Spicy Midlife Women: Real Talk, Raw Truth, and Bold Moves for Women Over 40

Season 2 Episode 70: The Classroom Cell Phone Dilemma

• Jules and Michele • Season 2

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Welcome to a lively discussion about the ever-present role of cell phones in our lives, especially compared to the days when kids had to sneak a peek at their flip phones in school. We also revisit the New York Department of Education's cell phone ban and its reversal, reflecting on how these small devices have become a controversial staple in modern education.

Next up, we dive into the educational impact of cell phones, a topic that has been especially poignant during the pandemic. We weigh the benefits of connectivity against the distractions that these devices bring into the classroom. Hear firsthand accounts from teachers wrestling with these challenges, the rise of cyberbullying, and the struggle to maintain focus in an always-connected world. We also brainstorm potential solutions, from phone-free zones to regulated phone breaks, as we try to strike a balance that supports both learning and the digital needs of the modern student.

In our final segment, we tackle the heated debate over cell phone policies in schools. Are they a necessary tool for safety and organization, or the root of classroom chaos? We compare policies from around the globe, examine the practicality of uniform approaches, and underscore the importance of context in decision-making. From emergency communication to the darker side of increased bullying, we cover it all. Tune in as we navigate these complex issues and consider how teachers, students, and parents can work together to create a learning environment that respects both tradition and technology.

Are you ready to take your "spiciness" to the next level?!

Connect with Julee & Michele on Instagram @spicy_midlife_women and send a DM about what resonated most during this episode so they can encourage you with steps forward in your own life.

Cell Phone Use in Schools

Speaker 1

Hey everybody. This is Michelle and this is Julie. Welcome to a blonde, a brunette and a mic podcast. What is our podcast all about, you ask?

Speaker 2

Well, we're 250 something.

Speaker 1

Women with life experience and oh bloody to say, which is exactly what we're gonna do right now. So I guess this week we're just gonna keep in line with a little bit of what we've been talking about in the recent past, and that is the cell phone. Yes, I really enjoyed and got a lot out of that. Folks that I spoke with that listened to our podcast.

Speaker 2

They download it too, by the way.

Speaker 1

That's a hint to all you listeners they download the episode because then they can listen to it anytime. Anyways, I talked to quite a few and it was really interesting Things that they got from that and recognized that they didn't really give much thought to prior.

Speaker 2

Hey, it just happened to us again today. Yes, it did. Yeah, it just happened to us again today. Yes, it did, yeah, it did. When I was on my phone and I was saying, gosh, I swear to God, I have mostly like chihuahua chihuahua videos or like healthy eating videos or videos that were for like weightlifting, yeah. But then something showed up. What was it again?

Speaker 1

It was a walkway for a coyote walkway to keep your dog safe from coyotes, so a walkway, basically from them being outside to go into the house that keeps them contained and safe from coyotes.

Speaker 2

Right, and what have we been talking about? We just had this conversation Literally five minutes before it came up on our feed, which is kind of creepy because, well, so you guys out there there are sirens sometimes you can hear, because we're just right outside the city, so we're kind of like in the suburban urban area. So you do hear sirens and there's a humongous ravine that's down the street, huge ravine. And it probably, I don't know spans probably a good city block, or something I don't know, but anyway, michelle's like do you hear the coyotes?

Speaker 2

And so I go outside and cash is starting to bark. And you can hear the coyotes, and so I go outside and cash is starting to bark and you can hear the siren, but the coyotes sound like a bunch of cackling cats oh it's, it's a deal.

Speaker 1

I hear them all the time out there and actually we see them quite frequently now yeah well, they're hungry. So just like for a bite-sized chihuahua yeah, harlow, would they'd throw her back?

Speaker 2

I'm sure yeah, she wouldn't, she wouldn't stand for that yeah and cashie he he'd probably want to join the pack but this is something we've talked we yeah and we were talking about it and, sure enough, five minutes later she's.

Speaker 1

She starts oh, look at this, she's talking about this cool thing that's on her phone. And I was like jules, do you realize?

Speaker 2

we were just talking about that and it's just basically a cage, because I keep contemplating whether I want to shut the dog door because there's so many coyotes that are in the area, but then I've got a fenced area. But I mean, if they're hungry.

Speaker 1

Yeah.

