I don’t agree with it for a number of reasons:
(1) Granted, I’m a college instructor not in the K-12 business, but I wouldn’t want to be held responsible for the material possessions of so many students. I feel like if anything was stolen or lost in the shuffle, things could get messy real fast and it would be my neck on the line as the adult supervising the situation.
(2) I don’t agree with setting such a strong authoritarian tone in the classroom. The assumption upon entry is that students are going to do something bad with their phones. This feels different to me than setting the perimeters to which a phone can or cannot be used in the class that could result in punitive measures.
(3) I think collecting the phones because they can distract students underskirts the main issue: cultivating an engaging classroom environment and providing more structure and support for students who have problems with maintaining attention for extended periods of time.
(4) I think children and teenagers should be taught how to use technology according to different scenarios. I didn’t have a cellphone in high school, but I’m very wired to my technology now. It seems unrealistic to completely cut off students who are growing up in a very tech-centered world.
@chyna none of the schools I attended in k-12 had dedicated lockers. In elementary, we had assigned desks, but in middle and high school you had to carry everything on your person at all times.