This Florida School District Banned Cellphones. Here’s What Happened.

[Derekd3408]

Next time you go out for dinner with your family. Just sit back and count the time not just your party, but the rest of the folks are on their cell phones.

It is the end of civilized discussion.

We don't have our phones during dinner, at home or at a restaurant. Not going to tell other how to live their lives, but maybe put the phone down and talk. I see families of 4-5 out to eat that don't speak a word to each other until the food arrives, same with groups of friends.

The wife and I are not perfect, about a year ago we realized we spent way to much time with our faces buried in phones and made some changes. We could sit in a room for 45 min and not know the other was there. It was sad. My SIL and her husband don't even have their phones near them once they get home from work. It's almost to the point of annoying because you can never get ahold of them. Send a text or call them at 5:15 pm and you might get a response at 8:30, but I respect that. They value time together as a family.

 

[alaskanseminole]

Replace responsibility with addiction. Tech and social media companies know their products are addictive. Today’s generation doesn’t realize they are born into an addiction.

The Social Dilemma should be required viewing for all kids as the start Middle School then there needs to be a Part 2 for Freshman entering HS, IMO.

 

[Derekd3408]

The Social Dilemma should be required viewing for all kids as the start Middle School then there needs to be a Part 2 for Freshman entering HS, IMO.

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Kids won't embrace that. It's up to the parents to set limits when it comes to screen time.

 

[alaskanseminole]

Kids won't embrace that. It's up to the parents to set limits when it comes to screen time.

And so many don't. We do daily (and it's a constant battle), but if we're the only parent doing it, it doesn't matter. I was overwhelmed by the amount of kids in our neighborhood last night. Our streets were hopp'n! It was a fantastic night, but you'd never know it any other day. There are TWO kids outside daily, each 4 houses down from each other just shooting hoops alone. My son wants to play football or soccer, but the streets are empty, so I either have to toss it with him or he kicks the ball off the side of the house.

 

[Bulldogs1974]

And so many don't. We do daily (and it's a constant battle), but if we're the only parent doing it, it doesn't matter. I was overwhelmed by the amount of kids in our neighborhood last night. Our streets were hopp'n! It was a fantastic night, but you'd never know it any other day. There are TWO kids outside daily, each 4 houses down from each other just shooting hoops alone. My son wants to play football or soccer, but the streets are empty, so I either have to toss it with him or he kicks the ball off the side of the house.

I was probably a bad parent because of this. I didn't make my kid get on his bike to find the other kids. Most of my childhood memories are of being unable to call my friend, so you would ride over to their house, knock on the door and find them. You did this until you had enough people for a game.
I can't even fathom how many miles were put on my bike as a kid just to get friends together.

 

[alaskanseminole]

I was probably a bad parent because of this. I didn't make my kid get on his bike to find the other kids. Most of my childhood memories are of being unable to call my friend, so you would ride over to their house, knock on the door and find them. You did this until you had enough people for a game.
I can't even fathom how many miles were put on my bike as a kid just to get friends together.

I hear ya, my bike was my FREEDOM! I rode it all over God's green earth. I remember Thursday's as a kid like they were yesterday. It's the day me and my buddy's would take the long Trek across town to a Cumberland Farms (gas station) because they had the best Spy Hunter arcade. My only requirement was to call my mom from the pay phone to let her know I made it there in one piece. LOL

So many of us old farts just want for our kids the childhoods we had!

 

[Derekd3408]

And so many don't. We do daily (and it's a constant battle), but if we're the only parent doing it, it doesn't matter. I was overwhelmed by the amount of kids in our neighborhood last night. Our streets were hopp'n! It was a fantastic night, but you'd never know it any other day. There are TWO kids outside daily, each 4 houses down from each other just shooting hoops alone. My son wants to play football or soccer, but the streets are empty, so I either have to toss it with him or he kicks the ball off the side of the house.