Speaker 2

Right, and you know how I am about this next door app. You know I kind of get obsessed with seeing things at night. I try not to click on them. But this one was someone who saw a coyote that had one of those little lamps like someone had set a trap for it for the coyotes. And the coyote got out of the trap, somehow like away from the trap, but it's still on his foot.

Speaker 1

So maybe the chain or something.

Speaker 1

And the poor little thing was walking around with a little trap on its foot and here I am thinking poor thing coyote, but we're in their habitat for God's sake, it's weird to see them, though just you, we do hear them all the time out there and then when you see them in the yard across the street when you're checking the mail that happened to me the other night, it's just a little eerie yeah, because they're kind of mangy yeah, well anyway, but I say that, taking a video, on your cell phone of that coyote right, yeah, I could have.

Speaker 2

and then you could have taken a video on your cell phone of that coyote right, yeah, I could have. And then you could have taken it to school, if you were a school administrator, and shown it to the people that are there, but cell phones were not allowed in school.

Speaker 1

Not when I was in school.

Speaker 2

We didn't have cell phones in school we did not have cell phones in school. Okay, we're sounding like boomers. We are, and that's okay. Yeah.

Speaker 1

Borderline Gen X boomer. Yeah, that's me too. Yeah, remember, because I don't know I'm an official Gen X.

Speaker 2

I swear to God, you should be a boomer, I should be the Gen X, or you should be the boomer, yeah, but in line with that, I have an opinion on this topic. So the topic, you guys, is should cell phones be allowed in school? There's that should word, and what did we do before them?

Speaker 1

You know, what happened.

Speaker 2

And so when we know of our kids being in school and things like the cell phones were kind of just starting to come out really, or they didn't really have them until they got a little bit older, but there weren't any rules or parameters, to my understanding, in place In grade school, easy, that was easy. Getting into high school, I think it was a little bit more challenging. But back in 2015, the New York Department of Education actually put a ban in place on cell phones in public schools and it was repealed shortly thereafter because there were so many complaints.

Speaker 1

So much uproar.

Speaker 2

That kind of makes me go hmm a little bit, because I guess I think about how much the cell phone is a distraction. I mean, we kind of we look at it like a necessity. Right, it's really not a necessity if you think about it.

Speaker 1

Well, obviously the uproar came from the parents right? Well, of course the kids too, so well both, yeah, but then we need to kind of step back and look at that as well. As parents, though. I think the cell phone is a thing that we use for, you know, when we want to ground our kids. I know I did, I would take the phone away.

Speaker 2

You think that the sky had fallen in or something.

Speaker 1

Yeah, you know, because we know how much our kids want and need and love it. But then you know if we're uproaring too about them not having it in school. Why is that? I guess I'm saying that with as a parent. Would I be upset if my child couldn't have their phone while they were at school? Okay, so what do you think of that? I think the honest answer is probably I would be and I'm just in all transparency, because I'm thinking along the lines that these parents do and Isaac had his phone when he was in high school.

Speaker 1

Isaac, he did have his phone, so I understand what that was like to be able to my other three. They didn't have phones, so it was just what it was. It was how it was when it was for me. But Isaac did have his phone when he was in high school, so it was convenient, that's for me. But Isaac did have his phone when he was in high school, so it was convenient, that's for sure. I can't say that it had this safety feel or anything like that. Like I felt like everything was okay and all of that. He actually had his phone, even in middle school, because I was that was shortly after I divorced and so he had his phone and I did.

Speaker 1

I was working in downtown Seattle. He was up here in Mill Creek. I was single mom, there was no. So there are those things where it was like this line of direct communication that made me feel comfortable being able to just reach him and know where he was at and what he was doing. Okay, I mean, I knew he was at school, you know, but once he's out and I guess that takes it out of school Do I want him on the phone while he's at school? No, there's a lot of dynamics wrapped around that question. Should cell phones be allowed in school? Cause there's a lot of whys why they shouldn't, why they shouldn't.

Speaker 2

Right, well, and so it kind of goes back to your thought process and opinion then. As a parent here's mine I don't feel like cell phones should be allowed in class at all. Here's mine I don't feel like cell phones should be allowed in class at all.

Speaker 1

Here's the funny part is I agree with you? Yeah.

Speaker 2

But that's what I'm saying. But I know if it was me I would be so annoyed. If I was that kid, I would be so annoyed. So I'm trying to look at it from different perspectives. And if I had children that were in school, still would I be annoyed? And I don't think I would, because it's one of those things that is not. It's not necessary for the in terms of their learning.

