Palatine High School is attempting to tackle phone use in class.

If a student looks in one of their classrooms today, they might come face to face with a new sign attempting to change the phone policy of today’s classroom. The expectation in a classroom setting is that all personal electronic devices should be out of sight.

There are three phases.

Phase one is an individual verbal warning. Phase two is that the electronic device is out of reach on the teacher’s desk for the rest of the period. Phase three is that there is an administrator/teacher/student/parent confiscation plan developed. All of this will lead to peace, love, and learning.

According to English teacher Liz Sheehan, who worked on this project with eight other teachers, the teachers are hoping that “students will have the opportunity to focus on their class work instead of being distracted by their personal devices” by having this new plan.

Sheehan states that the reason this new plan was created was because, “ a number of teachers report that students are often distracted by their phones. Many students are fully aware that their phones distract them from important classwork as well.”

By having this plan, students should be less distracted resulting in a better use of classroom time.

Phones ring constantly in class to notify students that someone got a text and nothing happens. During lectures students can be seen laughing at their screens instead of looking at the powerpoint slides projected on the board.

Some classes have tried to stop the use of phones in class by having phone jails. If a student is seen with a phone, it gets put into jail for the rest of the period. This idea doesn’t always work because sometimes teachers just don’t care anymore. They are trying to teach a lesson, but it is the student’s choice to pay attention. It’s their grade.

“I like this new plan,” junior Jamie Henning says, “It is helpful that it is something visual and by having this visual representation it should make it easier to follow. Students need to pay more attention in class and use their phones more appropriately. Phones distract everyone even if they themselves are not using it.”

If teachers implement this new policy of keeping all phones out of site there could be a change in our classroom settings, making them better places to learn and grow as students. Without the distractions of phones, students will be able to focus more in class and will hopefully gain more from their education. Also, the time teachers waste asking students to put away their phones will be used for teaching instead.

This plan, if followed, should help classrooms become better places for students to learn.