SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) — With the start of school, there is a nationwide effort to address the problem of cell phones in the classroom. According to a recent study by the Pew Research Center, 72 percent of high school teachers said that students’ distraction from their cell phones in the classroom is a major problem. In addition, one-third of middle school teachers and just six percent of elementary school teachers said the same.
“It was such a big problem and it wasn’t getting better, so we had to do something and after a lot of research we came to the conclusion that Yondr was probably our best bet,” said Dr. Tad Tokarz, principal of Springfield Central High School.
Springfield Central High School followed Chicopee high schools’ Yondr bag trend to combat cell phone distractions in the classroom. Each student is given their own bag that is magnetically locked and can only be opened with a release device. Phones are locked in the bag at the start of the school day and reopened after school.
“We have seen a huge improvement in our students’ ability to collaborate. They work together in class, pay attention and don’t get distracted. That’s something we’re very pleased about,” Tokarz explained.
The Pew study also found that about eight in 10 teachers said their school or district has policies on student cellphone use in the classroom. Of those, 56 percent said those policies were at least somewhat easy to enforce, 30 percent said they were difficult to enforce, and 14 percent said they were neither easy nor difficult to enforce. Tokarz told us that the Yondrpouch policy was much easier for Central’s staff to enforce than anything they’d tried before.
“Before, you weren’t supposed to have them, but our policies weren’t really coherent and we had no way of monitoring them. This gave us a concrete understanding of what should and shouldn’t happen. So if you follow the rules, there’s no problem. If you don’t, you can expect your phone to be taken away from you,” Tokarz added.
Not only has class participation improved, Tokarz also told us he’s noticed a difference in his students’ overall mental health.
“They’re more engaged with each other at lunch. Before the cell phone policy, every kid was isolated on their cell phone. Now they all sit together, talk, and have conversations like they did before cell phones became mainstream. It’s fun to see. It’s definitely louder in the cafeteria because more people are talking, but it’s a pleasant noise,” Tokarz noted.
After seeing the success of Springfield Central High School, several other schools in Springfield that don’t yet use Yondrpouches are starting to implement them. Some parents who were initially hesitant about the measure feel like they’re starting to come around, according to Tokarz.
“I think parents were used to having 24/7 contact with their children. It became a habit, and like any habit, you have to break it and learn to connect with them in a different way,” Tokarz said.
Tokarz said if parents need to reach their child during the school day, they can call the main office and they will get their child on the phone as soon as possible.
network:https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2024/04/04/challenges-in-the-classroom/
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