My second cup of coffee in hand, I headed to my office and pulled my To-Do list out from beneath a stack of books, notebooks, and papers with every intention of adding to it.

I mulled it over: syllabi to complete–high school and college editions; lessons to plan; phone calls to make; emails to send; seminars to attend; workshops to develop. And this didn’t even include my everyday tasks and errands such as groceries, laundry, appointments, catching up with friends, dinner. The list was never-ending. After all, that’s precisely why we have To-Do lists in the first place: because there will alway be things we have to do. They will always exist, evolving as our roles and responsibilities evolve, never leaving us to wonder, “Whatever will I do with my time?”

Today, though, as I contemplated the future of my To-Do list and what I might add to it, another thought crossed my mind. As you know, the onslaught of the Coronavirus Pandemic has brought the education world to a standstill of sorts. School leaders across the country and around the world have had to consider decision-making that could literally have life and death consequences for students, teachers, staff, and even the community at large. As a result of these decisions, classroom learning environments will change drastically this year for every student and every teacher in the country, despite whether they return to remote learning settings or to in-person classrooms in their traditional form. Either way, teachers and students will be faced with new challenges that include, for some, computer screens and internet connectivity as potential barriers to learning. Others will have to navigate the challenges of social distancing and face masks as deterrents to potentially life-threatening illness and, subsequently, to the loss of instructional time. Regardless of how we feel about these decisions, without a doubt, education has been turned on its head, and we cannot–we should not–approach it with the same old To-Do lists we have created for ourselves in the past. My thought? For the first time in a long time–maybe even for the first time ever–I have the chance to reimagine education for my students as they return to me this fall. This to-do list just won’t do.

With my morning epiphany in mind, I’d like for you to do a little exercise with me. You have a to-do list, right? I want us to put aside our To-Do lists and think about something else for a moment. We have been presented with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a new reality for our students as they re-enter our classrooms, virtually or otherwise. Now, I know we have to be realistic in understanding that the Pandemic did little to nothing to erase well-known issues in education. In fact, some of these issues have been greatly exacerbated by the arrival of COVID-19. Thankfully, though, many of our state and local school leaders have realized this, and grace has come in the form of elimination of certain standardized assessment types, smaller class sizes, adjusted schedules, and more. Obviously, these things were necessary to ensure safety and the continuation of education; however, with these things also came the smallest sense of liberation. The adjustments made will allow teachers the chance to restructure learning in ways that we haven’t been able to before. We have been given access to new forms of technology and more modern communication tools for connecting with our students. In some instances, we have been permitted to side-step programming and compliance practices in order to meet the needs of all of our learners. So, now that those already outdated To-Do Lists are out of the way, let’s consider the aforementioned things and create for ourselves a new kind of list. 

If you will, please, take out a new sheet of paper. Across the top, title it your “Un-Do List.”

So, what will you put on this new list? I’m not sure. That’s up to you. But, I do know this list could be as endless as our To-Do lists, and I also know that this Un-Do list has the potential to affect change far more than our To-Do lists ever could.

Evaluating our current circumstances, what are some of the things we might seek to “un-do” in these unprecedented times? Perhaps we can work towards undoing things like:

• Systemic Racism
• Achievement Gaps
• Labeling Students
• Ignoring Social-Emotional Needs
• Teaching to the Middle…and so many more. 

I’m a realist (to a degree), and I know we all have things that we must do to prepare for a new year with our kids, especially in these entirely new learning environments. My question, though, is this: why would we even think about doing things in the same ways we did them before? This year, our Un-Do list has the potential to bring magic to our classrooms. From our Un-Do lists, educational transformation can begin. These lists will give us the chance to reimagine learning as we seek to create new experiences that will grow engaged, inspired, life-long learners. Un-Do lists can offer us the opportunity to draw out the Greatness that exists in every single one of our students.