Speaker 2

Now, some people say it is, and there's also some talk or discussion like back in New York when all that was going on that there was a disadvantage to some kids versus others because some didn't have cell phones. Some did have cell phones.

Speaker 1

But to me it's kind of like well, if it's a level playing field, if why does it all have to be fair when it comes to that kind of stuff? Well, is life fair? We've had that discussion, I know.

Speaker 2

Well, they're talking socioeconomic you know yeah. Yeah, like some pockets of people have more privilege, it's. It really goes back to all that.

Speaker 1

I wonder if I have a feeling we're going to be a little bit all over the place because there's so many things that are popping up in mind as we're going on to this. But as you were just talking level playing field and how some would have cell phones and some wouldn't, I wonder if you know how everybody has their electronic device that's owned by the school. I wonder if they could give them school owned phones to be able to have access to while they're at school. That's possible, you mean, from a learning perspective.

Speaker 1

Well just that, give limited access. So we're not.

Speaker 2

So what do they need it?

Speaker 1

for at school. If it's not for school, well, so they can, you know, text their mom or dad or, if there is a shooter, they can call 911. That's what I'm saying. I don't know what that limited access would look like, but it would give them the ability to do some of the things that they do on their phones, but not all of the things that I think you know, like Facebook wouldn't be on there, instagram wouldn't be on there, tiktok wouldn't be on there, youtube, like a lot of the things that can be distracting, wouldn't be on there.

Cell Phone Use in Education

Speaker 1

But the ability to communicate, because I think this would put parents' minds at ease, because if it's the fact that they can't get ahold of their child if there's an emergency, if everyone has their own school phone and it's a direct number for their child, they have it in their possession while they're in school, during the hours of school, then there's no problem and then, as soon as they leave for the day, they're back to their own personal self. It's just kind of like a work phone. It's like you have your work phone that you use only for work purposes. It'd be like having that phone while you're at school, only for while you're at school.

Speaker 2

I wonder how many teachers we'd have to cut to make to make room for those cell phones.

Speaker 1

I mean during the pandemic they do all the things I don't know.

Speaker 2

I mean thank God for technology. But really during the during the pandemic, because otherwise kids would not have been having any kind of access really to education except for on their own.

Speaker 1

And the only reason I think I say that and honestly that made me think of it just now, in this moment, is the fact that I liked Isaac having his phone and I was talking about that. But at the same time, you know, I agree with you, I think it's definitely distracting and the kids it's a distraction and takes them away from what they're there to do and all the learning, definitely a distraction. So on the same flip side of that, or whatever, I agree with you. So I think that the school phone would be a definite option.

Speaker 2

My kids having gone through Catholic school, private school, it was very strict in a lot of ways.

Speaker 2

I mean, obviously there were no cell phones. I mean, high school is a little bit different. Probably grade school is very buttoned up, but I'm used to that type of regiment. I guess, when it comes to school and you know how I am I'm pretty open, I'm pretty wanting to consider all sides of an argument. But when it comes to this, for whatever reason, I feel like our kids have a finite amount of time to learn and they're getting I mean literally you can see them sitting probably out at a dinner with their family, and everybody's on a phone. It's like their phones have become so attached to them. And I'm not saying that I'm not the same way. I feel like I can be the same way Absolutely Because I like, if I leave my phone somewhere, you feel like you have an appendage missing.

Speaker 2

Right right, same thing, but when it comes to school, try to be one of these educators. Who's in class, who's got all these kids texting back and forth? Or on their phones or listening to music on their phones all these different things that have absolutely nothing to do with what's happening in front of them learning and this teacher's trying to teach it.

Speaker 1

Just, it seems so disrespectful to me Well, and I think too, as so much of how kids conduct themselves with their phones in the classroom has to do with what the expectations are from their parents at home. You're right, you have the earbuds. Now they can just have them in their ear with their hoodie up. Nobody's going to know. There's so many things and all the studies now, the current existing studies provide evidence that allowing the phones in the classroom does negatively impact the test scores and the long-term learning.

Speaker 2

On the other side of that, too, is the social aspects of having phones. So we talk about bullying being such a big issue, and now cyberbullying, and I think the phones, they play an integral role in that too, because kids aren't on a laptop. They can do everything that they need to do, everything Shopping, they can talk to each other, they can, you know, go on any kind of site. There's all kinds of things that you can do.

