As an educator who deals routinely with cell phones, whenever I see an article with phones in the title, I tend to read it. I constantly am looking for some insight, some strategy that will help me help my staff and students, some feedback that I can share with parents. As a teacher, my students never had phones. As an adult, I got a flip phone when my wife was pregnant with our second child because I was a basketball coach, and we wanted to be able to communicate if something happened since my daughter was due right at the beginning of the start of the season. As a parent, I was “the last parent in the entire high school” (so said my son) to give in and purchase a phone (that could also send texts).
We have all read the terrible statistics on self-harm and suicides. We have seen the increase in time spent on screens. For those that struggle the most with that constant use of technology, there also is the inability to control its use as social media distracts from all other activities. The phone is what is unconsciously reached for when bored, waiting (in a line or for school to start or for class to start...) or when there is nothing (else) to do. We know that media literacy has been and will be important for learning and preparation and as something to be continuously aware of.
When I put these together – smartphones and the effects of social media, along with being an educator – I have a call to action. There is no blame for anyone, even the phone. I love that I can communicate with my brother in Independence, Missouri as if he were right in Minnesota ( or similarly for the semester my daughter studied abroad in Italy!). I love that I can track my brother's progress as he and his wife travel up Interstate 35 in a few weeks to celebrate the holidays. I love that I can listen to audiobooks as I workout, I can get the latest updates on my Minnesota Twins, and I can get the weather forecast each morning before heading out on bus duty. But with these benefits come some costs. I know these costs have affected everyone, but I see it especially in students. I see in many of them the inability to problem-solve without needing special attention. I see the lessening of perseverance. And when they have any free time, they reach for the phone instead of a book or heading outside. If the only time a middle-school student reads is at school, I am concerned.
At Spectrum Middle School, deliberate action has taken place to combat some of these costs. Since the end of the pandemic, we have added a day of recess during Sting Time, where physical activity and personal connection allow the body to be active and the brain to have a break. No phones/looking at screens when running around the field or gymnasium. SMS has removed phones from lunch time. Now they focus on talking/sharing with peers, enjoying the time. No phones/looking at screens when eating and laughing. And now, SMS is removing phones entirely from the classroom. Students have to keep their phones in their lockers or put their phones in a designated phone pocket for the period. No phones/looking at screens when listening and learning.
We will continue to have open communication with students about appropriate use of phones and social media since it is a part of the 21st century, and we are raising globally-competent citizens, but we will work to limit how and when to use the phone. We are realistic optimists and are eager to see some positive effects from this slight change.
Weeks at a Glance
- Thursday, December 5: Winter Fine Arts Choir Concert - high school gymnasium, 5:30 pm
- Monday, December 9: Professional Development Day - No School
- Tuesday, December 10: Information and Tour Night - sixth grade campus, 5:30 pm
- Thursday, December 12: Winter Fine Arts Band Concert - high school gymnasium, 5:30 pm
- Join the Spectrum Family: Enrollment Now Open for 2025-2026 - LINK