Finally, straight talk from someone in the trenches. I was a community college professor for decades and had the same experience. Students were shocked that I thought that their parents shouldn't call during class time. It was fathers and mothers with often trivial concerns. It demonstrated how little interest or sense of reality the parents had when it came to their children's higher education. Not to mention respect for the classroom and the professor. Leaving the room was students' idea of not disturbing us. The parents were like children themselves in needing immediate gratification. The phones make nothing sacred or important. Do adults take calls or text while at their churches, mosques, synagogues? I'm afraid the answer is yes. They do it at the theater, gym class or at restaurants (I admit to having done this myself just to say I'll call back) so it clearly crosses all class and cultural lines. I leave the phone off now. The phone ban is needed so that we don't have a hopelessly ignorant populace.
It really is horrible. The society is outsourcing emotion regulation to the darned phones. Feeling anxious? Scroll. Angry? Put it in the group chat. Happy? Post it on what the kids call "Insta!" UGH!!! I cut way back on my phone use years ago and need to cut more. The things must get out of schools. We are close in PA.
I'm so glad I don't have a smart phone. I have a flip phone that lives in a zipper compartment of my fanny pack. It's off. I turn it on if I'm not home & have to make a phone call (not a common occurrence). I sign a lot of online petitions; most require a phone # to sign. That's the # I give them. They'll never reach me.
Finally, straight talk from someone in the trenches. I was a community college professor for decades and had the same experience. Students were shocked that I thought that their parents shouldn't call during class time. It was fathers and mothers with often trivial concerns. It demonstrated how little interest or sense of reality the parents had when it came to their children's higher education. Not to mention respect for the classroom and the professor. Leaving the room was students' idea of not disturbing us. The parents were like children themselves in needing immediate gratification. The phones make nothing sacred or important. Do adults take calls or text while at their churches, mosques, synagogues? I'm afraid the answer is yes. They do it at the theater, gym class or at restaurants (I admit to having done this myself just to say I'll call back) so it clearly crosses all class and cultural lines. I leave the phone off now. The phone ban is needed so that we don't have a hopelessly ignorant populace.
It really is horrible. The society is outsourcing emotion regulation to the darned phones. Feeling anxious? Scroll. Angry? Put it in the group chat. Happy? Post it on what the kids call "Insta!" UGH!!! I cut way back on my phone use years ago and need to cut more. The things must get out of schools. We are close in PA.
Thank you. Very enlightening. Ban the phones. Have an active school line for emergency communication from parents. That’s it.
'Back in the day' there was no such thing as instant communication. Society was healthier for it.
Phones should not be allowed in class.
I'm so glad I don't have a smart phone. I have a flip phone that lives in a zipper compartment of my fanny pack. It's off. I turn it on if I'm not home & have to make a phone call (not a common occurrence). I sign a lot of online petitions; most require a phone # to sign. That's the # I give them. They'll never reach me.
The iPhone -- the great intrusion into normal life. The goose-stepping AI produce that rules the day.