In a heartwarming twist on classroom management, Sara James, a creative kindergarten teacher, is going viral for introducing an innovative solution to manage her students’ daily grievances: a ‘tattle phone.’
This ingenious tool lets kids voice their concerns without disrupting the class, and it’s making waves online. “I didn’t come up with the idea myself, but teachers have been sharing resources by word of mouth and websites like Teachers Pay Teachers for years. Now social media is part of that,” Sara James said, explaining how she discovered the idea. Inspired by other educators and a little internet sleuthing, James found a phone on Amazon that records messages, similar to those used at weddings. She quickly adapted this for her classroom needs.
The concept is simple yet effective: students can pick up the phone and record their complaints, whether it’s about someone copying their work or a minor playground scuffle. James listens to the recordings later, allowing her to address the issues when the time is right, without constant interruptions.
The famous tattle phone. Photo from TikTok
“There are a bunch of teachers who have come across my For You Page who have used similar phones,” James said. “Some don’t record, or some use a video device, but teachers have used phones in this way in the classroom for a while. I came across one recently and took it as my sign to go ahead with the idea.”
Her students embraced the ‘tattle phone’ immediately. “They see something new in the classroom and they all want to use it,” James said, describing the excitement. The phone became a hit within days of its arrival, just before the winter break. James has found the phone incredibly helpful in identifying issues she might otherwise miss.
“It’s like having a little spy, in a sense, to fill me in,” she said. The phone reveals both the mundane and the significant, from someone copying a peer to a quick kick that might have gone unnoticed.
There’s levels to tattling,” James explained. “Sometimes it’s something as little as ‘So and so is copying me,’ or ‘So and so keeps looking at me.’ And those don’t need to cause an interruption.”
She has also noticed that the phone provides a safe space for her more reserved students. “It also helps with kids who aren’t going to come tell you something happened to your face. They’re too shy or they’re scared they’ll get in trouble, but telling the phone makes it easier.”
James has shared her experience on TikTok, where it’s been mostly well-received. “There’s been some negative feedback too,” James admitted. “Some people feel like it gives them an excuse to tattle.” Yet, she firmly believes in its benefits, noting, “Most of those people aren’t educators.”
“It’s been a really fun experience seeing them be able to speak up for themselves in a new way,” she added. The funny and insightful things her students say have brought joy to her teaching days. With reduced interruptions and a clearer sense of the classroom dynamics, James plans to keep the ‘tattle phone’ as a permanent fixture.
“I’m going to keep it in the classroom because I do feel like it’s helping,” she said. And as for the students, they’re finding new ways to make their voices heard, one message at a time.
Source: People
