As students shuffle into their classes for the day and sit in their seats ready for lessons, teachers across campus call out a familiar phrase that students seemingly dread: “Remember to put your phones in the phone jails until the end of class.” Annoyed, they put their phones in the cubbies, unaware that there are many benefits from their phones being out of their possession.
Phones are a major distraction. With interactive apps like TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat, students remain connected to their friends online but disconnected from important lessons that could be crucial for upcoming tests or even a final exam. Phone cubbies allow students like myself, who do not have the self-control to have their phone in their possession without being on it the whole period, to pay attention and participate in any discussions that are held.
Phone jails can also be used to take attendance. I have had many teachers who have checked for absences using the phone cubbies. Simply, if a phone is not in a corresponding place, the student will be marked absent.
There are some instances where students try to avoid parting with their phones by putting a phone case, or even a calculator in the cubbies. This defeats the purpose of the cubbies entirely. If a student has a legitimate need for their phone during that period, teachers will often be lenient.
Some students argue that being without their phones is a potential safety hazard. What if they need to call one of their parents throughout the day to make them aware of an on-campus threat or a medical emergency during class? In these instances, there are adults like teachers or the health technician who can contact parents. If there is an on-campus threat, administration would send out an email to every parent of every student.
In reality, during a real emergency, the phone cubbies are only a few steps away and they can go get their phones. Grabbing a phone out of the cubby is not the end of the world.
We come to school to learn and having phones is just a distraction. Any resource in the classroom, having phones is a privilege, and if the teacher wants to take them away because students are abusing their resources, teachers are entitled to do so.
Of course students want to have their phones in the classroom, but they do not need them. Time away from phones allows students to participate in class.