Living in the age of the Screenager
At the beginning of the school year, our policy team made a committed effort to reduce the amount of cell phone time for our Middle School and Elementary students. The team decided to extend the K-5 cell phone ban to include grades 6-8. The team cited a lack of focus on school work, cyberbullying, and the distraction caused by a cell phone's presence.
Delaney Rustin has an article in this month's School Administrator magazine. She noted more middle schools are going toward the "Away for the Day" policies with cell phones. She cites:
1. The irresistible urge of always wanting to be on the cell phone competes with executive functioning.
2. Distraction which leads to reduced cognitive capacity.
3. Studies showing a ban on cell phones in schools leads to higher academic achievement, especially among low-achieving students.
4. Spending more time on social media can lead to isolation and depression-like symptoms.
5. Cell phones were making life more complicated for younger students.
Our middle school teachers feel the Away for the Day plan is going well.
“It's just one less distraction for the students and we haven't had any behavior issues because of them.”
“I love it! My 8th graders are more apt to stay engaged in the lesson until the end of the hour. I am not battling to keep their attention off their device nor are they trying to sneak peeks at it during class.”
“I think my middle school students are more engaged; they are more willing to talk to each other before class and interact with one another after completing class work.”
“Students are more focused and I can put my attention to more pertinent classroom topics or classroom management to create a better learning environment.”
We are relatively too early in the process to declare success but feel the grassroots movement started by parents and staff is making a difference for our kids.
Go Tigers!
Superintendent Parks