Speaker 2

You don't really need a laptop anymore, unless you want a bigger screen right so the bullying aspect of things, I think, is really huge too, because the phones themselves give the tool and the opportunity for people who are going to go down that route to be cruel and, I don't know, bully other kids too, so and this is kind of in my vision a perfect world in this scenario would be that all the parents agree that the phones aren't allowed in schools.

Speaker 2

The educators are probably going, hey, hallelujah, this is awesome, I can actually teach, and they're not going to be disrupted. And if there is a need for kids to have their phones during the day, then perhaps they're not going to be disrupted. And if there is a need for kids to have their phones during the day, then perhaps they're made available to them at lunch.

Speaker 1

Or maybe like in the workplace there's, you know how you get two 15 minute breaks for every eight hours worked, whatever it is here in Washington, maybe they give two 15 minute cell phone break to students.

Speaker 2

Or maybe between classes. You know the cell phones. You have to keep it in your locker or something. Yeah, but that it's not something that's available to you in class.

Speaker 1

Well, that's why I think that, that's why I think the complaints, when they tried to ban them, came Probably from students, yes, but I think even more so parents, because if the phone's in the locker I can't reach my child. So there's that too, Too fucking bad so sad, I know, I'm just saying I mean that's the whole thing, it's like call the damn office, I know, Do they do that anymore?

Speaker 2

Well, sure, and you've probably got phones in each classroom. Yeah, you know the teacher could have a child in any school for five years. Well, I know they did at the grade school. I don't know about the high school.

Speaker 1

Yeah, you know how there's the nice lady in the front office answering the phone. Yeah, I wonder if they even have that anymore.

Speaker 2

So the other thing too another solution might be that each classroom has their own cell phone, like the teacher has a cell phone that's for that specific class. So if there is some sort of an emergency or something they can just be connected through to that particular class.

Speaker 1

There's just got to be a, there's got to be a way to be able to solve that problem, because I feel like the social media aspects of things and the connection or lack of disconnection to these things is hurting our kids Well and here's the thing Even if there was an emergency that I needed to reach my child about, it's still, even if I text my child, what are they just going to get up and leave their classroom and say, oh, I have an emergency, I got to go?

Speaker 2

Right?

Speaker 1

No, they still have to go through the proper channels that are set in place in the school. There it makes sense and honestly I get it, because we did all the school stuff without cell phones and when you have all the processes and procedures in place for all the different scenarios, it's fine. Everything is all good. We don't need to know what our children are doing every single minute of the day. Second of the day.

Speaker 2

And here's another thought just because we have the technology doesn't mean that we have to use it Right, and so some of the reading that I was doing when I was preparing for this episode was you know, parents are feeling kind of slighted because they want to have 24 seven access to their kids, and that's what the cell phone has allowed us to do. I think homes that have parents in two different places becomes even more apparent, more evident, because you see kids that are younger and younger getting cell phones. So they have that connection with their parents.

Speaker 2

Those cell phones are not just burner phones that you know you can call your parent on. They're usually cell phones.

Speaker 1

It's frightening to me if a young child has a cell phone that has access to everything.

Speaker 2

Well that's pretty much all that's available anymore. I mean you, I think there might be flip phones you can get flip phones yeah, but can you text on them? Yeah, yeah, so they're burner phones, right? Yeah, pretty much like they're.

Speaker 1

They're like that. I mean I don't know 100, but I'm. I know you can still get flip flown fit flip phones. Say that 10 times fast. I know you can still get flip phones the text. You remember how cumbersome the texting was on those yeah like it's, however, like the alphabet and the punching of the number.

Speaker 2

It's crazy but if you have, if there's a scenario where parents are saying I want 24 7 access to my kids for emergencies, then maybe there's a designated type of phone that's allowed and that's all it's for right.

Speaker 2

You know, it's like an emergency phone that they can keep if they really feel the need to do that. Personally, I would be calling the office because I'd have to be doing that anyway. And can you get a message to my child? Because they weren't allowed to have their phones. Now I know, now I'm thinking about they weren't allowed to have their phones in high school either. They must have had to keep them in their locker because we weren't able to reach Like. I remember texting Jared and he didn't answer. But he answered, like at lunch.

Speaker 1

Yeah, Well, that's in. It's in the private Catholic school. So for Isaac it's the same. It's not like it was an immediate response, because it's not like he could just have his phone out and be texting on it there. His phone out and be texting on it. There were a lot more rules around it at that time, even just five years ago. I think that as time has gone on, it's just been too much to manage in the classroom.

