In this day and age, every ring, buzz, and alerting tune has individuals of all ages running to their phones. With technological developments and the integration of phones into daily life, concentration and attention spans have been severely impacted. This leads to a harder time focusing while doing important tasks, especially for developing young minds. In order for students to progress and learn in a school environment, they need to be cleansed from distractions, even as simple chirps from their everyday devices. Here at Ramapo, some teachers have been requiring phones to be put away in caddies. Phone caddies have become a normalized tool to aid in establishing a distraction-free zone for students.
This tactic was introduced first by English teacher Ms. Loccke in 2015. Since then, kids have been coming back to thank her for the phone caddy because it helped ease distractions, overall leading to better focus and a better classroom environment. She states, “A hundred percent, no doubt in my mind, phone caddies help kids focus. It keeps them from being distracted, it lowers the anxiety in the room, and gives students a needed break from the barrage of notifications, texts, news reports, and other distractions.”
The internet is at our fingertips, but the positive aspects are completely covered by the addictive features. According to an article published by the non-profit online college, Western Governors University, a study conducted by Common Sense Media reports that, “‘50 percent of teens ‘feel addicted’ to mobile devices.’ It also states that 78 percent of teens check their devices at least hourly, and 72 percent of teens feel the need to immediately respond to texts, messages on social networks, and other notifications” (WGU.edu). These studies confirm the dangerous aspects of screens and their addictive features.
“Multitasking” is the word we all use to cover up the fact that we are distracted. Some think that watching TV, looking at the news, and staring at texts while also doing hard, thought-provoking work is an acceptable way to get tasks done. Ask yourself this: do you remember more of that homework assignment, or more of the episode you were watching on Netflix?
Since 2015, access to technology has only become more normalized and Ms. Loccke called it! She says, “Now we have the proof that used to be common intuition that phones are not good. All the studies show that people are depressed, disconnected, their attention span is plummeting and oddly, the more access you have to the world on a laptop and phone, kids are less resourceful, less independent, and less creative than before.”
Phones are a distraction and this is a universally agreed fact. Whether we like it or not, phone caddies are becoming a normality in the Ramapo community because of the numerous health and emotional benefits they provide in the classroom.
Ramapo student Mackenzie Giampietro comments, “I think phone caddies help people pay attention; however some teachers are too extreme.” This is a thought shared by many Ramapo students who agree that some teachers could take it down a notch while still providing a distraction-free environment. For example, instead of penalizing or putting in place consequences for accidentally forgetting to turn off the ringer or forgetting to place your phone in the caddy, being more lenient might promote the use of the caddy. Putting a positive spin on it as well might persuade students to take part. Ms. Loccke, for example, hands out points for storing your phone in her nursery. In the end, students get additional credit and Mrs. Loccke is able to teach in a distraction-free zone beneficial to both her and especially her students!
The feedback from Ramapo students is extremely important when covering matters that are relevant to student life. If you would like to share your opinions, scan the QR codes below to fill out opinion forms on the usefulness of phone caddies available to both students and teachers!