Here is my challenge to you:

This school year, commit to finding what you will work to Un-Do so that every student in your classroom can grow into the learner he or she is capable of becoming, and so that we can keep education on its head in a way that continues to benefit our children every day we see them.

Principals & Administrators, what will you Un-Do in your buildings or within your districts?

Teachers, what will you Un-Do in your classrooms?

Parents, what will you Un-Do at the dinner table, on car rides, or in your living rooms?

And we can’t stop there. We then need to figure out how we can reimagine or Re-Do these things, because like our lists, education will never, ever be done. 

Contrary to popular belief, because we are teachers, the ability “to do” is an innate quality we all possess. Renowned educator, Rita Pierson, affirms this in her famous Ted Talk, “Every Kid Needs a Champion.” She asks, “Is this job tough? You betcha. Oh God, you betcha. But it is not impossible. We can do this. We’re educators. We’re born to make a difference.”

And make a difference we will.

Share with us what you plan to “Un-Do” this year and how you will reimagine education to make a difference for your students. 

Use the @Twitter hashtag #EducationUndone so we can continue the conversation.

I can’t wait to hear all about your undoings!

Don’t forget to Comment, Like, and Share

With the passing of Ram Dass this past December, many have taken to sharing his words of wisdom across the web over the past month, and I am grateful for it. His thoughts are so simple, yet so profound–so true. 

The quote I’ve shared with you here popped up on my facebook stream yesterday and it really resonated with me. It aligns precisely with my beliefs about educating the young people who enter my classroom every day.

I see each of my students like the trees Ram Dass describes. In my high school classrooms, there may be the 16 year-old or 17 year-old variety of teenager–just as an oak or a gingko is a variety of tree–and each one is unique in his or her own way. They all come with different stories and different reasons for being who they are. Some are already tall and strong, with deep roots. Others are like saplings, in need of as much water and sun and love as I can give. If I don’t acknowledge this–if I don’t accept why my trees are different–I will fail in helping them as they try to continue to grow. I will have failed as their caretaker because I didn’t appreciate each one or tend to each of them individually.

In the classroom I call my forest, it is my goal to help each of my trees get the care it needs on a daily basis. I need to nurture them so they grow strong, despite their difficult beginnings. I need to encourage them to grow tall and full so they can provide shade to those around them who need it. I need to teach them how to destroy toxicity and partner with others to provide air to those struggling to breathe. I have to encourage them to be unafraid to drop their cover and show the world who they really are, but only when the time is right. It is my job to give them the support they need so their bark will grow thick, but not so thick that they become numb to feeling. I want each tree to be whole enough that they can stand on their own when they leave our little forest for the big forest called Life. 

The expression “can’t see the forest for the trees” is often used when one is too involved in the details of a problem to look at the situation as a whole. As a teacher, this expression is the antithesis of my role in our forest. I must look at the details of every single tree in order to watch the whole forest thrive. I see the forest because I look at each tree–each root, each trunk, each limb, each leaf. This is what I call teaching Root to Canopy. 

I love every beautiful, unique tree in my forest, and I am blessed to be able to walk among them each day.

As teachers, though, we see the direct effects of cell phone use on students day after day. More and more American children are becoming plagued by cell phone addiction while the adults in charge seem to do little or nothing to help them understand or recover from this very serious problem.

A Well-Made Point

The idea of banning cell phone ownership until the age of 21 has been called “far reaching” by those opposed to this piece of legislation. According to a report from CNN, Vermont Senator John Rodgers (D), who proposed this bill, asserts that if young people under 21 can’t smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, or own guns, they shouldn’t be able to own cell phones, which he says are just as dangerous as these things. His proposal references a number of negative activities associated with cell phone use including texting and driving; bullying; suicide; mass shootings; and the radicalization of terrorists and hate group extremists. 

Rodgers tells CNN that he isn’t actually pushing for the bill to pass, but instead, he is trying to make the point that cell phones can be a dangerous possession for minors and those who are “not developmentally mature enough” to safely own one. 

