The district officially updated the high school policy to mirror the middle school standards. This outcome represents a thoughtful shift toward better classroom engagement for our students. I am grateful to all who stayed committed to this conversation until we reached a consensus.
May 14, 2018
Final supporters
Updates
Reached 100 supporters
March 9, 2018
31 Comments
I don’t support this idea. Most teachers have a very realistic approach to cell phones during class. Ask your kids. If you don’t want your children to use them. Deal with that individually and at home. There aren’t many middle school policies that make any sense. I sure don’t want to see OMHS continue those policies.
Taking away cell phones will not change anything. Kids will still find ways to bully others make kids who are not in their "group" feel bad about about themselves. Parents need to teach and enforce appropriate use of technology. How to treat others with respect and kindness needs to be learned at home also. I know there will always be cliques and groups. But learning to keep your opinions to yourself and show a little kindness would go a long way toward creating a less stressful and more accepting environment.
Both of my daughter's grades dropped dramatically once they started high school. It was because of the distraction of their phones.
As a former teacher, I completely agree that the students need as little distraction as possible during school.
The thoughts and sentiments of this position at least needs to be discussed, but really should be implemented. No one needs a phone in the middle of the day. Schools have a main number that if there is an emergency situation for a student, that student can be reached.
No cell phones should be allowed during school hours.
As an OMHS teacher, I’d like to address this subject from my personal experience. I am not speaking for anyone but myself. I need my students to have a cell phone. We utilize it in AP Government daily to look up facts and track polls and trends. My students learn with their cell phones. Unfortunetly, we do not have one on one chrome books for our school system. Therefore, cell phones are essential in many classes if our targets and standards are to be met daily and on pace. We had the middle School policy and it didn’t work. We spent our time policing, not teaching. Technology is here and we must use it responsibly. We will not go backward with it. My cell phone policy is dock it face down on your desk and only use it only if I ask you. I have next-to-no problems and sadly, when I do see a student texting while I teach, they often tell me they are answering their mom’s text. I certainly don’t mean this text to be contentious. I only want to give you my professional opinion. I would ask that we focus on getting student chrimebooks instead.
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The district officially updated the high school policy to mirror the middle school standards. This outcome represents a thoughtful shift toward better classroom engagement for our students. I am grateful to all who stayed committed to this conversation until we reached a consensus.
May 14, 2018
Final supporters
Updates
Reached 100 supporters
March 9, 2018
31 Comments
I urge those who don’t attend a Shelby County high school, like parents, to listen to the accounts of many students and teachers that do. The BYOD policy does not endorse students sitting on Instagram or Snapchat all day. A lot of teachers at the beginning of the school year will establish that if they see a student using a phone during class, they will take it up. The BYOD policy is not in place so that students will use their cell phones all day every day. This policy is used to enrich the classroom experience- we use devices to look up facts in the middle of a discussion, or to email a teacher quickly if we need something. Technology is changing the world quickly and it need not be feared, because the way students learn is now faster and more accessible.
I don’t support this idea. Most teachers have a very realistic approach to cell phones during class. Ask your kids. If you don’t want your children to use them. Deal with that individually and at home. There aren’t many middle school policies that make any sense. I sure don’t want to see OMHS continue those policies.
Taking away cell phones will not change anything. Kids will still find ways to bully others make kids who are not in their "group" feel bad about about themselves. Parents need to teach and enforce appropriate use of technology. How to treat others with respect and kindness needs to be learned at home also. I know there will always be cliques and groups. But learning to keep your opinions to yourself and show a little kindness would go a long way toward creating a less stressful and more accepting environment.
Both of my daughter's grades dropped dramatically once they started high school. It was because of the distraction of their phones.
As a former teacher, I completely agree that the students need as little distraction as possible during school.
The thoughts and sentiments of this position at least needs to be discussed, but really should be implemented. No one needs a phone in the middle of the day. Schools have a main number that if there is an emergency situation for a student, that student can be reached.
No cell phones should be allowed during school hours.
As an OMHS teacher, I’d like to address this subject from my personal experience. I am not speaking for anyone but myself. I need my students to have a cell phone. We utilize it in AP Government daily to look up facts and track polls and trends. My students learn with their cell phones. Unfortunetly, we do not have one on one chrome books for our school system. Therefore, cell phones are essential in many classes if our targets and standards are to be met daily and on pace. We had the middle School policy and it didn’t work. We spent our time policing, not teaching. Technology is here and we must use it responsibly. We will not go backward with it. My cell phone policy is dock it face down on your desk and only use it only if I ask you. I have next-to-no problems and sadly, when I do see a student texting while I teach, they often tell me they are answering their mom’s text. I certainly don’t mean this text to be contentious. I only want to give you my professional opinion. I would ask that we focus on getting student chrimebooks instead.
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I urge those who don’t attend a Shelby County high school, like parents, to listen to the accounts of many students and teachers that do. The BYOD policy does not endorse students sitting on Instagram or Snapchat all day. A lot of teachers at the beginning of the school year will establish that if they see a student using a phone during class, they will take it up. The BYOD policy is not in place so that students will use their cell phones all day every day. This policy is used to enrich the classroom experience- we use devices to look up facts in the middle of a discussion, or to email a teacher quickly if we need something. Technology is changing the world quickly and it need not be feared, because the way students learn is now faster and more accessible.