Speaker 1

And so it's kind of like hands up and it's like what are you going to do? So I think that's more the question is like, what are we going to do? Because obviously it is impacting the retention of the learning for these students and future generations, it's impacting test scores and all the things. So what are we going to do?

Speaker 2

Well, in like going back to this New York thing, so they made a decision about that for the whole state and so that decision was repealed not long thereafter because people were up in arms about it. And then, when it was repealed, they gave the flexibility to each one of the school districts, I think, to make that decision on what was going to be happening in that particular school district. And I don't know what happened with it after that. And maybe my thought process is too regimented, I don't know, but I just feel like the cell phones have taken over our lives in a lot of ways.

Speaker 1

Well, and now there's AI. I think just everything eventually is going to take over every aspect of our life.

Speaker 2

So, but we're allowing it to. I guess is what I'm saying. So if you're looking at that, well, I'm talking about schools right now.

Speaker 1

Yeah.

Speaker 2

Yeah, I mean we are essentially being okay with it by having now we don't have kids in school anymore, so it's probably not something that is as high on our priority list as it would be on someone else's priority list who has a kid that's going into high school or something like that. But we have grandkids and or well, I don't, you do, and you've got the same issue that's going to start coming up. I mean, you see, like your oldest granddaughter, it's like's gorgeous.

Speaker 2

And she's very beyond her years really in kind of learning about a lot of different things, which is probably because her mom's, you know, like really into all that stuff too, but it's like she is going to be a very social butterfly, you can tell.

Speaker 1

Yeah.

Speaker 2

So is she going to be allowed to have a cell phone at wherever school she's going to? I don't know, but is it going to impact her?

Speaker 1

ability to do her interesting. You know it's interesting because I know that there are that's kind of been not even an issue or a struggle, you know, because of how the parents are with regard to this, but she's nine and has friends that have cell phones, yeah, and she really has been pushing and wanting to have one and this has not happened yet, which I 100%. That's just I about a nine year old having a cell phone, and it's just why. Why Really Just no need and there were some issues. There are issues that young that come up with texting, yep and conversations.

Speaker 2

I mean, texting is like a whole other conversation. It's a whole different type of language. It's nothing that you're doing like by having a direct interaction or connection with someone which they're just learning how to do.

Speaker 1

Well, and her mom was able to use that as a learning moment.

Speaker 2

Yeah, you know.

Speaker 1

See, aren't you glad that you didn't have to answer to any of this? Because you you weren't involved and you know it all had to do with the phone.

Speaker 2

I was watching this program yesterday and it was you know those goggles. You know those goggles, google goggles. Whatever you know, you can wear them and you're like in some virtual world yeah. Well, this grandparent had gotten two of these virtual goggles, for there was four grandkids, so they could share them the two goggles and they chose this game that they were playing and they were hacked in the game. Yeah, so someone came into the game that was pretending to be like another player, that was the same age as them and it wasn't, it was some person that had very ill intentions, you know.

Speaker 2

but I mean this is obviously just a fiction show. But I just went holy shit, they can actually do that. But I mean, yeah, of course they can. Of course they can. Yeah, they can hack into whatever we just talked about. That the other day yeah, yeah, hack into your computer, hack into your phone, so I don't see how it could be any different. I mean, we don't hear a lot about the kids that are getting romanced.

Speaker 1

if you will, by pedophiles.

Speaker 2

We might. They might not even know that it's happening, but that's a whole nother topic, I guess with cell phones. If they don't have any parameters around them, then there's a strong likelihood, especially if that kid is more isolated or on their own a lot. Maybe they're home after school by themselves. Who knows that they could be susceptible to some of those things.

Speaker 1

For all the reasons you want them to have a phone, there are all the reasons that they're more susceptible, that you don't want them to have it.

Debate on Cell Phones in Schools

Speaker 2

I think the bullying aspect of things, for whatever reason. I feel a lot more sensitive to that Because I know the learning aspect of things is important. Obviously that's a big component of this. But the stuff that's happening below the surface that really parents don't know about or that the school doesn't necessarily know about, that's impacting kids ability to be confident and to have friends stick up for themselves, whatever the case may be, I don't think any of that is really going checked, like nobody's checking that and so there's no way to really know. I mean, there's all these other little platforms and things. You don't even know if they're texting back and forth or texting in groups or on WhatsApp or whatever some of these other sites are.

