The parents were the ones who pushed the idea forward. "What if the children don't bring mobile phones to the March camps?", proposed the families of the 2nd year of the ESO last year at the La Ribera high school. And so they did. Despite the initial protests of the 13- and 14-year-old students, the three-day coexistence experience in Planoles was rewarding, more than they had expected: "I was angry, but then I forgot my cell phone," he recalled Alex yesterday.
The initiative was a preview of the experience this September in the center of Montcada i Reixac, of almost 350 students and 42 teachers, which has been declared a "cell phone-free center" after a debate process in the cloister , the ampa, the school council and the inspection. "We believe that with this measure we protect the students and improve coexistence", says Pep Porca, director of the center.
Bad practices are avoided. Conflicts between teenagers that want to be resolved impulsively, with an insult on social networks. Now an eventual response in networks will be possible, but it will have to be postponed until after school. And that, many times, will dampen the virulence of the response. Or the conflict will be expressed in the playground, physically or verbally, which gives the opportunity to resolve or dilute the issue.
Photos and recordings uploaded without consent. Thefts and threats, which are also there. However, what is most abundant is the indolent attitude during the half hour in the playground, children with their heads bowed and only exercising their fingers.
"And now, what are we going to do? We have a small yard, we can't always play ball. We will have to talk", say Luis, Álex and Pol, all three students, not without some consternation.
Óscar, Luis's father, smiles: "It seems strange to them to talk." Parents are happy with the decision, except for some who ask their children to text them every morning to confirm that they have arrived safely. Now they will have to do it before entering school, turn off their mobile phone, put it in their backpack.
"They have told us that they will take him away from us if they see him and the parents will have to come and pick him up. The second time they will send us home to reflect", explained some first-year students who are new to La Ribera and that, when their teacher, in yesterday's information session, warned them about the new rule, they slip the mobile stealthily from hand to backpack.
Amina, Ana, Henar and Lucía are not enthusiastic about the idea and less optimistic about the result. "There will be more fights, the boys will get bored and upset and it will end badly", they predict. They do not know that the center has adapted the playground, will open the library and the music room during recess to offer alternative activities.
More and more centers are putting up the "cell phone-free center" sign. Others consider that it is necessary to respect the teenager's freedom, trust and encourage their responsibility. Educate on their use and avoid abuse, with mobile phones in the centre. This is the case of the minister of education, Anna Simó, who yesterday spoke on RAC1 on the subject: "I am not in favor of banning, but of making students and families understand the importance of good use of mobile phones". However, he showed respect for the autonomy of centers that opt for the ban.
Unesco, which published a statement in July warning against the use of technology in schools, stressed the importance of it always being for the benefit of learning and as support for the teacher. If it's disruptive and doesn't serve a pedagogical purpose, it's better to leave it alone.
"We can't use it as a teaching tool because not everyone has a phone and that's why we use computers," said Porca. In 3rd and 4th they have laptops and those in 1st and 2nd go to the computer room (the devices promised during the pandemic did not reach this center of maximum complexity for these courses). Now, since they will have to "talk", the director believes, they will improve their social skills, a skill that is also taught.
At the Arnau Cadell high school, in Sant Cugat del Vallès, students have been on a cellphone diet for three years. "The first year was hard, but now it's no longer an issue", the director, Miquel Rocasalbas, explained yesterday.
The center, with 700 students and 73 teachers, exudes tranquility. In the playground, they play sports, chess and table tennis, an activity that has become popular to the point that the students, in the surveys carried out by the center, answer that even if mobile phones were returned, they would not stop playing spade and ball
"We already had computers, so the benefits they could bring us from a pedagogical perspective were few." In return, there were more distractions in class and managing the seizures took up valuable teacher time. It generated discomfort, sometimes, resistance to giving the mobile phone to the teacher, expulsion sanctions... "It was easier to look the other way than to make this unpopular decision, but we opted for it".
The dynamic, he reports, is very positive. Sporadic sanctions, just recidivism. The families are happy and no longer have "zombies" in the playground, but active students. Now we need to transfer the example to families.
