In addition to the learning I received in my coursework and experiences in prior school districts, I also credit a lot of my leadership and educational journey to …my phone.  In 2010, I joined Twitter, and a whole new world was opened to me.  I connected with educators worldwide and participated in educational chats to learn from them in teaching and learning, curriculum, resources, technology, social-emotional supports, and leadership. For me, the cell phone opened my world to becoming a connected educator, but it also has some unintended consequences.

The great thing about living in the digital age is that we can be reached 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  The worst thing about living in the digital age is that we can be reached 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  I found myself checking my phone constantly, and when I wasn’t checking it, I was wondering what I may have been missing.  When technology was supposed to provide comfort and help to my everyday life, it also brought about anxiety.

Without knowing it, I gave my own two boys a cell phone, so we could be connected.  The goal was for them to have access to technology to help prepare them for the future, and everyone else had it.  What could be the harm?

At his State of the State Address in April 2024, Governor Mike DeWine called out for school leaders to ban cell phones during the school day to allow students to focus on their learning and build social skills among their peers.  In May, I shared the following blog: Ohio's New Cell Phone Policy: What It Means for Oakwood Schools and Our Students regarding our current status.  As we open the 2024-2025 school year, our current policy remains unchanged. However, we will reflect on the impact of cell phones on the learning environment as we review our current policy to determine whether changes should be made.  

Earlier this summer, I read The Anxious Generation by Johnathan Haidt, the book that Governor DeWine referenced when talking about the negative impact caused by cell phones on students.  In The Anxious Generation, Haidt explores the collapse of youth mental health and presents a plan for a healthier, freer childhood. He discusses the decline of the “play-based childhood” and the arrival of the “phone-based childhood” in the early 2010s — and how this “great rewiring of childhood” has interfered with children’s social and neurological development. The book also explains why social media damages girls more than boys, and why boys have been withdrawing from the real world into the virtual world, with disastrous consequences for themselves, their families, and their societies.

In partnership with Wright Library, we are conducting a Community Read to discuss topics addressed in the book.  You can save the dates of October 24, October 30, and November 14 to join us in the evenings at the Wright Library.  Space will be limited, and information on how to register will come later.  Copies of the book are available through Wright Library Fast Reads and general circulation.  

Please note that we will not discuss school policies at these meetings. Instead, it’s an opportunity to engage in dialogue about the book’s tenants regarding the impact of cell phones on our youth.