I was reading through a FaceBook group yesterday for teachers. A new teacher was asking for advice on how to handle classroom management. She said this was their first week of school and that their district had a zero tolerance policy for cell phones. A student in her class was on her cell phone. When the teacher asked for her phone the student refused. The teacher asked repeatedly for the phone and each time the student refused. She was asking veteran teachers how to handle the situation. I really felt for this young teacher. I could read the frustration and defeat in the tone of her query.

First and foremost, as teachers we are not to lay hands on a student or their property. This is a huge violation of personal space and trust that can get a teacher reprimanded or even fired. So, the short answer in this situation is to call admin.

If we look back at the original example that I introduced, this teacher said her district said no phones in the classroom, but left it up to each individual teacher on how to handle it. If this is what your district has chosen to do, then you absolutely need a firm and clear way to handle cell phones in your classroom.

My favorite way to handle cell phones is to have a shoe organizer, the kind with pockets, hung up at the front of the classrooms. Each pocket is numbered and each student is assigned a number. As they walk in class, they are to deposit their phone in the appropriate pocket. Many teachers prefer a lock box especially designed for cell phones. For this type of system to work, you must have a disciplinary action plan in place for students who refuse to do this. It is also important to note that some students carry a dummy phone–an old or broken phone–to hand over so that they can keep their personal phone.

Whatever you do, do not sigh in frustration and go on with class if you have a student that is failing to follow your cell phone policies. This will lead to having an out of control classroom in which the students do not respect you as a teacher.