Teachers at Manhattan High School are seeing increased student engagement and experiencing a renewed joy of teaching after a new cell phone policy took effect this semester. Manhattan High School’s principal, Michael Dorst, said students responded well in the first two weeks of classes.
“It has been an early success,” Dorst said. “Manhattan High School students have responded very well to a policy that really changed how we approached the learning environment.”
The new cell phone policy forbids students from using personal electronic devices during class times. Cell phones must be placed in a calculator pouch, out of sight and out of mind while classes are in session. The first violation is a warning. After the second, the student’s phone is locked away. Students are allowed to use their phones during lunch time.
Dorst said as of Aug. 29, there were 187 violations. Of those, 150 were first violations, 31 were second violations, five were third violations and one fourth violation, showing that most of the students learned their lesson after a warning.
“I’m really pleased by how well things have gone,” high school teacher Jackson Allen said. “We had expectations for it, but I think we surpassed even what we expected. The kids have done an excellent job of staying engaged and really have had little-to-no drama at all about it.”
Allen, who teaches freshman world history, said he noticed the students are much more engaged in class since the new policy came into effect. Allen was involved in the committee that created the policy.
He said last year he would have to stop about 15 to 20 times in a 50-minute class period and tell a student to put a device away or remove headphones.
“It was really a constant battle, and I think a lot of teachers felt like they were alone in that battle because there was not a blanket uniform policy for the whole building,” Allen said.
Now, without electronics as a distraction, less time is wasted in class periods. Teachers said students have also been more social, taking more notes and asking questions.
“We were happy to add content and discussion questions,” Allen said. “There were a lot of times when I had to redirect students, ask them to put the devices away, so the engagement has been really easy to see and it’s really rewarding to see that as well.”
Allen also said he observed more positive moods among his fellow teachers since the policy began, describing it as an “energy shift” in only a month.
“The joy of teaching is coming right back when you have student engagement where it is, without these devices,” Allen said. “It’s been really rewarding to see that.”
Dorst said it is still too early in the school year to know if the new policy will lead to higher test scores, school attendance and grade point average. That will not be known until the semester ends in December.
Dorst expressed appreciation for the students’ cooperation.
“This was a very large change for them and it has not been easy,” Dorst said. “We do believe it was the right thing for them and to help protect that education time and student engagement environment. Change is not easy, and our Manhattan High School students have continued to impress our Manhattan community on how well they responded.”
