Banning Phones in Schools is Incredibly Short-Sighted
As the new educational year rolls around, phones are back in the news. High Schools across the west (mainly the UK and USA) have taken to outright banning smart devices in an effort to improve the lives of young people. A constant distraction in the classroom, for years teachers have been fighting with social media beeps for the attention of their students and losing. Schools that did this years ago report happier, more outgoing students. Instead of huddling around their handsets at break, they are outside playing the games of yesteryear and just being children. Outright bans it seems are a good idea. And yet I do not think they are. Although the benefits are plain to see, these are ultimately decisions that could do more harm than good.
First, some back story. Hi! My current colleagues refer to me as Carl but for many years it was Mr. James. Prior to moving into a higher education setting I was for over a decade a high school educator. And to make things even worse for myself for more than a couple of those years I was a substitute teacher. All the jokes you see on TV about sub teachers are true. In the school heirarchy we sat somewhere between the janitors’ broom and that one staff room mug nobody cleans. Any lesson you could walk away from was a success!
