Should students be allowed to charge their cell phones in school?

1. 91

   donnah75posted 10 years ago

   Should students be allowed to charge their cell phones in school?
   
   Yesterday a student asked if she could plug in her phone in my classroom. I said, "no. I am not sure that is the intention of tax payer dollars." She came back with, "my mom pays those taxes.  What if I have an emergency?" I told her that the phone would last all day if she turned it off while she was in school. That way she would have it before and after and in case of an emergency. She sulked and probably plugged it in the next class period. What are your thoughts?

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2. 61

   thumbi7posted 10 years ago

   In our college students are not allowed to bring cell phones. If found to have one with them, that goes to the principal's office and returned only two days after and they have to pay fine for it.
   If students bring cellphone to the college, it is really a distraction...

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3. 0

   JThomp42posted 10 years ago

   No. Cell phones should not be allowed in schools period. They are nothing but a distraction from why they are really there, "To learn." Oh my!! What did we do before the cell phone if there was an emergency?? We were notified by someone who's job it is to answer the "phone" every day. SMH. Good for you!!

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4. 89

   Doc Snowposted 10 years ago

   You did right.  Thinking ahead is a critical skill, and keeping your cell phone charged is a modern iteration of that ancient truth.  And cell phones should be off during school, certainly.  (Even during lunch, if I had my way--kids need to socialize face to face as well as online, and school is an important opportunity to do so, among its other virtues and functions.)

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5. 94

   jansharesposted 10 years ago

   Ugh! You handled that very well, donnah75. I would have done the exact same. Really, girl? Please! If there's an emergency, you go to the admin/principal's office to make/receive a phone call to/from your parents, right? (Sigh) I long for the days when we had no cell phones in the classroom, no vending machines in the halls full of sugar and sodium, and no random violence taking the lives of children and teachers. Sorry for the soapbox, couldn't resist.

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      donnah75posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks. I am up on that soapbox with you!

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6. 91

   VirginiaLynneposted 10 years ago

   I think I will go against the grain of the rest and say that while your response is probably quite appropriate for right now in high school, you probably will have a different response in just a few years.  I work at a college and have kids in high school.  Our school district has just decided to put iPads in all classes K-12.  As a writing teacher and a writer on HubPages (as well as a copy writer for various websites), I'm beginning to teach my students how to write for an online audience because I think paper and pen is going away.  How does that relate to this question?  I think that our technological devices are going to be a part of our lives more and more and that students will be using them in school.  Since most of these are powered and everyone forgets to charge them every once in a while, I suspect the idea of a student needing to power their device at school will become as familiar to us as needing to sharpen a pencil.

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      Rosie writesposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I agree that times are changing but students need to still be taught responsibility and preparedness which means they need to plan ahead and charge their phones at home.

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   2. 91

      donnah75posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Devices used for instructional use would be fine to charge in my opinion. However, texting all day doesn't qualify. Good point, VirginiaLynne. I would love for all my students to have an iPad for use in the class.

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7. 83

   bethperryposted 10 years ago

   I wouldn't encourage a kid to chatter on any phone during class time, but with all the policy changes schools are taking these days to prevent violence, I would think having an open cell phone line in case of an emergency is a good thing.

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   1. 91

      donnah75posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I don't disagree. Her phone was low two hours into the school day. She should come with it charged. She should refrain from using it when it isn't necessary during her school day.

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      Seafarer Mamaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Yes. I think that a cell phone being used during school hours can be on with special permission from the principal & a note from home that there is a family emergency and the student may need to be contacted via cell phone during the school day .

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8. 92

   MarleneBposted 10 years ago

   No! What a distraction it is to charge a phone during school time. But, we live in an age now where everyone has a phone. There is no way to go back to the days when we relied upon phone booths and the administration office to make and receive phone calls.
   