We are very fortunate with our neighborhood. 4 families and we all graduated from the same HS in the same town we live. All of us share the same sentiment that the kids should be outside playing, but we don't even have to force them. It's massive games of soccer, flag football, tag, basketball, etc all the time. We have to force them in the house at lunch or supper time. We live on an 8 house road that's a dead end. The 4 houses without kids give them free reign of their yards, so basically the kids have 8 yards and a street to play in all day.

 

[tarheelbybirth]

Sounds like the problem isn’t the phones, it’s that teachers these days can’t keep kids stimulated and engaged.

These teachers solved that riddle.

 

[B1GDeal]

These teachers solved that riddle.

Quad-wood!!!

 

[tarheelbybirth]

My son wants to play football or soccer, but the streets are empty, so I either have to toss it with him or he kicks the ball off the side of the house.

Every Saturday, there were enough kids up at the neighborhood school that we often had two football games going at the same time. No adults anywhere in sight. They told us to get out of the house and be home before the streetlights came on. At lunch, we'd descend on somebody's house like a hungry Mongol horde.

That was a long time ago. Go up there on a Saturday today and, unless there's a youth soccer game or organized practice going on, there are no kids to be seen.

 

[alaskanseminole]

Every Saturday, there were enough kids up at the neighborhood school that we often had two football games going at the same time. No adults anywhere in sight. They told us to get out of the house and be home before the streetlights came on. At lunch, we'd descend on somebody's house like a hungry Mongol horde.

That was a long time ago. Go up there on a Saturday today and, unless there's a youth soccer game or organized practice going on, there are no kids to be seen.

It's very sad. Friday night my son wanted me to drop him off at a friend's a few streets over, so I did. When I picked him up a few hours later I asked him if he had fun. He said (with a soft pause), ya, but all Max wanted to do was be on VR. I kept begging him to go outside and play football, but he just wanted to be on that thing.

I'm not saying my son doesn't love to be on the screen, he does. BUT I think most of that is out of boredum...there's nothing else for him to do but either read or watch TV. He started reading Harry Potter a few months back and he's already on book 5, so even that doesn't fill his time completely.

Also, kids don't know how to handle down time. I can remember just walking around the neighborhood at times. No Walkman, no phone (didn't exist), nothing. Just walking around aimlessly. Kids have to occupy their minds at all times. Heck, I'm starting to get that way too. It's not a good sign of things to come.

 

[Uniformed_ReRe]

No one needs a phone to take an online class. I would be absolutely shocked if she couldn't do it on her computer.

It could be an issue if they’re using multi-factor authentication to log in.

 

[auntie_fah]

It's very sad. Friday night my son wanted me to drop him off at a friend's a few streets over, so I did. When I picked him up a few hours later I asked him if he had fun. He said (with a soft pause), ya, but all Max wanted to do was be on VR. I kept begging him to go outside and play football, but he just wanted to be on that thing.

I'm not saying my son doesn't love to be on the screen, he does. BUT I think most of that is out of boredum...there's nothing else for him to do but either read or watch TV. He started reading Harry Potter a few months back and he's already on book 5, so even that doesn't fill his time completely.

Also, kids don't know how to handle down time. I can remember just walking around the neighborhood at times. No Walkman, no phone (didn't exist), nothing. Just walking around aimlessly. Kids have to occupy their minds at all times. Heck, I'm starting to get that way too. It's not a good sign of things to come.

I find it amusing how people wax poetically about their childhood and the problems with children nowadays but then drive them a couple streets over and not tell their kids to bike or walk

As far as your comment of you starting to get to the point of occupying your mind all the time, i try to take 20 mins when i get home from work and sit in silence. I set the timer, sit myself in a quiet room and just lay there with no phone, tv, radio/music. Just silence.

