As we returned to school this August, many students wondered about the addition of ‘phone homes’–places where students are required to deposit their cell phones prior to the start of class. There have been a variety of student reactions to this new policy. Many students don’t like having to put their phones somewhere they might forget and some just don’t like having to be away from their phone. One underclassman described the phone homes as “useless”, while a middle school student said they felt the phone homes were improvement because students “can’t get distracted”. In general, older students were more frustrated at what they saw as an abuse of PCS authority than younger students were; the people most frustrated by phone homes were high schoolers.

Teachers had a range of opinions, too. In an interview, Mr. Hickok he felt that the phone homes seemed to help kids avoid the temptation to look down at their phone, and that they also provide a good place to keep your phone. Even though phone homes aren’t strictly enforced in the classroom, he puts a reminder up on the board every day to encourage the students. He feels that this addition helps bring more attention in the classroom.

Ms.Gorski had similar feeling towards the phone homes, but thought that there was a definite downside to them as well. She felt that it was frustrating when you leave it in the classroom and have to go back and get it again. A third, unidentified teacher described the phone homes as “a fabulous idea” saying, “students aren’t tempted to use their phones and if they need to use their phone they can just ask teacher for phone hotels.” Overwhelmingly, teachers felt that a benefit of phone homes was that they prevented a need for punishment; because putting phones away is required, they don’t need to chastise students as much during class time.

At the beginning of the school year, I personally felt that the phone homes weren’t necessary, but after having to learn the process and getting to understand why we have them, I feel like they are an improvement and they help people keep phones out of sight and out of mind. I do have to agree with Ms.Gorski because I have left my phone in a phone home before and it is frustrating–you have to go back to your previous class and get it, and not only is it annoying, but it can be distracting to the class. So although phone homes may be an improvement for teachers and some students, there are definitely some tweaks to be made.