Speaker 2

Kids are getting bullied and I think it's happening a lot, a lot more than we think.

Speaker 1

Oh, I'm sure.

Speaker 2

Yeah. So then you start seeing other behavioral issues with children. You know, whether it be they're starting to smoke or they're starting to drink, or they're starting to take pills, or they're cutting, or they're isolating themselves or whatever. There's a lot of different ways that people can manifest some of their feelings, you know, but I do believe that's one of the issues. So back in the day a while I remember a while ago, there had been conversations about public schools changing from being a regular dress code to a uniform a uniform dress code and, of course, my kids were wearing uniforms.

Speaker 2

So I felt all I was like, of course, that's an amazing idea. It's so much easier as a parent too. And there are countries that do that, like in Mexico. There's, I know the kids are all I mean. I think they're all public schools, or maybe they're all Catholic schools. I don't know, but the kids that I've seen when we were on, they're all wearing uniforms.

Speaker 1

And my grandkids in the UK.

Speaker 2

they wear uniforms and they go to public school.

Speaker 1

Yep.

Speaker 2

Yeah, so see, that's interesting.

Speaker 1

Now, why do we not do that here?

Speaker 2

It's kind of the same reason why we still have guns rolling around, because it goes back and all the things that correspond with that, I suppose, right.

Speaker 1

Maybe, I don't know why it hasn't gone any further in terms of uniforms, but everybody seems to be Maybe our government-run and funded institutions public schools are so Well, we pay for them.

Speaker 2

Yes, we do. We do. I mean taxpayers typically here. I don't know how it is like in the UK or anywhere else? I imagine it's similar. Maybe it's paid for by the government without property taxes? I don't know, but I'm feeling like having no phones in school is a very positive thing.

Speaker 1

I do too, and it would probably cost someone's career to put it in place. I know I'm, like you know, talking out of both sides of my mouth as I talk about it, because I say I understand the being connected part. It's not like I need access to my child all the time. But at the same time I also agree that it is not a good thing to have and it does take away from our students, our children and their learning.

Speaker 2

A lot of the things that are coming up with AI, the different, you know. Obviously, laptops are made available in schools, all these kinds of things are directly related to those. So if there's no stopgaps in place with the firewalls and the way that those are set up, then it could be a bigger issue. But we also see that there's a lot of people that are super brilliant when it comes to this stuff and they know how to get around it too. So there's something to be said for that also. Anyway.

Speaker 1

I think as time goes on well, who knows? I would hope that as time goes on there might be more options or different things that are maybe tested and trialed and tried. I don't know, but we're not going to know, without doing some of those things, if there is a solution to be able to have it be a pleasant outcome for both sides of that. So, like I said, whether it's a designated school phone that you have while you're there, with certain permissions and accessibilities, so do you?

Speaker 2

I wonder like and I don't know the answer to this question, but I wonder in, like communist countries, you know, like China, for example, whether whether they are allowed to have phones in school. I doubt it. I doubt it too. So so part of me is like okay, we don't want to gear ourselves towards what a communist country necessarily is doing where people don't have choice. They don't have the ability to make those decisions for themselves.

Speaker 1

But at the same time, I think there's some components of things that require rules require laws, you know, and there's so much more bringing it back to the parents, like I was saying earlier, that how your child is using that device while they're in school. I think, of course, you can't control your child and the decisions they make, but, again, have repercussions if they do something that is against whatever the school code is in regard to cell phones. So there's just so much more now that parents have to navigate.

Speaker 2

Well, and then think about all of those school and God forbid these are happening but school shootings that are taking place, and I think that cell phones have given parents maybe a little bit more comfort when their child is gone because they have been able to maybe access things while they're in a classroom they can call 911, you know those sorts of things.

Speaker 1

So we're communicating while they're, you know, hiding in a closet or all those things.

Speaker 2

I mean it's so sad that we're actually to that point.

Speaker 1

Yeah, but that's, this is where we're at. That's why. That's why I say I think some of the things are valid in regard to that, which is why I keep going back to a school appointed cell phone.

Speaker 2

Yeah Well one idea that we saw was so and you hadn't experienced this before. But when I've been to a couple of different comedy shows big, big comedy shows, like Kevin- Hart I think was one of them, dave Chappelle, those big ones. They have these little cell phone packets. They're like little foam cases. You put your cell phone in and then there's like a lock and it looks almost like a theft lock, like you see at the stores.

