GPS Honors Journalism phone policy

This podcast discusses the pros and cons of the phone policy at Girls 4 and South High School. While phones can be useful for communication and access to information, they can also be distracting. The school decided to remove phones to reduce disruptions, but some students rebel. One teacher enforced a no-phone rule, but it made students less interested in her class. Phone use can be distracting to both students and teachers. Limiting phone use improves focus and productivity. Different people have different opinions, but the policy is likely to remain in place. On today's podcast episode of Get Chatty with Maddie, I will be covering the pros and cons of Girls 4 and South High School's phone policy, and whether it should stay or go. Cell phones bring a lot of good means of communication, access to endless information, and a break from reality, but they can also be a huge distraction. Cell phones in the school environment have multiple pros and cons, differing from student to teacher. At the start of the 2022-2023 school year, the administration decided to remove the distraction of cell phones from their learning environments. The off-and-out-of-sight policy may reduce disruptions in the classroom, but it also leaves students rebelling to catch a break in a tutorial or to send a quick text to a family member or a friend. Here's what Baxter Russell from the class of 2023 has to say. With that being said, even with the firm policy in place, many students continue to use their phones from time to time because when they don't have any more work to do, what else are they supposed to do? While working at her old school, math teacher Katie Barber was the only teacher who enforced a no cell phone policy. But because Barber was the only teacher enforcing this rule, less students wanted to have her class. Barber also feels that the cell phone usage in classes can be a big distraction to not only the students, but to the teachers as well. Allowing students to keep their phones out during classes forces teachers to monitor the students instead of putting all their focus on teaching. Especially in a math class where kids are using their cell phones, it's really hard for me to tell sometimes are you using your cell phone or are you using the calculator because they could look similar. Not only does reducing cell phone use help limit the distraction within the classroom, but it also increases productivity. Vice Principal Cynthia Parivano believes that all students understand that if they turn off their phones during class time, they will not be distracted and they will learn more. While students, teachers, and administrators all have different reasons for liking and disliking the new policy, it seems like it won't be gone anytime soon. Thank you for listening in and stay tuned for next week's episode of Chatting with Maddie.