Policies and Consequences

How about doing a pledge to call the main office if I need to reach my child during the day as a way to foster the many strengths. Here are some points to include in the pledge:

1. I can support improved executive functioning and planning skills (skills that adolescents work hard and struggle to develop naturally), by proactively thinking of issues/events that require parent support, such as pick up, preparing lunch, appointments, or activities in advance of school drop-off. Make a list and reconfirm in the morning before students are off to school.
2. If a student needs to reach a parent during the day, then the skill of going to the office to ask to use the phone provides them with another opportunity to connect with the staff community. There are incredible administrative staff and many students never meet any of them because they are so dialed into their phones.
3. Even if a student has their phone at breaks and lunch, these are short times and there are many things I rather they do.

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When teachers try to enforce a rule that they do not follow themselves, it can create` negative tension in the class. Teachers can go on their computers when they need to, but to go on a phone during class, without saying something like ”Sorry, I have a childcare emergency,” sets a bad example of this new policy.

Ideally, the childcare person would have contacted the main office and sent the message to the teacher, just as we want parents to do when trying to reach our student at the school.

If it is necessary to use your phone, please do so out of the sight of students, and in a private setting. Letting friends and family know about this new policy can also reduce the potential for them reaching out via a phone or text during the day.

So often students do not feel heard by the adults in their lives.

With new cell phone rules, students can again feel like they have no voice or choice. Reinforce that they will be heard once the new policy is rolled out. It is key to let them know they will have a chance to be heard. If the school immediately invites input from the students, then it could easily dissolve to the loudest voices complaining and the new rules will have a harder time prevailing.

Next, in a positive way manner why the new guidelines are being implemented. For example:

“Whether intentional or not, the phone can remove us socially, intellectually, and emotionally from being present with those we are with. The decision to move to ‘Phones Away During the Day’ was thoughtfully intentional too.  We want us all to have a greater opportunity for face-to-face connections. Not being presently focused has increased social isolation issues. While the majority of social media can be intentional and positive, it can also cause others to feel left out, judged, anxious, and targeted. We hope you will reach out to a friend or teacher if things are hard. And, we hope you will take the time to think it through yourself. Less phone time will make that possible.

Why do we come to school? (Well, it’s the law.). A huge part of why we come to school is for this in-person socialization. In our connected environment, we learn from each other, teachers and other students. We learn to work together, take turns, listen well, speak up, question things publically, and to be collaborative. At school, we do these actions face-to-face.

We are in a technology revolution—something that has changed our society. The challenge is to learn to not let it control our society. We adapt and adjust to make improvements when things are not working well. And, as with other changes in our school, over time, our prior policies started not to support the goals of school and learning, creating more problems than solutions.

The fact that most students desire to be on phones is not only a student phenomenon. Staff, teachers, all of us are pulled to our phones. We, too, will be working with the new guidelines around our own use.

We want you engaged in this social and schoolwide commitment by increasing your own personal awareness of your use and its impact on your learning or relationships. As the week moves forward please take mental or physical notes of the potential opportunities you may have gained by not using your phone during class time or in passing periods with friends. Also, notice what opportunities you may have lost by having to navigate the day without your phone. Next week, we want to hear your thoughtful feedback and we are setting aside time for that.”

Another strategy is to have students, such as the student body leadership team, read the statement to students. When information comes from other students, it is often received better. The students can say something like

“We didn’t make these new rules but the school has asked us to share this with you.”

The principal at Roosevelt High School in Seattle met with the student council when thinking of the new rules and at first they said they were against it but as the conversation continued, and they spoke about how much more they got out of the classes where the teacher had a new phone policy, the consensus shifted to favoring it. Ultimately, as adults, it becomes our responsibility to coach our students toward healthy choices in the schoolhouse.  

Brain researchers have found that the information we first receive in instruction is more significantly retained if our focus is dialed in the first time we hear/see/do something, rather than being distracted in a failed attempt to multi-task (Brain Rules by John Medina). When teachers share personal examples of times they were “off their phones” and fully present when learning something—or the opposite, on their phones and missing information— it can support the adoption of a new habit.

It is important not to shame students when they break rules, but instead to make an empathetic comment and then take the phone. For instance, “I know it is hard, I get it. It is a good thing we all get another day.” And then, have the student hand over their phone.