plan.

my child said that there's a rumor they';ll put them on the busses for the people who forget. Can't imagine this is true though.

[Anonymous]

I love the pouches -- I home this become mandatory at all high schools too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid is forgetful. Very. I give it fewer than 2 months before the pouch comes home locked for a weekend. We use the phone for tracking since the bus stop is so far away. Will my tracking device work while the phone is in the pouch?

Questions; Why didn't APS get cell phone lockers for every homeroom? That way the kid would have to go get it but it wouldn't be locked in some impenetrable bag.

What kind of magnet do I need at home for when this thing comes home locked. Can I buy a Yondr one?

I bet your kid won't forget again after no phone for a weekend or evening. I would thank APS for this opportunity for your child to have natural consequences.

The homeroom teacher having them would be so annoying. Kids in and out during the day for late arrival/early departure and then APS has to deal with the liability issue of the phone being out of the kids' possession and being responsible for them, which I can see why they don't want that at all.

I'm a parent of a very ADHD kid who can't take stimulant medication. I am a firm believer in natural consequences, but I will say that the idea that a kid with a disability that impacts memory and attention will learn not to have ADHD because of a natural consequence like this is wrong. My kid has learned strategies for getting around the lack of a phone. He's learned to be fine with very cheap phones because that's all he can afford as a replacement. He's learned to be very polite about asking to borrow someone's phone. I have learned to not need tracking software on him. He hasn't learned to not to lose the phone, and I am sure would come home with a yondr bag if he were OP's situation. Of course if they used a shoe holder or a phone locker he'd leave it there too, so those aren't solutions to that problem.

I'm pretty sure the APS policy on this has exceptions for kids with IEPs, which surely a student who is very ADHD has one, yes?

I am not OP, but my son has ADHD and several other correlated disorders, takes all intensified classes, and has straight As. Many kids with ADHD may have a 504 plan accommodation for their disability. But not all qualify for an IEP. My plan is to plan that he loses the pouch a few times, we deal with it with his tutors and therapist and at home, and we pay for the new pouch. A lot of parents aren't so lucky as we are, though, to be able to afford a few replacement pouches. And, please read the APS policy before you comment. It's exceptions are very limited and do not address the issue of attention deficits.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No parent that I've spoken to in person is in favor of this pouch nonsense. I sometimes wonder who is on the other side of the screen in here.

It’s a trial between the pouch schools and the no pouch schools. If the students in the no pouch schools can keep their phones away just as well this year APS can go that route.

From what I’m hearing from teachers, the no pouch schools are doing great.

If by doing great you mean the teachers don’t enforce anything, then yes doing great.

No, that's not at all what I mean.

What middle school is your kid at where the phones are away all day no problem? Curious.

DP. My kid is in HS now, but when he was at Gunston, the policy was away for the day (in lockers). Sure, a few kids broke the rules, but mostly the phones were away. Actually the larger problem was the stuff kids watched & did on their school-issued iPads during class.

[Anonymous]

APS is testing the pouch because kids can’t be trusted to put the phones away and keep them away. They are addicted, just as many of their parents are addicted.

In my day, before smartphones were everywhere, if a teacher or hall monitor saw you on your phone, it would be seized and sent to the principals office where you could retrieve it at the end of the day. After a certain number of strikes, your parent would be required to come in and pick it up for you. Parent couldn’t make it to school that day? Tough.

That quaint approach wouldn’t work nowadays, because phones are everywhere and there are a lot of mommies that can’t cut the apron strings and think their kids are special and should be exempt. If you expect teachers to teach, stop expecting them to be the phone police. The pouches are clumsy and expensive, but they set up the classroom for success. Kids who actually need their phones for legitimate ongoing reasons, like to control an insulin pump, will still have them handy. Kids who “need” their phones for security blanket purposes will just have to deal with their issues like people did 20 years ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No parent that I've spoken to in person is in favor of this pouch nonsense. I sometimes wonder who is on the other side of the screen in here.

It’s a trial between the pouch schools and the no pouch schools. If the students in the no pouch schools can keep their phones away just as well this year APS can go that route.

From what I’m hearing from teachers, the no pouch schools are doing great.

If by doing great you mean the teachers don’t enforce anything, then yes doing great.

No, that's not at all what I mean.

What middle school is your kid at where the phones are away all day no problem? Curious.

DP. My kid is in HS now, but when he was at Gunston, the policy was away for the day (in lockers). Sure, a few kids broke the rules, but mostly the phones were away. Actually the larger problem was the stuff kids watched & did on their school-issued iPads during class.

My kid was at Swanson pre-pouch and away for the day was widely ignored.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The shoe holder type holders don't work because kids steal phones out of them.

No phone for the weekend is a great way for your kid to learn to be more responsible.

Not in HS. The kids put their phones in the pouch at the beginning of the class and take it out when they leave. Next class, repeat. It's simple and it works.

No, it's bell to bell.

No, not everywhere. That's just VDOE proposed guidance. It's not mandated policy yet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No parent that I've spoken to in person is in favor of this pouch nonsense. I sometimes wonder who is on the other side of the screen in here.

It’s a trial between the pouch schools and the no pouch schools. If the students in the no pouch schools can keep their phones away just as well this year APS can go that route.

From what I’m hearing from teachers, the no pouch schools are doing great.

I suspect that's a bit of an exaggeration. Great improvement for sure, not necessarily plain "great." Or, "great during my class periods so far."