The Issues With Phones and Zones – What Does Havergal Think?

On top of the external changes to Havergal’s infrastructure, another change to our school is the addition of little green signs. These signs can be found in lunch classrooms B33 and B35, the cafeteria, and the Termerty Commons. For many of us, these came as no surprise. The idea for a policy surrounding phone usage by Havergal students had been in the making for a few months leading up to September 2018. The goal of the Device-Free Zones is to “emphasize face-to-face engagement and interaction” and they are meant to create “community-building time”.

To begin, let’s explore the idea of how these zones came to be. The issue was originally brought forward by parents and as a result, a focus group of about 15 girls was created. These girls were asked to evaluate their relationships with their phones and together came up with a list of possible solutions. So really, at its heart, this was a student initiative.

Here is what some Havergal students have to say about the policy:

Person 1: I don’t really mind it. It’s kinda inconvenient but it’s not like I hate it. I think the idea of it is good; it’s just a little much.

Person 2: I don’t like it because people said there wasn’t supposed to be punishment but a bunch of teachers [are] threatening to take [our] phones away.

Person 3: The concept isn’t bad but like…[it’s] too strict. I can’t even have my phone on the table.

Person 4: I hate it. It’s so annoying.

Person 6: I think that the device free zones are pretty good but maybe do it for just the first half of lunch or something.

Person 7: I feel like the teachers are policing it when I thought they weren’t supposed to.

Person 8: It’s really annoying when a teacher tells you to put away your phone EVEN IN LINE FOR FOOD!

Not all initiatives work out, and there’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, many HC students might remember the temporary addition of “split lunches” on Wednesdays last year. For those of you who don’t know what those are, essentially, half of the Upper School would get their lunch in the first half of lunch, and the other half in the remaining part. After a considerable amount of feedback, “split lunches” were scrapped because students expressed their concerns with the initiative. Something that a lot of people don’t know is that it was a student who actually suggested the idea, and while I’m sure it was well-intentioned, it is clear that it didn’t work at Havergal.

However, I think that the zones are a little different. From what I can tell, and my personal opinion, I don’t think Havergal students really hate the policy. I think it’s got a bit of a bad reputation because we often refer to it as the “no phone rule” or the “no personal devices rule”, but really, we just can’t use our phones in a couple of spaces. If you think about what Person 6 and 8 said, teachers shouldn’t have to ask you to not be on your phone — the whole point is that you maybe take a break and talk to someone new in those awkward two minutes in the long lunch line with the hopes that, eventually, those conversations will no longer be so awkward. In terms of policing the policy, I do think there has been some miscommunication in that department. However, upon speaking with Mr. Nichols, I’ve learned teachers may take a device away from a student after she’s already been prompted to put it away and has continued to ignore the request. I share the same sentiments as Person 3; sometimes during lunch, I talk to my friends with my phone on the table, yet a teacher still has to come in and tell me to put it away when I simply forgot. I would like for a teacher not to nag or punish me about it, but rather just remind me. So perhaps that is something that could be changed?

In regards to whether or not the policy has achieved its purpose, I really do think that there has been more “face-to-face engagement and interaction” in my own House and I actually really appreciate how no one has an excuse not to talk to others by staring at their own phones. I do think that it has been effective in this aspect and I notice that I’ve gotten to know a lot of other girls much better because of it. While there may be some places where tweaks and changes can be made, I think the policy and zones are here to stay and, honestly, I’m okay with that.