Speaker 2

Sensor, sensor tag, yeah, looks almost like that and they lock it and you've got your phone, and then when you came out of the comedy show then they would unlock it and give you your phone back. You just would you keep it with you. They wouldn't keep it, but they were doing that. So the material from the artist was new and they didn't want that material to leak out by video which I totally get. That makes complete sense to me.

Speaker 1

I've never heard of that. Oh yeah, locking up your cell phone? Yeah, that's interesting.

Speaker 2

Yeah, they actually had a different concert, all kinds of stuff, but the comedy show seems to be the ones I remember the most just because they were really worried about their material. But and which you know I completely agree with, because if someone took a video and then it's the same material that's going to be showing in the city that's coming up, that may be kind of a bummer.

Speaker 1

And it's the same if, if a school were to go towards doing something like that, then to your point earlier when saying you know where the pay cut is going to come from teachers to supply the cell phones.

Speaker 1

And then I was thinking well, if there's those schools where they have to walk through metal detector before they go in, same kind of concept. So either way it's going to take money. If we're looking at solutions that are, I think, viable solutions, so that they could have something while they're at school, that their parents could still be in contact with them, but we're in those times, and I think it is a sad state, where we have to talk about school shootings and those things and the reasons why parents need that peace of mind. But I think that's where we're at. Yeah, as far as that part of it goes Well.

Speaker 2

We'd love to hear from you listeners out there and we're going to actually post a question prior to this episode dropping just to get the feedback from people, because I think it is a controversial topic and if you have children, you probably have a much stronger opinion because you're going to be living the day to day with your child, theoretically either having or not having it, and you might have a very strong opinion.

Cell Phones in School

Speaker 1

Cause I mean, when you just hear that question, that'll be interesting to see some of the feedback we get. Because when you just hear the question, do you think cell phones should be allowed in schools Immediately? I say no, immediately. I'm like no, I didn't have cell phones in school. You know that whole big long deal because we didn't have them. We did fine, everything's fine and we can still get a hold of you and all of that stuff. So there's immediate jump to those conclusions and absolutely not. I think most people would answer that question with that answer no, I don't think they should be allowed. But then when you really step outside of it and kind of start thinking about a lot of the things and you know if you do have kids in school and what some of those reasons, yeah I think it's a bigger issue than what I think you immediately can know just from asking that question.

Speaker 2

Well, so here are some of the pros that I kind of came across or had written down when thinking about allowing cell phones in school. So one of them we talked about was the emergency communication, so having those phones, you know, available for students so they could contact their families in the event of emergency. We can know from real life situations that have taken place that this has actually happened.

Speaker 2

So, that's kind of one pro. Another one might be organization and productivity, and that would be if the students are using their phones, you know, for note taking, to have reminders that they're putting out for their homework, things like that. I don't know about that because I wouldn't want someone taking notes on their phone while I'm in class, like if I'm a teacher.

Speaker 1

You know, it reminds me of when cell phones were first started to be introduced into the retail industry. I know because it's like, okay, yeah, are you really reaching out to your customers right now, or are you just texting your friends? There's that big question mark.

Speaker 2

I remember being in meetings where walkthroughs and things where I was taking notes and I always felt like it was very disrespectful.

Speaker 1

And this is just me, but to be on my phone.

Speaker 2

I was truly taking notes on my phone, but I felt like it looks like I wasn't paying attention. Yeah, or it just looks like I was not giving that person the courteousness of what appeared to be paying attention.

Speaker 1

And to me.

Speaker 2

I guess I'm sensitive to this with teachers because, well, my sister's a teacher. I have some, obviously friends that are teachers and stuff too, and to me it would just be. I don't want anybody to be disrespectful towards them.

Speaker 1

Yeah.

Speaker 2

You know. So I think about that and I would be pissed.

Speaker 1

I wonder if it's helpful at all, just for those students that have a hard time keeping still and are disrespectful to a certain degree if they have their phones. It's kind of like the toddler that always has the iPad.

Speaker 2

Okay, so you know, we called that. When the kids were little, we called that the electronic nipple.

Speaker 1

Oh, the electronic nipple yeah, or electronic babysitter yeah. Electronic babysitter yeah, because that's what happens?

Speaker 2

I mean, I see parents that have little kids now that are handing them a phone because they're wanting to do something else.

Speaker 1

And it's like they're young.

Speaker 2

Yeah, and they're picking it up early because you know kids are going to pick up technology early.