 

[alaskanseminole]

I find it amusing how people wax poetically about their childhood and the problems with children nowadays but then drive them a couple streets over and not tell their kids to bike or walk

I can see the line I drew to your conclusion, so I'll let it pass. We were coming back from technical training [soccer] and he asked that I drop him off [Max lives a few streets behind us]. He typically walks or rides his electric scooter....WITHOUT a helmet! Also, [true story] he wanted me to pick him up to go get Arby's...told me before he even got out of the Jeep LOL. He's never eaten from there, but we watch so much darn football the "Arby's. We have the meats" commercial had him really wanting to try it. LOL

As far as your comment of you starting to get to the point of occupying your mind all the time, i try to take 20 mins when i get home from work and sit in silence. I set the timer, sit myself in a quiet room and just lay there with no phone, tv, radio/music. Just silence.

I think that is a brilliant idea. Opportunities to be mindful are extremely underrated/undervalued. I try to take walks around the block, but I often listen to pod casts. I need to do one without my phone.

 

[tarheelbybirth]

I'm not saying my son doesn't love to be on the screen, he does. BUT I think most of that is out of boredum...there's nothing else for him to do but either read or watch TV. He started reading Harry Potter a few months back and he's already on book 5, so even that doesn't fill his time completely.

So parents sign their kids up for this and that and the other to fill their time and all of those activities are regulated and overseen by adults and the kids never have to work things out themselves. There's always an adult there to tell them what to do. We'd get in fights on the football field and, if we didn't work it out on the field, literally take our ball and go home. And the next Saturday we were right back up there playing again.

Old man rant over.

 

[beanerhawk]

The argument of the parents not being able to reach the kids or vice versa is the one that gets me the most. When I was in high school I'd go most of the week not only with not talking to my parents but barely even seeing them. Get home and there would be a note on the table, don't forget your dentist appoint tomorrow. That was our texting! Oh to be a Gex X kid, still feels good.

 

[alaskanseminole]

So parents sign their kids up for this and that and the other to fill their time and all of those activities are regulated and overseen by adults and the kids never have to work things out themselves. There's always an adult there to tell them what to do. We'd get in fights on the football field and, if we didn't work it out on the field, literally take our ball and go home. And the next Saturday we were right back up there playing again.

Old man rant over.

That's not a rant. It's facts.

My wife has had to play mediator more than once between our son and a friend or two. Seriously, one mom told us if her son has an issue with another kid, he'll just withdraw and stop talking to him. We're like, what!? Why not at least teach him conflict resolution, not how to be passive aggressive.

I agree, though, when we were kids we'd get into a scuffle, then likely be out riding bikes with that same person the next day. Our parents often didn't know what we were doing or who with. It's the exact opposite of today where we need to know our kids' every move.

 

[hexumhawk]

I'm a big propionate of schools not allowing cell phones. Looks at what they are doing to our society and our kids in general and it should be a no-brainer for adults to get behind this.

The big falsehood is that people feel "more connected" with phones and social media but the truth is they have never felt more alone.

 

[auntie_fah]

I think that is a brilliant idea. Opportunities to be mindful are extremely underrated/undervalued. I try to take walks around the block, but I often listen to pod casts. I need to do one without my phone.

And another thing i need to be more consistent of is keeping my phone in a different area where i can’t reach for it when i am in bed. If i go to the bathroom in the middle of my night and grab the phone for whatever reason, im likely not able to get back to sleep

I mentioned in a thread a while ago that i bought a sunrise alarm clock. I rarely sleep to my alarm time. But when i do the gradually light (starting 20 mins before your alarm time) changing from dark red to a bright yellowish hue to mimic a sunrise is a more pleasurable way to wake up than a ringing from an alarm

 

[ISUBryceC]

Every Saturday, there were enough kids up at the neighborhood school that we often had two football games going at the same time. No adults anywhere in sight. They told us to get out of the house and be home before the streetlights came on. At lunch, we'd descend on somebody's house like a hungry Mongol horde.

That was a long time ago. Go up there on a Saturday today and, unless there's a youth soccer game or organized practice going on, there are no kids to be seen.

