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Unplugged Potential for Educators and Students

Unplugged Potential for Educators and Students

Let's be honest—our phones wield a significant power over our lives, but we must admit that we are the ones giving it that power. We pick up the phones instead of tackling our to-do list. We pick up our phones even though we finally have a free second to breathe. We pick up the phones to lose track of 30 minutes in a scroll. We give phones the power.  

Think about it—we are adults struggling with these boundaries. Most of us did not grow up trying to fight this overwhelming power as teenagers (or even younger). As educators, we must examine the influence phones have on our lives and empower our students to do the same. It's a modern challenge that now comes with teaching territory. 

To feel empowered to re-balance this power, it's crucial to know that there is SO much more happening than we even realize. 

 

What Schools Are Already Doing

Companies like Yondr are offering innovative tools to help enforce the physical boundary that keeps students separated from their phones. Courtney Gargiulo, English Teacher and Building Union Chair, shares her experience using Yondr at her high school in Cleveland:

"The cellphone addiction since returning to school post-Covid was out of control. Truly these teenagers were navigating a chemical reliance on that instanteous entertainment and a quick boost of dopamine. Students were texting all through class, creating groupchats on instagram, and engaging on social media sites all day long.

One of the biggest problems was that they were always on Facetime. It is a huge safety hazard for someone outside of the learning environment to be granted unsolicted permission into our class. Fights were breaking out, sparked by nasty comments, pictures, posts or texts. The kids were truly forced to navigate two worlds at once because they were constantly having to be on alert if someone was saying something about them or someone they care about at any time. 

Parents were also contributing to a students inability to focus. They were texting students about problems at home, creating conflicts about chores that weren’t done, family affairs, or asking students to contact other people on demand. It started to become habiltual when you would see a kid’s mood switch, you knew their dad, mom, grandma, etc was blowing up their phone.

The first two weeks with the Yondr pouches were rough. Kids were honestly going through withdrawal--especially right after a summer without restrictions. They were cranky, fidgety, and easily angered. Then, it just became part of the culture. There could be a kid here or there that doesn’t follow the protocol for Yondr pouches but they receive discipline. Now, its so weird to see a phone…it’s almost like pulling your phone out in church--you don’t want to be the person to do it. 

The best part of this change is seeing teenagers fully engaged and present. Kids can be goofy and vulnerable without feeling like someone is going to record them. It’s been a wholesome shift in behaviors; kids can be kids again. Plus, they are building back that reading, writing, thinking stamina by having to focus on the task at hand instead of grabbing that quick distraction when going through the productive struggle. 

The new policy has also helped me as a teacher and person. We are included in that culture shift and it has helped me to just keep it out of sight and not feel compelled to instantly respond to texts, staff messages, or emails. It’s true things can wait. Teachers deserve to also be fully engaged and present, too."

Establishing this physical boundary in schools absolutely increases a student's ability to pay attention, but it also does so much more than that. It's tackling things like cognitive overload, dopamine deficiency, focus, and habits—all things students of this generation really struggle with.

 

Extending The Benefit of A Phone-Free Day 

To extend the benefit of a phone-free day, it's so important to have discussions with students (and teachers!) about the phone dependency they may be (unknowingly) experiencing. So. let's rip the band-aid off—let's explore, with students, why our phones hold so much power and what is really going on. Doing so can promote a sustainable relationship with technology for both students and educators.  

1. "I feel overwhelmed by the task at hand so I look at my phone." 

Looking at your phone will add something else for your brain to "do." Cognitive overload is a real thing! It occurs when "the amount of information or tasks a person is faced with is more than their working memory can handle." With that definition in mind, imagine looking at various Instagram posts after already feeling overwhelmed with your task at hand. Talk about overload...

2. "I feel bored so I look at my phone."

In her podcast episode, "5 Things I Did To Stop Scrolling: How To Put Down Your Phone & Reclaim Your Attention" Liz Moody explores how "desensitized to dopamine" we are. Things that typically bring us joy feel less exciting because we are constantly in "dopamine depletion." Our phones grant us immediate dopamine hits and we are nearly numbing ourselves to true joy because "life isn't a constant reward treadmill." It's a scary thought to envision this vicious cycle already occurring in teenagers' minds. 

If you have interest in learning more about dopamine, Dr. Anna Lembke, author of Dopamine Nation, explores how to balance our dopamine—such an important topic for young people. 

3. "I am already struggling to focus so I look at my phone."

Did you know it takes 23 minutes to regain full focus after your attention is pulled away? Dr. Gloria Mark of UC Irvine and author of Attention Span: A Groundbreaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness and Productivity cites this eye-opening number. If a student's parent texts them during school, their focus instantly shifts from the lesson to their phone, requiring an additional 23 minutes to regain concentration on the content. Class could nearly be over by then! Learning simply cannot happen with these types of distractions. 

4. "I look at my phone because it's a habit."

Create physical barriers (and stop making excuses as to why you can't!). Move your phone to another room at night or use a screen-time app. There are also neat devices such as The Brick that add in extra steps to unlock blocked apps. Figure out a solution to your phone being by your side constantly. 

5. “I want to see what's 'new' so I look at my phone." 

How do you feel after you realize 30 minutes have been sucked up by your phone? Surely there isn't a sense of relaxation or inspiration. In fact, it's usually a bolt of anxiety, regret, or self-doubt that takes over. Since we will get on our phones at some point, take time to filter through who you follow on social media and assess the apps you have access to on your phone. Then, if you are spending time on an app, hopefully the content is more energizing.  

The next time you or your student goes to check their phone, ask, "What do I really need from my phone right now?" Connection? Excitement? Relaxation? This intense pull to your phone won't last forever. Give yourself what you really need, such as an in-person conversation with a friend, a walk outside, or some quick movement. Then, soon enough, your relationship with your phone can become a healthy, empowering thing. 

It's important to establish our own boundaries so that we can empower students to do the same. Regardless of your school's phone policy, educators must empower students to navigate the technology takeover—fuel them with confidence, control, and clarity to recognize the unplugged potential that is awaiting them.

 

When you think about it, phones really do have the power to affect so many Whole Teacher categories. No wonder their hold is so strong...

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