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Minnesota middle school students 'seem happy' after cellphone ban

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Re: Minnesota middle school students 'seem happy' after cellphone ban

#41

Post by pempem »

donatj wrote: post #27
tempsy wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a weird comment. Did you really think most schools widely police cell phone usage in the year 2023?

I am well aware that they don't police it. What I am questioning is the why. Why did it stop. Why have the attitudes towards personal technology in schools swung so quickly? Phones in schools seem like nothing but a distraction.

Honestly I generally agree with you. I dont even want my kid to have a phone but now that I have a child I am worried about them being able to call me if there is some kind of: - natural disaster - school shooting - third type of personal issue where the school doesn't share what happened

Growing up I do not remember my parents having these fears despite there being a bomb scare (once during my schooling).

Re: Minnesota middle school students 'seem happy' after cellphone ban

#42

Post by talldatethrow »

donatj wrote: post #19

As a former student of a Minnesota district right outside Minneapolis, it's interesting to me that they were allowed at all. When I was in school in the late 90's / early aughts we weren't even supposed to have our Discman or early MP3 players on school property. We all had them of course, but if they were seen they could be confiscated - I think it was largely an empty threat but I never saw anyone push it. Some tea…

Delete

Re: Minnesota middle school students 'seem happy' after cellphone ban

#43

Post by lozenge »

donatj wrote: post #27
tempsy wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a weird comment. Did you really think most schools widely police cell phone usage in the year 2023?

I am well aware that they don't police it. What I am questioning is the why. Why did it stop. Why have the attitudes towards personal technology in schools swung so quickly? Phones in schools seem like nothing but a distraction.

I think part of the answer was in your post- most students allowed the policy to continue. They used the Walkman out of sight without open defiance and unreasonable use. Once enough students tip over to "I'm going to use it and I don't care", the school can't do anything about it.

Re: Minnesota middle school students 'seem happy' after cellphone ban

#44

Post by nonethewiser »

tempsy wrote: post #24
donatj wrote: post #19

As a former student of a Minnesota district right outside Minneapolis, it's interesting to me that they were allowed at all. When I was in school in the late 90's / early aughts we weren't even supposed to have our Discman or early MP3 players on school property. We all had them of course, but if they were seen they could be confiscated - I think it was largely an empty threat but I never saw anyone push it. Some tea…

This is a weird comment. Did you really think most schools widely police cell phone usage in the year 2023?

Of course. Because they obviously need to.

Re: Minnesota middle school students 'seem happy' after cellphone ban

#45

Post by Octokiddie »

“A good science fiction story should be able to predict not the automobile but the traffic jam.” -- Frederik Pohl

Car, meet traffic jam. But few, if any saw this one coming. Oddly enough, today's readers would find any story based on this premise mundane - kind of like a story about a traffic jam.

From the article:

> “We do see a huge, huge difference in the way students are connecting with each other,” Smith said, later adding: “Just a short two years ago, they spent more time just looking down at their phones every moment that they could, and so it has become the culture of our building, and again, the kids seem happy.”

In the 1990s, a cell phone was an expensive toy. Today it's almost impossible to function as a member of society without one. Everyone, even, kids under 8, simply must own one of these damned devices, carry it around at all times, and respond to its every demand.

Public schools were a mess before all of this. But the cell phone has turned all of the problems in school up to 11. It has done so while offering little to nothing in return.

Re: Minnesota middle school students 'seem happy' after cellphone ban

#46

Post by lozenge »

talldatethrow wrote: post #42
donatj wrote: post #19

As a former student of a Minnesota district right outside Minneapolis, it's interesting to me that they were allowed at all. When I was in school in the late 90's / early aughts we weren't even supposed to have our Discman or early MP3 players on school property. We all had them of course, but if they were seen they could be confiscated - I think it was largely an empty threat but I never saw anyone push it. Some tea…

Delete

"They do something, she says something they don't respect, they continue, she gives up."

And what do you want her to do? Stop the lesson until the student respects her? Remove the student from the classroom?

Re: Minnesota middle school students 'seem happy' after cellphone ban

#47

Post by morelisp »

gnicholas wrote: post #25
huytersd wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just have a jammer on school premises and use mac auth for the wifi in addition to the the metal detectors at the entrance.

Even if fac/staff had a way around this, it would wreak havoc on parents and other visitors. I can't volunteer at my kid's school if it means I would be unreachable by my other kid's school. Or my spouse/doctor/etc.

I’m not really disagreeing, but - that was absolutely normal and near-universal just 15 years ago.

Re: Minnesota middle school students 'seem happy' after cellphone ban

#48

Post by tivert »

lozenge wrote: post #43
donatj wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am well aware that they don't police it. What I am questioning is the why. Why did it stop. Why have the attitudes towards personal technology in schools swung so quickly? Phones in schools seem like nothing but a distraction.

I think part of the answer was in your post- most students allowed the policy to continue. They used the Walkman out of sight without open defiance and unreasonable use. Once enough students tip over to "I'm going to use it and I don't care", the school can't do anything about it.

> Once enough students tip over to "I'm going to use it and I don't care", the school can't do anything about it.

The school can totally do something about that, they just have to be willing to confront the student and enforce the rules.

Re: Minnesota middle school students 'seem happy' after cellphone ban

#49

Post by talldatethrow »

lozenge wrote: post #46
talldatethrow wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Delete

"They do something, she says something they don't respect, they continue, she gives up." And what do you want her to do? Stop the lesson until the student respects her? Remove the student from the classroom?

One, students that don't listen used to be removed. So, potential totally yes.

Two, I expect her to put a lot of personal effort into becoming at expert in motivation, behavior management, discipline for kids. I expect her to at least read ONE book about this. She complains for 2+ years about this that I've known her. I recommend books, she gets insulted and explains why it's not relevant.

IMO a teacher being paid $90k a year for 7 hours a day of work, 10 months a year, should be working hard to improve. But instead it's just a cushy job that no one gets fired from no matter how average (or below) they are.

Ps, I have never seen her take work home once in 2 years. So don't say the hours are long.

Tldr; I'd like her to do whatever other teachers that have better control of their classrooms do. Unless you're going to tell me there's zero variation in that amongst teachers.

Re: Minnesota middle school students 'seem happy' after cellphone ban

#50

Post by lp0_on_fire »

layman51 wrote: post #39
donatj wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am well aware that they don't police it. What I am questioning is the why. Why did it stop. Why have the attitudes towards personal technology in schools swung so quickly? Phones in schools seem like nothing but a distraction.

I think they swung quickly because maybe aside from some families using them for communication in case of an emergency, the phones just became more of a liability to take away from a student. I haven’t been in classrooms recently, but I can imagine for high schoolers, taking away their phone == taking away their wallet.

I’ve never bought the “we need them for emergencies” argument.

Are there _that many_ emergencies happening that the school office is unable to field calls from parents who need to reach their child right now?

I don’t see the “it’s like their wallet” argument either. That the phone is expensive and it contains personal information doesn’t mean it’s not disruptive to the classroom.

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