Some of it just depends on the neighborhood and the kid. My oldest kid likes things to be organized. He'll go out and play football with people for hours at a time but he likes things to have clear rules and he hates people screwing around, so he likes being really scheduled especially when it comes to sports.

My middle kid I hardly ever even see. He gets home, drops the bookbag, and goes out and plays at the park until dark. Half the time he goes to somebody else's house and eats dinner.

They are 13 and 11 and both kids have phones. They don't bring them to school. As a parent I get the anxiety about them because it's just a tough decision to make on a day to day basis.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

The ban has made the atmosphere at Timber Creek both more pastoral and more carceral.

There's a word you don't hear too often. But how is not being able to use your phone while at school prison-like?

 

[alaskanseminole]

There's a word you don't hear too often. But how is not being able to use your phone while at school prison-like?

I guess the kids view no phones like a prison and the principal as a warden. That's on the parents to explain, and reinforce, why kids are in school--to learn, not socialize on Snapchat.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Stanley added that she also found the ban problematic, saying she would feel safer at school if she could carry her cellphone in her pocket and be able to text her mother immediately if needed.

Other students said school seemed more prisonlike. To call their parents, they noted, students must now go to the front office and ask permission to use the phone.

So they CAN call their parents. Just not at the drop of a hat whenever they feel like it.

I wonder where the ACLU stands on this? I expect they are fine with the no-phone-use-in-classes part, but what about the other times?

As long as reasonable exceptions can be made - such as for the kid taking college classes - I don't have any particular objection to these restrictions. A minor increase of authoritarian control but likely to be greatly outweighed by benefits for the people being restricted and others.

 

[EasyHawk]

The middle school my wife teaches at has been cell phones only in the hall and at lunch only for a while. If seen out in class they are supposed to be taken and turned into the office and then a parent has to come get it when convenient. it seems work OK, but there are some that refuse to give it up and make it a huge battle. And there are parents that have to take off early to get there before the school closes for the day that are very angry and say their kid's phone better never be taken again, and and that they have told their kid he or she can use their phone whenever they want in class because it is probably something from the parent. The one mom demanded a meeting with my wife and the principal and said my wife was the stupidest person she had ever met and the phone better never be taken again. The principal explained that is the school policy and she reiterated it better not be enforced on her kid. I googled her later and she is a local nurse.

 

[alaskanseminole]

So they CAN call their parents. Just not at the drop of a hat whenever they feel like it.

I wonder where the ACLU stands on this? I expect they are fine with the no-phone-use-in-classes part, but what about the other times?

As long as reasonable exceptions can be made - such as for the kid taking college classes - I don't have any particular objection to these restrictions. A minor increase of authoritarian control but likely to be greatly outweighed by benefits for the people being restricted and others.

I survived elementary, MS, HS AND college w/o being able to call my parents at the drop of a hat. If my wittle tummy hurt, I went to the nurse and called my mom at work. She told me to suck it up and return to class because she couldn't afford to take off and come get me.

 

[alaskanseminole]

The middle school my wife teaches at has been cell phones only in the hall and at lunch only for a while. If seen out in class they are supposed to be taken and turned into the office and then a parent has to come get it when convenient. it seems work OK, but there are some that refuse to give it up and make it a huge battle. And there are parents that have to take off early to get there before the school closes for the day that are very angry and say their kid's phone better never be taken again, and and that they have told their kid he or she can use their phone whenever they want in class because it is probably something from the parent. The one mom demanded a meeting with my wife and the principal and said my wife was the stupidest person she had ever met and the phone better never be taken again. The principal explained that is the school policy and she reiterated it better not be enforced on her kid. I googled her later and she is a local nurse.

See, I'm the type of parent if I have to go up to the school to pick up my child's phone because they broke the rules, he'll lose it for a week. If it happens again they can keep it.

Parents that act like the above are the majority of the problems we have with kids; parents don't care about the rules, then why would the kids.

