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monkeyelite 4 days ago

> In the US there are a few obvious things, but everyone acts as if we are powerless to solve them

Yes but they aren’t the things you said:

1. Schools are filled with disruptive kids who use up time and resources and are not removed. 2. Teachers have no enforcement authority so they cannot do any of what you said, including removing phones. 3. Teachers and administrators are generally not smart or capable and continue to spend resources on everything except time spent reading, writing, and doing math. 4. Teachers are trapped in a web of legal red tape, bad incentives, and horrible metrics. 5. The US is segregated by by class and education.

stonemetal12 4 days ago | parent | next [-]

Is 1 even true? I can't say I have ever heard of a school that allows phones out in class. Taking them till the end of school, or making a parent come claim them is the standard punishment I have seen.

bwestergard 4 days ago | parent | next [-]

Anecdote: I have spoken to primary school teachers on the east coast of the United States who report that in recent years, there were not supported by parents and administrators when trying to separate kids from their phones ins school.

tstrimple 4 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Yes it's true but it's not limited to or even primarily phones. It's disruptive students who cannot sit still or listen to lessons regardless of whether they have a phone or not. Phones are an easy scapegoat for shit parents who won't do anything to set their kids on the right path. Anything wrong their kids do must be because of someone else. Ban the phones all you want. These parents will still be shit parents and their kids will still be disruptive in classes. We cannot tackle anti-social behaviors because it's largely a protected political and religious class.

stinkbeetle 4 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Cellphones is true, but it's mostly just another symptom of the disruptive kids.

The ones trying to do their best, who are not rude and inconsiderate of others, are usually quietly paying attention regardless of whether or not they have a phone with them. The disruptive ones are going to cause other ways to play up even if they could not have their phones with them.

monkeyelite 4 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Taking them implies they have respect to give them to you or you are willing to use force to get them. Neither exist.

Sending them home implies there is a parent who cares and will come.

etempleton 4 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Yes. It is an issue because 1. Phones are incredibly expensive now so if something happens to it parents are pissed. 2. The high prevalence of school shootings creates a feasible reason why students and their parents want their phones on their person.

Some school districts are starting to create firmer rules around this.

stetrain 4 days ago | parent | prev [-]

This was the case in schools 15+ years ago, but recently a lot have had more problems with parents complaining about teachers taking away their child's phone.

Part of it is that phones are more expensive, a $900 iPhone vs a $100 Nokia.

Another is (perhaps founded) anxiety about their child needing to have a way to communicate to the outside world in an emergency situation like a school shooting.

Also people get used to things, and modern parents have grown used to being able to text and check on their child any time of day at any location versus sending them off on their bike with no phone and telling them to be back by the time the street lights come on.

It's definitely a problem that needs to be addressed and it needs strong backing from higher levels of administration so it doesn't become an argument of each teacher versus angry parents.

arcfour 4 days ago | parent [-]

> Another is (perhaps founded) anxiety about their child needing to have a way to communicate to the outside world in an emergency situation like a school shooting.

Yes, a situation less likely to happen than being struck by lightning. Very founded!

Not to mention you can just, I dunno, borrow anyone else's phone and have one or two phone numbers memorized? Assuming if they are in an emergency and alone they are not going to be saved by a phone.

stetrain 4 days ago | parent [-]

It's rare, but scary, and humans are often bad at judging things that are rare but scary.

I'm not saying it's a good net reason to let kids keep their phones, it's just founded in some real things that have happened in this country, including a famous case where kids were calling/texting parents while police waited for over an hour before entering, while blocking parents who had arrived from entering the school.

Letting kids have their phones isn't an actual solution to that problem, but right now in a lot of places that's the argument each teacher has to have with each parent. It's better for the state, county, etc. to pass an explicit policy about phones in the classroom so teachers can just point to that policy instead of having to rehash the argument with every parent.

etempleton 4 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Districts need to make district-wide policies and have clear action steps that happens if a student is caught with the phone out.

monkeyelite 4 days ago | parent [-]

What are some examples of consequences they would enforce?

etempleton 4 days ago | parent [-]

First offense > phone goes in a lock box for the day Second offense > in school suspension Third offense > out of school suspension

monkeyelite 4 days ago | parent [-]

Schools won’t suspend problem students

tiborsaas 4 days ago | parent | prev [-]

> 2. Teachers have no enforcement authority so they cannot do any of what you said, including removing phones.

If it's school policy, the teacher could say that offending students can get suspended or some similar measure.