Tips for Teachers

The biggest plague of modern education is the cell phone.  As teachers, we spend much time telling students in so many words, stop looking at the screen and think.   I've tried cell phone jails, happy bribes --i.e. if you go without the screen, you get a treat at the end of class, and phoning home.  I've promised to call security.  I've begged. I've stood in front of someone and stared. 

My favorite tactic is to photobomb or to talk to whosoever dares to call during my class. "Hey.  This is Mrs. Antonetti.  Since you're so interested in my class, I presume you've followed along with the assignments. Tell me, what do you think will happen next in the book and why?"  It ususally chases people off their phones for days. 

I've also sung, which is risky because you'll get repeating choruses of whatever you sang and if you sang poorly...well, you can guess what happens. 

I've also explained to texting teens, to stop or I will do the next text and I will text, "Please do not text from 7:45 AM to 2:30 PM so as to ensure that students are not interrupted from their work."  I also use remind to text to students to get off their phones but the irony of using technology that needs  a phone to get them off their phones often interfers with compliance.

When the kids say it's their mom, I explain I'll call their home and let their mom know how things are going, or offer to talk myself and offer to have a conference if there's a serious issue that needs to be addressed.   The phones go into the backpacks with great speed.

As I told my son today, most problems can be solved with humor and humilty.  The number of times I've needed to tell people to put away their phone is trickling down.  I continue my strategy tomorrow.  I'm thinking of doing a spam text that plays Xanadu tomorrow on the stragglers or Grandma got Run Over by a Reindeer.