Anonymous
Post 10/02/2023 07:12     Subject: Re:MCPS and Yondr pouches

Anonymous wrote:This thread is why I will never teach in MCPS again. Teachers are caught in the middle of parents who can’t stand the discomfort of not being able to reach their child at any time and administrators who don’t/can’t/won’t enforce the cell phone policy because there’s too much else going on. If teachers spend their whole time confiscating phones, they’re not teaching anyone. Meanwhile, while some parents say, “just take the phone,” the other half is saying, “you can’t confiscate my kids’ belongings, what is this, a police state?”
Hear me out. What if….parents and teachers worked together to ensure kids could learn in school. The kids will be fine without phones during the school day. Many students would be the first to admit it’s a distraction they can’t resist and that they need help setting it aside to concentrate. Those things are addictive and no one wants to miss out on anything happening in their friend group. If no one has one, problem solved. For what it’s worth, many, many of the tech industry leaders delay or won’t give their kids phones because they know how harmful they are. They send their kids to schools with no phone policies on purpose.
Separate out the issues. When we combine something like cell phones with the culture wars then you muddy the waters. You can be on either side of the restorative justice or gun or racial equity debates and still want cell phones out of the schools so your kids can learn.

If you'll never teach in MCPS again, perhaps you should find a different section DCUM to hang out in.
Anonymous
Post 10/02/2023 06:25     Subject: MCPS and Yondr pouches

I’m a parent at a DCPS school that uses pouches (although we don’t use Yondr). It’s made such a positive difference in so many ways, I can’t recommend it enough. Also, a vast majority of the parents are thrilled about it. Both kids AND adults have a major cell phone addiction problem and kids don’t have the same developed brains that adults do- they need parameters and guidance! The process of collecting the phones and giving them back is seamless. The kids don’t complain about it either.
Anonymous
Post 10/02/2023 06:15     Subject: Re:MCPS and Yondr pouches

This thread is why I will never teach in MCPS again. Teachers are caught in the middle of parents who can’t stand the discomfort of not being able to reach their child at any time and administrators who don’t/can’t/won’t enforce the cell phone policy because there’s too much else going on. If teachers spend their whole time confiscating phones, they’re not teaching anyone. Meanwhile, while some parents say, “just take the phone,” the other half is saying, “you can’t confiscate my kids’ belongings, what is this, a police state?”
Hear me out. What if….parents and teachers worked together to ensure kids could learn in school. The kids will be fine without phones during the school day. Many students would be the first to admit it’s a distraction they can’t resist and that they need help setting it aside to concentrate. Those things are addictive and no one wants to miss out on anything happening in their friend group. If no one has one, problem solved. For what it’s worth, many, many of the tech industry leaders delay or won’t give their kids phones because they know how harmful they are. They send their kids to schools with no phone policies on purpose.
Separate out the issues. When we combine something like cell phones with the culture wars then you muddy the waters. You can be on either side of the restorative justice or gun or racial equity debates and still want cell phones out of the schools so your kids can learn.
Anonymous
Post 10/02/2023 00:18     Subject: MCPS and Yondr pouches

Anonymous wrote:I think it's funny when people make snide side comments about the stupidity of MCPS having an antiracism audit when there are literally three threads on the first page of this forum about racist incidents at MCPS schools.


And then? Letting a handful of morons take money away from a program that would help ALL students (including undeserved) achieve higher in life don't make no damn sense
Anonymous
Post 10/01/2023 23:11     Subject: MCPS and Yondr pouches

Anonymous wrote:My kid goes to private now but was in MCPS. Her school uses the yondr pouches and I love them. Kids can use their phones in the morning, then into the pouches they go. They can leave them in lockers or carry them with them all day but they can only be unlocked by the front office or a teacher with the magnet. They get unlocked at the end of the school day.

I think high school kids get more freedom. They can sometimes use them in class, during lunch. etc. my kid is in middle.

Parents are the problem. Im sure they’d be costly for a district as huge as MCPS but they could find a way if they wanted to…..





How is parents the problem? MCPS has a rule and the school chooses not to follow them because it’s so much trouble for them? When the students are in school, the school is in charge, is it not? They can choose to confiscate whatever, no parent should give a sh*t about it or take your kid somewhere else to school
Anonymous
Post 09/29/2023 18:21     Subject: MCPS and Yondr pouches

My kid goes to private now but was in MCPS. Her school uses the yondr pouches and I love them. Kids can use their phones in the morning, then into the pouches they go. They can leave them in lockers or carry them with them all day but they can only be unlocked by the front office or a teacher with the magnet. They get unlocked at the end of the school day.

I think high school kids get more freedom. They can sometimes use them in class, during lunch. etc. my kid is in middle.

Parents are the problem. Im sure they’d be costly for a district as huge as MCPS but they could find a way if they wanted to…..



Anonymous
Post 09/29/2023 15:38     Subject: MCPS and Yondr pouches

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:That's because every single time we try to enforce cell phone policies, parents complain that their kids need their phones on them at all times "in case of an emergency." Parents are the ones texting them in the middle of class. Sadly, a lot of problems really do all circle back to parents.


I'd complain. They don't have the right to confiscate personal property.


Sure we do. It’s not confiscation if it is returned to parents or students at the end of the day.


We don't live in a police state. They do not have the right to confiscate private property.