   I remember when it was considered rude to have an answer machine. And, when I wore a pager, I thought I was the coolest person in town. The pager would page me so I could run to a phone booth to make a call. Now, I just have a cell phone. My grandchildren have cell phones. It comes in handy. When my grandson was struck by a hit-and-run driver on the way to school, he had a cell phone to call his mom and the witness had a cell phone to snap a picture of the license plate and call the police. It's the way we live now.
   
   I'm use to the fact that students have cell phones. But, the cell phones should be charged at home. And during school time, the cell phone should be kept quiet, only to be used for emergencies.

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9. 84

   CreeVikingposted 10 years ago

   No, charge them where?
   
   You have to either plug it into the wall (limited number of wall jacks in each classroom) or you have to attach them to computers, which most in a school belong to the school. Every time you connect your mobile device to a computer there is the potential for data transfer. You should never plug your mobile device into some one else's computer. That's kinda like sharing a toothbrush.
   
   That's just the first issue. Cell phones for our youth are nothing but distractions allowing them to charge them up at school simply allows them to be a distraction all day.
   
   Cell phones do nothing for our kids, they do not enhance learning, they do not make our kids more 'social'. If I take the media reports right, cell phones for our kids usually leads to bullying and various other problems (IMO)  - personally, my kids did not get a cell phone at all til they could afford their own. With my kids that meant they were old enough to be past the BS bullying and teasing that kids go through and they had a job, which meant they actually were developing some sort of REASON to have a cell phone to begin with.
   
   If I feel that kids should not even have cell phones, then I for sure do not agree with them charging them up in class. Thanks for the engaging question and for giving me the chance to offer opinion on the matter..

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10. 85

    Rosie writesposted 10 years ago

    I'm not sure what school district that is but in our school district, cell phones are not allowed to be seen, meaning if students have them, they have to have them put away.  If they are seen, the teacher takes it and gives it to an administrator - parents are called and the parents have to pick it up.  I like this rule and think it is fair.

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    1. 91

       donnah75posted 10 years agoin reply to this

       I wish we had that rule! I have the 'I don't want to see it' policy in my classroom, but she still asked. Kids text all day long at my school.

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11. 70

    AlisonRuthposted 10 years ago

    No, cell phones are not an educational tool and students shouldn't be allowed to charge them during school time. Here's an idea charge it at home and like you told your student leave the phone off during the day.

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12. 77

    alancaster149posted 10 years ago

    Think of the overheads in power bills, balance that against some classes or after-school activities you wouldn't want to lose that are already in the balance - and could be lost if everybody insisted on charging their mobile/cell phones at the expense of the school/college.
    How much of the value of the taxes is wasted along the way - tot it up - when the council has to stump up wage bills, waste disposal/recycling, school bus services (vehicles and drivers), buildings maintenance, new school equipment/replacements? And then on top of that power bill surges when the cost of power is already on the up (all-day lighting in winter, lighting for cleaners at night, lighting for security guards etc, etc)
    Have I missed anything?.

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    1. 91

       donnah75posted 10 years agoin reply to this

       I was thinking of the power bill increase too. It would be interesting to see the difference if this practice were allowed. Thanks for your comment.

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13. 61

    Lisa HWposted 10 years ago

    I don't think so.  I'd agree with those who think kids shouldn't be using their cell phones in school, and if they didn't use them the batteries would remain charged until the end of the school day.
    
    True, technology is part of education these days,but the kind of technology that's part of education isn't particularly talking to your friends and family on a cell phone.  Charging a tablet or laptop would, to me, be a whole other thing.

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       Seafarer Mamaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       I agree with you in that the student should be given the message that his or her responsibility is to have the phone fully charged from home when they come to school, from home, then keep it off during class time.

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14. 62

    LoisRyan13903posted 10 years ago

    She should have thought about charging it when she went to bed.  And the battery wouldn't be low if she stopped from texting.  Maybe she should have charged it during her lunch hour

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    JohnBobbyCollinsposted 7 years ago

    My english teacher told me off for it so I will just carry a power bank

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