Engage your students
Teachers are constantly asking students to get off their phones in class. To state simply, if teachers put effort into their lessons and tried to engage the students, they would not have the problem of students being on their phones in class.
Teachers at Central say students are not important enough to be on their phones or say they need to pay attention to what is being taught. The teachers that have the problem of phones in class are often the ones who put the smallest amount of effort they can into lessons.
When a student is sitting in class, the subject they are learning is not the only thing on their mind. If a teacher is putting minimal effort into teaching a lesson, a student will not find it important enough to learn it. Even if a student tries, they often struggle, because teaching yourself something new is never easy.
After the frustration a student will experience, the phone will now step into place to provide an escape from the classroom and the lesson. As a student, one can figure something is only as important as the teacher makes it seem. If a teacher does not put in effort, why should a student?
Without the knowledge of how to complete an assignment, a student will simply stop trying. Teenagers can get by without doing homework. They might fail high school, but they can get by. Therefore, a student can spend the day on their phone and will do so if they continue to be unengaged in class.
Teachers in class continue to get angry when students are on their phones without realizing they are the problem. Giving students busy work instead of teaching them will result in a lot of missing assignments and a lot of unhappy teachers.
Phones allow communication from one student to another, usually speaking in a field of similar interest. If that student just simply felt the lesson was important and worth getting off their phone, they would do it. They would pause their communication and focus on allowing the communication the teacher is trying to get them to receive to enter their minds.
Some teachers connect with the students without fail. Some, however, do not try at all to connect with the students. Whether they do not feel it is worth their time or are afraid of trying will continue to be a mystery to the world.
No harm can come from trying. Teachers should do the job they were hired to do and try to teach something to the students. Phones in class will continue to be used unless the teacher feels it is worth trying.
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My name is Ella Levy (she/her). I am a senior and this is my fourth year on the Register. I am the co-editor-in-chief. I won most likely to join a sorority...
Jordan Nwora • Dec 17, 2021 at 1:29 pm
Can you specify the teachers that are the problem? Drop names and room numbers.
Anthony Almeida • Dec 17, 2021 at 12:34 pm
I agree completely with what my caring and hard-working colleagues have already said. I would also like to point out that what we are being asked to do, is a nearly impossible task. Making a high school class more exciting than all of the internet and all of your friends combined, simply might not be possible. At some point, the students must meet the teachers halfway. They must decide to disconnect from the dopamine feedback loop and instant gratification provided by the Internet and engage with the real people working so hard to educate them.
Cecil Zahm • Dec 17, 2021 at 1:26 pm
I <3 u Mr. Almeida!!!
Ella Levy • Dec 17, 2021 at 5:29 pm
I agree the students must meet in the middle. Again, the point of the article is to state a teacher cannot be upset that kids are on their phones when they are not teaching a class or trying to engage their students. Your imagination only goes as far as you let it. If you believe students these days find the internet more exciting than your class, the phones will remain. It is only when you look beyond your doubts you can begin to start a new chapter. Again, I completely agree students must meet in the middle but I am asking the teachers who are not trying to simply try. If you are teaching you are not the problem. If kids are on their phones in your class but you know you are a good teacher, that is simply an issue the students need to face.
Thanks for reaching out with concerns!
Jonathan Tigani • Dec 18, 2021 at 11:11 pm
Ella – I can appreciate your push to remind us that your story wasn’t a blanket statement for all educators. Thank you. I’d like to add a few things:
I did an experiment last week. 8 out of every 10 students when entering my room, had their phones in their hands. I sometimes joke with my colleagues that it’s the newest organ of the body. How can we compete with that? We lose to the smartphone, it’s a fact. Now, I take pride in building relationships with students, it is a strength of mine. Only then… through mutual respect, most of my students know when to put it away, and when it’s agreeable to “multi-task.” Even when it’s ‘away’ however, what Almeida said about the dopamine effect is spot on… it’s never really ‘away’.
In my most humble opinion, I think this conversation should enter the direction of addiction. If students (and staff) could believe… actually believe that they could be addicted to their devices, from there we could direct our energy toward healing. Would students believe that major corporations want us to be addicted to our screens? The documentary on Netflix, /the social dilemma_ gives an interesting point of view about social media and it’s powerful effect on the brain. Is it in their best interests for you to receive hundreds/thousands of alerts each day? The evolution of the smart phone has changed everything, including the classroom.. for good and definitely for the bad. Thank you for continuing the conversation, we need more students to communicate their thoughts on the matter. I promise you that every adult in the building wants to engage you and your classmates, sometimes it’s a question of how with the increasing challenges we are facing.
Peter Pham • Dec 14, 2021 at 7:41 pm
By the way, who are your teachers? You are always welcome in room 118.
Sam • Dec 16, 2021 at 9:22 pm
A teacher who cares about his students!
Lauren Beitel • Dec 14, 2021 at 7:00 pm
Ella, I’m sorry to hear you feel this way about Central and the teaching staff. It is disappointing, as all the teachers I know at Central, including myself, work hard to get to know and engage their students.
Brianna Sommer • Dec 14, 2021 at 5:00 pm
I’ve spent countless hours revamping my statistics notes to make them more hands on, yet many of my students continue to be distracted by their phones. This piece was hard to take in. When I made those adjustments, I spent many unpaid nights and weekends doing my job. I know many of my coworkers have had to take on overages, cover classes, and work extra jobs, yet still take pride in their teaching. Not only do they try, they they put their all into the job. I’d hate to think every student on their phone during their classes is doing it because they think that teacher doesn’t work hard enough.
Ella Levy • Dec 16, 2021 at 1:08 pm
Thank you for your comment. This article is not intended to be about all teachers, especially the ones that are putting in the effort. From my point of view some teachers are upset with students for being on their phones but they are not teaching the class. It is hard for me as a student to understand why I should care about a subject when the person teaching me does not. Again, this article is not in any way about all teachers or about all teachers with students that are on their phones. If a teacher is putting in effort and students are still on their phones that is a completely different issue, one my article is not directed towards. My article is simply to state, it is hard for me as a student to be directed by a teacher to put away my phone when the teacher is not trying to engage the students at all. If a teacher is not putting in effort, a student feels they should do the same.
Thank you for all that you do and thanks again for reaching out.
Jonathan Tigani • Dec 14, 2021 at 1:18 pm
As a teacher at Central, I take great pride in engaging my kiddos. This to me feels more like an attack than an opinion. I would very much enjoy the opportunity to open a dialogue – the phones are not going away any time soon! A problem is presented, a clear unhappiness in the air… what sort of solutions can we collectively and productively come up with that doesn’t involve, “try harder”?
Thanks for your piece, Ella!
Benjamin Fedoris • Dec 14, 2021 at 3:05 pm
I would also, gladly be part of any open discussion that takes place. I would welcome ideas and communication from the students on this matter.