Sure they do. The kids agree to the rules in the code of conduct.
Anonymous
Post 09/29/2023 12:02     Subject: MCPS and Yondr pouches

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:That's because every single time we try to enforce cell phone policies, parents complain that their kids need their phones on them at all times "in case of an emergency." Parents are the ones texting them in the middle of class. Sadly, a lot of problems really do all circle back to parents.


I'd complain. They don't have the right to confiscate personal property.


Sure we do. It’s not confiscation if it is returned to parents or students at the end of the day.


We don't live in a police state. They do not have the right to confiscate private property.

they do, actually. Let's a child brings a toy to school, and it becomes a distraction. They can confiscate it. You seriously didn't know that?


We ban many things from schools: weapons, drugs, radios, video games, distracting clothing. It’s a school not a public square.
Anonymous
Post 09/29/2023 11:58     Subject: MCPS and Yondr pouches

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Because not everything needs to be taught like living in a jail.


I agree. When you treat students like inmates, they'll act like inmates.


What’s your solution? Because right now cell phone use is rampant and out of control. I think these couches are a great idea.


Teachers can tell the kids to put them away and if they don't take them or send the kids to the office for the office to handle.


In a classroom full of 30 kids there is no way a teacher can effectively police this. Nor should they have to. Kids are addicted to these phones and it’s hurting their education. Imagine if we said kids were entitled to bring video games to class-if course kids’ learning would suffer. This is a very reasonable compromise.


They get around and play games on the chromebooks anyways, I don’t see the county plan to take that away.


Just…. Wow. Parents moan teachers don’t teach them argue it’s okay to have cellphones bc kids “will do it anyway”. America is so screwed. The majority of folks need to stop having kids immediately.

+1 kids will vape anyways, so why put deterrents in? Seriously, lazy parenting.
Anonymous
Post 09/29/2023 11:57     Subject: MCPS and Yondr pouches

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:That's because every single time we try to enforce cell phone policies, parents complain that their kids need their phones on them at all times "in case of an emergency." Parents are the ones texting them in the middle of class. Sadly, a lot of problems really do all circle back to parents.


I'd complain. They don't have the right to confiscate personal property.


Sure we do. It’s not confiscation if it is returned to parents or students at the end of the day.


We don't live in a police state. They do not have the right to confiscate private property.

they do, actually. Let's a child brings a toy to school, and it becomes a distraction. They can confiscate it. You seriously didn't know that?
Anonymous
Post 09/29/2023 11:56     Subject: MCPS and Yondr pouches

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand what the argument is, the student code of conduct has clear description of disciplinary actions, use it. https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/siteassets/schools/high-schools/r-w/senecavalleyhs/uploadedfiles/about/policies/discipline2011-12.pdf
Why punish everyone else who doesn’t do anything wrong.my kid carry the cell phone to school every day and he leaves it in the locker, when he needs to contact me he uses the phone in the office, I have seen friends texting him during the day, but he never reply because he never has the phone in his possession. This is pure waste of taxer money to buy any devices for this purpose.

The problem is that some teachers/admin have given up on the CoC because there are so many problem kids. Other schools have had success with the yondr pouches. It's a much easier solution than the hodge podge application of the CoC.
Anonymous
Post 09/29/2023 11:56     Subject: MCPS and Yondr pouches

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Because not everything needs to be taught like living in a jail.


I agree. When you treat students like inmates, they'll act like inmates.


What’s your solution? Because right now cell phone use is rampant and out of control. I think these couches are a great idea.


Teachers can tell the kids to put them away and if they don't take them or send the kids to the office for the office to handle.


In a classroom full of 30 kids there is no way a teacher can effectively police this. Nor should they have to. Kids are addicted to these phones and it’s hurting their education. Imagine if we said kids were entitled to bring video games to class-if course kids’ learning would suffer. This is a very reasonable compromise.


They get around and play games on the chromebooks anyways, I don’t see the county plan to take that away.


Just…. Wow. Parents moan teachers don’t teach them argue it’s okay to have cellphones bc kids “will do it anyway”. America is so screwed. The majority of folks need to stop having kids immediately.
Anonymous
Post 09/29/2023 11:53     Subject: MCPS and Yondr pouches

To whoever said they doubted parents were the problem earlier in the thread….. I provide you with all of the above. Parents think the snowflakes all need phones at all times during the day. You know, just like the centuries of school kids did before them.
Anonymous
Post 09/29/2023 11:07     Subject: MCPS and Yondr pouches

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:That's because every single time we try to enforce cell phone policies, parents complain that their kids need their phones on them at all times "in case of an emergency." Parents are the ones texting them in the middle of class. Sadly, a lot of problems really do all circle back to parents.


I'd complain. They don't have the right to confiscate personal property.


Sure we do. It’s not confiscation if it is returned to parents or students at the end of the day.


We don't live in a police state. They do not have the right to confiscate private property.
Anonymous
Post 09/29/2023 08:16     Subject: MCPS and Yondr pouches

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand what the argument is, the student code of conduct has clear description of disciplinary actions, use it. https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/siteassets/schools/high-schools/r-w/senecavalleyhs/uploadedfiles/about/policies/discipline2011-12.pdf
Why punish everyone else who doesn’t do anything wrong.my kid carry the cell phone to school every day and he leaves it in the locker, when he needs to contact me he uses the phone in the office, I have seen friends texting him during the day, but he never reply because he never has the phone in his possession. This is pure waste of taxer money to buy any devices for this purpose.


Well, then you get a gold star ⭐️. Your child gets a gold star ⭐️. The reality is most kids do not go to the office to use their cell phones. So congratulations on your child probably being the only one to do so in the entire school system.