At Jackson-Reed, phone policies have been left for teachers to decide based on their personal classroom expectations, with all teachers feeling differently about cell phones in learning environments. Some teachers have a strict no phone policy, even going as far as making students put phones in boxes, while others are more lenient with cell phone use.

There are many ways phones can be a useful resource in class. School issued devices have many restrictions and firewalls on websites which, paired with the limiting DCPS internet, hinders student access to online information. Allowing phones in class allows students to have access to those websites that might be important for research. 

Science teacher Phillip Bechara has chosen to maintain a passive phone policy in his classroom. He believes that phones can be helpful for research, calculators, timers, used as a valuable tool, etc. Especially when calculating percentages, having a calculator easy to use is very helpful. Or, if you have a lab and need a timer, phones are quick and easy to use. “Phones are a useful tool, but they are often abused,” he said.

Conversely, phones can also easily play a really distracting role in the classroom, inhibiting learning. Students might find themselves mindlessly scrolling on social media rather than completing assignments on time. Career and Technical Education and Graphic Design and Imaging teacher Alexandra Stryker believes that “students need to learn impulse control and how to prioritize and divide their attention appropriately. Collecting phones doesn’t really teach that skill, but it does have its place and purpose.” After high school, knowing how to limit screen time will help students balance their school, social life, time spent with loved ones, and lead to productivity. Others, like Stryker, will “remind students to put the phones away and take headphones out of their ears during the demos and instruction portion of class.”

Other teachers choose to simply eliminate the distraction of phones during active class time. The practice of putting phones in pouches or in a bin is understandable, but from the student perspective it simply provides another obstacle to avoid. In their minds, it makes more sense to follow honor codes and occasionally have teachers remind students to keep their phones away. “I would rather have my phone in my possession instead of someone else keeping it for me. A teacher telling me to put it away is better than not having it at all,” said a student who would like to remain anonymous. Some teachers will threaten to take students’ phones if they are overusing it, but the threat rarely materializes. The emptiness of these threats leaves students indirectly accountable to monitor their phone usage during class.