My day? Oh $hit, do NOT call my dad! PLEASE!
Today? Call my daddy. He'll come down here and kick your a$$

Huge difference.

 

[Bulldogs1974]

So they CAN call their parents. Just not at the drop of a hat whenever they feel like it.

I wonder where the ACLU stands on this? I expect they are fine with the no-phone-use-in-classes part, but what about the other times?

As long as reasonable exceptions can be made - such as for the kid taking college classes - I don't have any particular objection to these restrictions. A minor increase of authoritarian control but likely to be greatly outweighed by benefits for the people being restricted and others.

My policy is that it goes in a box when they enter the room. Cognitive science says you can divide your attention and learn anything.
This year
Parent: My child will not put their phone in the box because: "we pay for that phone".
Me: Mam I can show you a mountain of research that shows how harmful that phone is to the child's social and learning development.
Parent: I know that and I don't care.
Me: Mam, the phone is just 10 feet away from him. There is a phone on my desk that the office can call in case of emergency.
Parent: I don't care
Parent: If you take my kids phone, I'm calling the police.
Me: call the police, I'm sure they'll be delighted to handle this.
Principle: just let him have his phone.

This is education in a nut shell....
Some of you will think that this is an administrative problem. That is partially true but their concern also lies with $$$$$$. We have to keep kids in school for tax dollars that are now going to private schools and soon to private virtual academies and homeschooling. Republicans are knee capping public education in funding, which drives discipline problems that exacerbate the problem. Yes there are some spineless administrators but if you are trying to keep a school open with staffing/class options you can see the problem.

 

[alaskanseminole]

My policy is that it goes in a box when they enter the room. Cognitive science says you can divide your attention and learn anything.
This year
Parent: My child will not put their phone in the box because: "we pay for that phone".
Me: Mam I can show you a mountain of research that shows how harmful that phone is to the child's social and learning development.
Parent: I know that and I don't care.
Me: Mam, the phone is just 10 feet away from him. There is a phone on my desk that the office can call in case of emergency.
Parent: I don't care
Parent: If you take my kids phone, I'm calling the police.
Me: call the police, I'm sure they'll be delighted to handle this.
Principle: just let him have his phone.

This is education in a nut shell....
Some of you will think that this is an administrative problem. That is partially true but their concern also lies with $$$$$$. We have to keep kids in school for tax dollars that are now going to private schools and soon to private virtual academies and homeschooling. Republicans are knee capping public education in funding, which drives discipline problems that exacerbate the problem. Yes there are some spineless administrators but if you are trying to keep a school open with staffing/class options you can see the problem.

Parents suck. Period

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

My policy is that it goes in a box when they enter the room. Cognitive science says you can divide your attention and learn anything.
This year
Parent: My child will not put their phone in the box because: "we pay for that phone".
Me: Mam I can show you a mountain of research that shows how harmful that phone is to the child's social and learning development.
Parent: I know that and I don't care.
Me: Mam, the phone is just 10 feet away from him. There is a phone on my desk that the office can call in case of emergency.
Parent: I don't care
Parent: If you take my kids phone, I'm calling the police.
Me: call the police, I'm sure they'll be delighted to handle this.
Principle: just let him have his phone.

This is education in a nut shell....
Some of you will think that this is an administrative problem. That is partially true but their concern also lies with $$$$$$. We have to keep kids in school for tax dollars that are now going to private schools and soon to private virtual academies and homeschooling. Republicans are knee capping public education in funding, which drives discipline problems that exacerbate the problem. Yes there are some spineless administrators but if you are trying to keep a school open with staffing/class options you can see the problem.

I wonder how private schools handle this problem.

In my day I went to public schools. But I had friends who went to Catholic School. Kids who violated a rule like this in Catholic school would receive corporal punishment. A ruler across the bare knuckles was a common punishment back then, if the problem stayed within the classroom. If the disciplinary vice principal (or whatever they called it in Catholic School) had to get involved, it got a lot harsher.