Our students are dynamic individuals who attend our school for either visual arts or performing arts. Their imaginations are second to none.
Our students are quite unique, as they have to audition to attend our school of the arts.
They are creative, imaginative, and are from all walks of life and economic backgrounds. Using a hands-on approach and "learning by doing," our students are taught the arts by both full-time professional teachers certified in their arts disciplines and area, and national professionals who teach master classes throughout the academic year. Almost half of our students are on free or reduced lunch.
My Project
Create A Cell Phone Jail
Have you ever tried to have students leave their cell phones in their lockers and a mysterious glow comes from under their desk?
I got tired of the cell phone shuffle and want to create a cell phone jail for our middle school students. Our students will have to check in their phones when class starts. This accountability and equity eventually leads to focused minds in the classroom.
It is known that students using cell phones during class are experiencing negative side effects with their academic achievement (Junco, 2012). Whether students realize it or not, their classroom cell phone usage is also leading to negative side effects on other students in proximity (Wood, et al., 2012). Students may believe that using a cell phone during class is a personal choice and will only affect themselves. However, cell phone usage could indirectly have a negative impact on the entire class by negatively affecting the teacher. Teachers don’t believe students should use phones during class because they don’t believe students can use their phone and pay attention to instruction simultaneously. Even though approximately half of the students believe cell phone use is distracting to teacher, a vast majority of teachers (87%) consider it distracting to their teaching. Ultimately, if schools truly want their students to perform the best they can academically, prohibiting the use of phones in class should be the only cell phone policy.
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mr. Nagel and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
