Smartphones. They have changed virtually every aspect of life, and the classroom is no exception. However, it is important to point out that unlike other areas of daily life where the technology has been used to enhance or enrich an experience, smartphones have changed the classroom by creating a new boogeyman.  Teachers and schools do not want that technology available to students in class and every teacher since 2007 has honed skills to detect their usage.

Putting their head in their sweatshirt. Looking down in between their thighs. “Swiping” at their Chromebook screen. These are obvious signs of smartphone usage to teachers. My school like many others prohibits cell phones in class, and I do enforce the rule. I look for all the signs of use. Even examine pockets in the hallway to see if someone has the telltale rectangular bulge. But I have to be honest … I don’t really care.

Don’t get me wrong; I understand the necessity behind banning smartphones. It is hard enough to keep the attention of kids without them texting their friends during lectures or dunking off to the bathroom between breaks to record TikToks or worse still … record fights. But honestly, I don’t personally have that much trouble with students with phones. Actually, I have even encouraged their use from time to time.

Before we had a 1 to 1 Chromebook ratio, I used them to get real time feedback via online voting and question platforms. I had students use them for their photo-journalism projects and a lesson on video editing. And even during a normal low-tech lesson, I have found it is beneficial for some students to listen to their own music while they work.

In general, phones have not been a distraction in my class. I’m not naïve. I know that part of the reason they haven’t been a big distraction is because students are not supposed to have them at all, and they are trying not to get caught. So, their use is largely clandestine. I can make someone stop using their phone with simply a second look. With that being said, I am old enough to have had a cell phone when I was in middle and high school. My Nokia 3310 did not do nearly as much as today’s Samsung Galaxy 22, but it had enough to keep me distracted … yet we all managed to learn in spite of the fact there was no prohibition against cell phones in schools at that point. Additionally, I know this is low hanging fruit, but most white, suburban schools do not bar their students from having phones.  

There are also practical non-academic reasons for a student to be able to have their phones. In previous school shootings, cell phones have played a critical role in helping students and law enforcement. I also don’t want to be responsible for student phones and having a rule that requires me to take them when I see them puts that responsibility on me. Finally, unless the smartphone genie is going back in the bottle, there is a 100% chance that students will have smartphones in their adult life. Part of growing up is learning how to navigate distractions like a phone at your fingertips.

So, while I understand why schools have rules against smartphones, I think its silly and antiquated. They have them anyway. It’s time to let the idea of managing digital freedom go.