Speaker 1

But really I mean phone. And two, I wonder if the teachers bring that. You know you were talking about pros, you know, for having cell phones. I wonder if one of them is because of the information that students would be able to have quick access to.

Speaker 2

So do you find yourself going? We have a question. So what do we do? We ask we Google it.

Speaker 1

Yeah, I mean that's, that's life now. That's why I say I wonder if it's part of the classroom.

Speaker 2

So that's what I'm saying. Think about yourself as a teacher in the classroom asking some question, and then every kid is.

Speaker 1

Googling.

Speaker 2

It's like they're not trying to figure it out or learn from each other. They're going online.

Speaker 1

Well, there there's another thing. Yeah, how do you monitor that or how do you keep that under control?

Speaker 2

Okay, well, so that goes back to some of the cons we discussed too. So these are main points. So distractions what we just described would be a total distraction in a classroom, I would think yeah affect the learning environment and potentially the outcome. The bullying that I mentioned before I think there's a link. I think that link exists and is definitely shown through some of the research and things that have been done, that smartphone use and bullying 100%, yeah, 110% or 1000% Connected.

Speaker 1

I really do For sure.

Speaker 2

And then multitasking challenges. When you're a kid, do you know how to multitask?

Speaker 1

Yeah.

Speaker 2

No, I mean, I have a hard time multitasking. When you're a kid, do you know how to multitask? Yeah, no, I mean, I have a hard time multitasking. Here's the thing. I've always been a multitasker because I'm trying to get too many things done at once, but you don't ever do anything really well when you multitask, so I've kind of started to well, I started a while ago to realize that, so I've cut back on that because, I'm not able to give someone a full attention and text on my phone.

Speaker 2

Or, you know, talk on the phone but be on the computer.

Speaker 1

I've done that many, many times, and it's like I don't remember what I was reading. Yeah.

Speaker 2

So I and I'm an adult. So I'm an adult. I think I have ADHD. Just for the record, I don't think multitasking is a definite skill set that you're going to want to teach by using a cell phone in class.

Speaker 2

So ultimately it kind of comes down to I do believe it's not a national thing or a federal thing that needs to be determined by the federal government or anything like that. I think it's something probably by state, by school district that would be better served and some schools may have more access to phones. They're, like you said, different socioeconomic backgrounds. People have access to phones earlier on. If there's a higher degree of divorce, there's probably more phones for those kids.

Speaker 2

And there's a lot of little factors that play in, but I'd be interested to hear what teachers have to say about this.

Speaker 1

So props and kudos to all you teachers out there. Yeah, I could not do your job, yeah who have all the many different dynamics that you have to do. You know, I was talking to somebody the other day, a co-worker who has a friend who has 46 children in the classroom are you fucking kidding me? No, and it's down, it's down, it's down South, it's right here in Western Washington yeah.

Speaker 2

Well, their funding's terrible, I mean 46 all by themselves, or do they have a TA? I mean, I'm getting anxiety just thinking about that. I don't know all the answers to the questions.

Speaker 1

Here she goes, but all I know is just like I mean I stopped there when I heard that.

Speaker 2

I was just like oh my gosh, how is?

Speaker 1

that even possible. Well, and many of them are migrants who don't speak English.

Speaker 2

So ESL, yeah, there's just like so many.

Speaker 1

Anyway, back to kudos to all your teachers.

Speaker 2

Yes.

Speaker 1

I could not do your job because there's so many things that you do on the daily that is difficult and actually wish to an episode. Yes, with teachers, with teachers and maybe some of the top 10 hardest things that they deal with that they deal with now in the classroom.

Speaker 2

That might be a really good one, yeah Well, in the meantime, all of you out there, think about this topic, because even if you don't have kids in school, you're going to have grandkids in school, or those kids that are in school are shaping our future.

Speaker 1

Yeah.

Speaker 2

So are we going to let technology dictate that for us, or are we going to let technology enhance what we want to have happen?

Speaker 1

Yes, those are the questions that are kind of out there. That was very well put, jules. I don't think we have much more to say, no. With that being said, it was very perfect. Except that we're out on all the socials, so make sure to find us there Facebook, tiktok and Instagram and you can go to Spotify and all your favorite podcast stations that you listen to them on and download our episodes.

Speaker 2

That's right. Dl on the download, download them.

Speaker 1

Download them All right people.

Speaker 2

We'll see you next week. Thank you so much for your time. Peace, bye, bye, bye.