Teachers claim that although parents are well aware of the distractions and mental health risks connected to smartphones and social media, they may not be aware of the extent to which these concerns manifest in the classroom to quit texting
Joe Clement, a high school teacher in Virginia, monitors the texts parents send their pupils while they are seated in his government and economics classes.
- “What score did you receive on your exam?”
- “Have you signed the field trip form?”
- “What are your dinner preferences for tonight? Chicken or hamburgers?”
- Clement wants parents to quit texting their children while they are in school.
The temptations and mental health risks linked to social media and smartphones are well known to parents. Educators assert that parents may not be aware of the extent to which these challenges manifest in the classroom.
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Quit Texting Your Children
Just one offender? The parents themselves, whose incoherent queries contribute to an environment that is perpetually disrupting and detracting from education,. It is difficult for teachers to implement cellphone regulations, even in schools where they exist. And whether or not children are peeking, the incessant buzzing of watches and phones is taking up valuable brain space. Parents’ behavior can be modified in a few ways to reduce the distraction caused by phones in schools. Here’s what professionals and educators suggest:.
Quit Texting Your Children
TRY IT: QUIT TEXTING YOUR KID AT SCHOOL
While many parents use texting to stay in contact with their children, school is a place where learning and independence development are prioritized. Instructors advise that in the event of a family emergency or change in plans, you can still get in touch with your child by contacting the main office.
The communication may probably wait if it is not urgent. As school counselor Erin Rettig in central Virginia put it, “We would say no if you came to school and said, ‘Can you pull my child out of calculus so I can tell them something not important?'” Teachers stressed that they are not blaming parents for cellphone fights at school, but rather that there is more that parents can do to support their children. For example, instruct your children not to text home unless it is urgent. And if they do, ignore it.
Quit Texting Your Children
CUT THE CORD FROM 8 TO 3 TO QUIT TEXTING
During the COVID-19 epidemic, when children were at home pursuing online schooling, many parents grew accustomed to staying in constant communication. Other than that, life has returned to normal, and they have continued that communication. It is referred to as the digital umbilical cord. Parents struggle to let go. And they must,” Clement remarked.
Although many do, parents may not expect their children to reply to messages right away. However, it invites further social media diversions when students take out their phones to respond.
Quit Texting Your Children
ANXIETY VIA TEXT MESSAGE SO QUIT TEXTING
At parent workshops, Rettig, the school counselor in Virginia, tells parents they are contributing to children’s anxiety by sending messages, tracking their whereabouts and checking grades daily, which doesn’t give kids space to be independent at school. Some teachers say they get emails from parents right after returning graded exams, before the class is over, because kids feel the need (or are told) to report grades immediately to parents.
Dr. Libby Milkovich, a developmental and behavioral pediatrician at Children’s Mercy Kansas City, says she asks parents to consider what kids miss out on by having parents within arms’ reach during school hours. “By texting back and forth with a parent, a child is unable to practice either self-calming or problem-solving skills,” Milkovich said. “It’s easy to text, but if I don’t have a phone, I have to go ask the teacher or I have to figure it out on my own.”
Some kids who oppose school cellphone bans say it’s helpful to reach out to parents when they’re feeling anxious or worried at school. For children with serious anxiety who are accustomed to texting parents for reassurance, Milkovich suggests phasing in limits so the child can gradually practice having more independence. She urges parents to ask themselves: Why does my child need constant access to a phone? “Often parents say, ‘I want to be able to reach my child at any time,’ which has nothing to do with the child’s outcome. It’s because of the parents’ anxiety,” she said.
TAKE AWAY THAT OLD PHONE TO QUIT TEXTING
San Francisco Bay Area high school English teacher Beth Black advises parents to think about taking away their child’s old phone. When entering a classroom, pupils at her school are required to place their phones in a designated cellphone holder. However, she has observed kids holding onto the functional phone while hiding their outdated, non-working phone there. She thinks there are other issues besides phones, like many educators do. Not to mention the earbud problem.
“When they enter the classroom, forty percent of my students have at least one earbud in,” stated Black. “The children will use one earbud to listen to music in class while their phone is in the holder.”
TURN OFF NOTIFICATIONS DUE TO QUIT TEXTING
Limiting their texts, parents can only do so much. Thus, assist your children in turning off as many of their distracting notifications as possible. Clement conducted an in-class experiment where he urged students to turn on notifications and turn their phones off of silent mode for two minutes in order to demonstrate exactly how distracting cellphones can be.
He described the sound as “bizzing, buzzing, dinging, and ringing like an old-fashioned video arcade for two solid minutes.” Numerous studies have revealed that students routinely check their phones in class. According to a Common Sense Media study from the previous year, teenagers receive up to 237 notifications every day. Approximately 25% of them, primarily from pals on social media, surface during the school day.
“It requires a lot of mental effort and stamina to regain focus whenever our attention is diverted,” stated Emily Cherkin, a former teacher who is now a screen-time management consultant in Seattle.
Teachers claim that physically taking away a child’s phone is the best way to implement a school cellphone policy. It’s challenging to compete otherwise.
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Disclaimer: The opinions and suggestions expressed in this article are solely those of the individual analysts. These are not the opinions of HNN. For more, please consult with your doctor
