From a political standpoint, ed deformers and Betsy Devos are doing their part to destroy public education but there is actually a greater danger at work. It will possibly do more damage than Bill Gates, Betsy Devos, Eli Broad, and the Walton family ever thought about, THE SMARTPHONE!

As a high school teacher, I have students every day that are completely checked out of class and zoned into their smartphones. They are listening to music, watching videos, playing games and checking Snapchat messages. They have zero interest in the classroom content or the instruction being provided to them.

Rather than write notes down, they opt for the lazy approach of taking a picture. That picture generally goes into a file on their phone, never to be viewed ever again. The active participation of using a pen/pencil to write something on paper is disappearing quickly. Research from 2014 supports the idea that using electronic devices to take notes is less effective than using pencil and paper. It also results in learning less.

Another side effect that we will begin to see in the near future is a generation of people with early hearing loss. There have been many studies supporting this concept.

http://www.osteopathic.org/osteopathic-health/about-your-health/health-conditions-library/general-health/Pages/headphone-safety.aspx

http://beta.nydailynews.com/news/national/earbud-increases-hidden-hearing-loss-risk-study-article-1.2230945

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/generation-deaf-doctors-warn-dangers-ear-buds-n360041

I even have students that think it is acceptable to answer phone calls during class time. The use of phones during school time is completely out of control and it is time to make a change in what is allowable with them during the school day.

A couple of suggestions:

1. Turn back the clock a few years, confiscate phones that interfere with the instructional process. They may only be returned to the parents. After the 3rd offense then the phone is kept the remainder of the year.
2. Install a “phone locker” in each classroom. When the students enter then they are required to place their cellular device in the lockers until the class is completed.

In order for any change to be effective, there must be a community education component about the problem and why a change is needed. Parents need to understand why it is important that their children put their devices away during the instructional day. Administrators and teachers must commit to making a change and consistently enforce this new(old) policy.

David R. Taylor,                                                                                                                                  30-year Teacher, Coach, and Principal