A compromise for student cell phones

Unfortunately, my school does not have a zero phone policy, so every teacher handles their phone policy differently. I’m a huge tech person, so I understand the positive role a device can have in a classroom, but I also know how much of a distraction they can be.

In my classroom, I enforce a “no phone zone” – that’s the front of my classroom. I do, however provide a simple solution to the cell phone struggle and that is to provide a charging station in the back of my room. I’ve found that students enjoy being able to charge their phones and leave with a fully charged device, even if they can’t use them in class.

The solution I decided upon was to integrate an inexpensive charger that many of my students could use. It has been a great return on investment in terms of my students’ attitudes and their adherence to the no phone policy. I purchased a 24-port charging station and a variety of Apple Lightning and USB-C cables.

To ensure that the cables don’t grow legs, I’ve zip tied them together in groups of 12. As more students are now getting phones with USB-C connections, I will replace some of the Apple Lightning cables with USB-C. I purchased both lightning and USB-C cables in bulk which reduced the cost.

Here are links to the 24-port charging station and cables. After over a year of use, the unit is still going strong!

• 24-port Charging Station: https://amzn.to/4cCM0WO
• Apple Lightning Cables 5-Pack: https://amzn.to/42RzU8X
• USB-C Cables 5 Pack: https://amzn.to/4cCM0WO

Here is my “no phone zone” and “phone charging station” signs I use in my room: