United States | News & Politics

I’m a teaching assistant at an elementary school where phones are banned until the final bell rings. The kids are completely used to it now, and as a result, they pay much more attention in class. The middle school nearby recently adopted the same policy, and while there was a lot of drama at first, people have adapted, and things are running more smoothly. Since the current elementary students are already familiar with the no-phone rule, I expect that when they move up to middle school, they’ll adjust easily.

In a few years, this policy will likely be widely accepted, but it probably won’t feel totally smooth until these students reach high school.

That wont work. Kids are not going to stop using their phone if they have it on them. They need to remove nearly all the screens from the classroom and let these kids learn how to pay attention. Its even worse for those of us who have executive dysfunctions.

Phones are the way a lot of students learn and focus nowadays.

They shouldn't be taken away, lest their ability to do those things drop.

As a former educator, I can say good luck enforcing anti-phone rules whether you want to or not.

I wasn't a cop and I didn't want to be one. I had no license (nor did I seek one) to forcibly seize and confiscate phones. Sure, some brainrot addicts would waste away on the damn things but apart from verbal attempts to get their dwindling attention, that was the beginning and the end of my authority there if I wanted to keep my job.

I've seen this again and again, but haven't cell phones been banned in classrooms for as long as there have been (mainstream affordable) phones?

I have lots of memories of "blind texting" on a T9 because I had to hide it from the teacher lol.

Also, I generally support bans in the classroom, but just let them have their phones during lunch, there's no instruction during lunch ffs

I dunno in America, school shootings are common and therefore I think students should always have access to their phones

This is the rule at my kids school. It looks fine on paper, but in practice there is no respect for sometimes rules for many adoledcents.

I think the old etiquette rules are the same as they were when our grandparents were in school.

Making a phone call during class is extremely rude, but students have a legitimate need to make phone calls outside of class, which is why high schools used to have pay phones.