While Senator Rodgers is facing much criticism for his proposal, I feel his  point is well worth taking when we consider the impacts cell phone use can have on our children. The consequences are as real, and sometimes as life-threatening, as any other type of addiction.

What Exactly Is the Problem, Anyway?

Proof of youth cell phone addiction isn’t just apparent from the moans I get when I ask my young people to park their cell phones in the pocket organizer hanging on my wall as they enter the room. If you ask them, students will admit the mere presence of their phone is a distraction and that they have both a physical and a psychological need to possess their phones. Now, you and I both know they don’t need their phones anymore than I need a box of Godiva chocolates; however, when I see that shiny, gold box, my stomach ties itself in knots. I have to have it. It’s the same for kids and phones. There’s a terror that sets in when students are asked to part with their phones, even for a little bit. 

My students argue that they can’t concentrate if they don’t physically possess the technology they feel is tied to their identities and that they see as their lifeline to the rest of the world. The media and society have even dubbed these feelings with such names as “‘FOMO’ (Fear Of Missing Out) – the fear of being without a cell phone, disconnected or off the Internet, ‘Textaphrenia’ and ‘Ringxiety’ – the false sensation of having received a text message or call that leads to constantly checking the device,’” (Gutiérrez, Fonseca, and Rubio,  2016). While these terms can be applied to adults as well as young people who are addicted to their phones, the impact of cell phone abuse on young people can lead to long-lasting and dire consequences.

So, What Are the Consequences?

According to Addictions and Recovery, addiction has two basic qualities:

1. Using something more than you would like to, and
2. Continuing said use despite the negative consequences.

Proof there is an epidemic is clear. Just walk down any hall in most schools during pass time and you’ll see nothing but the tops of heads as students stare downward, scrolling anxiously, searching for what they missed out on in the 49 minutes time they were away from their devices. 

While it is both annoying and saddening to see our students glued to their phones, missing out on the fantastic, living world around them, the negative behaviors associated with cell phone use are the most disturbing facet of this troubling situation. 

Both in school and out, many young people have fallen victim to the effects of allowing their phones to impact their decision-making. Across communities, large and small, parents, law enforcement, teachers and administrators have witnessed a wide variety of negative cell-phone related behaviors such as

• Girls and boys as young as elementary school sharing nude pictures of themselves
• Young people bullying each other with vile, despicable words, to the point that someone takes his or her own life
• Young girls and boys developing unhealthy obsessions with themselves and their online personas via social media
• Young people accessing pornographic material that will forever change their perception of what a healthy, sexual relationship looks like.
• Students following inappropriate role models who encourage them to consider attitudes and actions they may never have contemplated without access to a cell phone

Despite the frequency of these serious, sometimes life and death situations, cell phone use continues, often unchecked, without much more than the administration of discipline when it is deemed necessary. There is seldom discussion of counseling, follow-up, or ongoing support when it comes to dealing with the negative consequences of cell phone abuse.

And if this isn’t enough, students who suffer from cell phone addiction are taking a huge hit academically. Ask any teacher and they will agree that cell-phone addiction has caused some students to suffer greatly in terms of their learning. For example,

• Students have lost their desire to think critically – They want to Google every question or problem for an answer or a solution. Their desire to exercise critical thinking has dwindled, because with smart technology, what’s the point? In their opinion, the answers are one quick Google search away.
• Students have lost their sense of creativity – They want the instant gratification that comes from getting something done quickly and with the least effort. Their desire to master their craft or to do their best work has also diminished greatly over the last eight years I have been an educator.
• Students have lost their ability to effectively communicate – They have a difficult time holding extended, face to face conversations, and they struggle to write well due to the poor habits they have acquired by doing most of their writing on social media. 

This is further proof that cell phones are not only affecting students’ personal lives–present and future–cell phones are also impeding their ability to learn and to become productive, contributing members of society.

Simply put, if we want to help kids overcome this addiction, we have to do  more than we are doing right now. 

In attempts to improve the situation, more and more schools are moving to “phone free” environments and are integrating cell phone use protocols into Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) programs within school. These actions are definitely helpful; however, on their own, they are not enough. There is more that must be done to help students and their caregivers recognize the signs of cell-phone addiction and to find ways to fight it. This can easily be done with the formation of school and community partnerships and by integrating the concept of healthy and productive cell-phone use into the curriculum at all levels.

The Intervention

After we accept the reality that there really is an epidemic when it comes to kids abusing and overusing cell phones, we then have to recognize that schools cannot bear the sole responsibility of treating this problem simply because we care for students eight hours of the day. Like other forms of addiction, this, too, is going to require an intervention that involves not just school personnel, but families, friends, and other professionals who understand the problem and who have our children’s best interest at heart. Schools can take the lead on this, though. They can form community partnerships that come together to develop programs to help parents understand cell phone addiction and how to get their children, and maybe even themselves, the help they need. For instance,

• School administrators can organize meetings that include parents, local businesses, law enforcement, mental health and medical professionals, and community leaders that support the creation of programs that foster healthy cell phone use amongst young people.
• These programs should offer the community and parents opportunities to learn about the dangers of cell phone use and the development of skills related to living in a society whose foundation rests upon the latest and greatest technology.
• Most importantly, these programs must be about more than just turning phones off for a day or eliminating phones in educational settings. Leaders in these programs must focus on helping students develop healthy habits even when they have their phones in their hands.

When those of us around students recognize there is a problem, yet do nothing about it, we have become enablers. In order to help our children–our future members of society–to navigate the complex world of technology, we have to be willing to stand up and do something, even if it pains us a little or a lot. If we really care about our kids, it’s what we have to do.

The Treatment

The next step in combating cell phone addiction is to make the concept of healthy cell phone use a fluid part of the school curriculum, not just one separate program. Teachers, counselors, and administrators, need to be focused on this each day. Our students need to learn to be able to have technology with them and not be constantly distracted by it. Students do have a right to own technology and to have access to the knowledge and information it provides them; however, we cannot allow them access to such a powerful tool and not show them how to effectively use it. 

Implementation of cell phone skills into the curriculum doesn’t have to be complex. Simple changes could include the addition of a mandatory short-term class that students must complete within each grade band (K-5, 6-8, 7-12, etc.), or it could be a system of  integrated components within the existing curriculum that must be covered over the course of a student’s education. The curriculum can be as deep or diverse as a district deems necessary, but should include components such as

• The development of healthy cell phone habits and routines
• Help for students to find purpose in the context of their electronic device
• Establishment of mindful time away from technology
• Opportunities for authentic learning that involves both hands on and tech-based, real world projects

And last, but certainly not least, 

• Schools must embed media literacy education into the curriculum heavily. This should include
  • Helping students to understand what media and media literacy are, as well as their purpose;
  • Introducing students to a variety of media sources and teaching them to fact check;
  • Showing students how they can become productive creators of media themselves.

While it may be a challenge for some schools to make healthy cell phone use a permanent part of the curriculum due to costs, there are free programs that do make it easy for schools–or individual teachers–take tackle this problem head on. The organization Away for the Day provides a plethora of research and resources that will help anyone interested to support this cause. Their award-winning film Screenagers dives headfirst into the problems associated with students overusing technology and is a perfect launchpoint for schools who want to tackle this issue head on.

If We Do Nothing…

Though Senator Rodgers’ legislation may seem extreme to some, he is absolutely correct in this thinking. As a result of unchecked cell phone use, we have created a very serious, potentially life-threatening epidemic for our students. If we don’t do something, who knows what their–and our–future may look like. Just read M.T. Andrew’s thought-provoking, dystopian novel Feed, for a possible glimpse.

And, as this disturbing cartoon shows, it seems as if we may have already reached the tipping point.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts, comments, and feedback below. 

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