Davey administers sweet punishments

Sophomore Enzo Coglitore was looking at his phone during one of history MAP teacher Mike Davey’s lectures when Davey saw him from across the room. Coglitore knew he was instantly in trouble. At home, instead of working on homework as usual, Coglitore got started on baking 30 cookies for the class. It took him almost two hours, forcing him to push back his school work.

“It’s pretty tough staying up late nights mixing flour and sugar and baking cookies, so I definitely learned my lesson not to go on my phone in class,” he said.

Instead of administering the typical consequences for using a phone during class such as giving detentions or referrals, Davey has his own version of a punishment that serves as a treat for the class. When caught, students have the choice of bringing homemade — not store bought — cookies for the class instead of receiving disciplinary action.

“To be honest, when the state rule initially came out that said students get a Saturday school for [using their phone], I thought it was too harsh, so I gave students an option,” Davey said.

Students say Davey’s cookie punishment is quite  effective, if not better, than the conventional phone confiscation and referral or detention. Sophomore Nakul Nagaraj said that cookies arrive in the classroom around once a week, but repeat offenders are rare.

“I think it’s super effective,” Coglitore said. “Because you realize you’re wasting a lot of time making the cookies and you think, ‘Ugh I don’t want to do this again,’ so you’re less likely go on your phone in class.”

According to Davey, the punishment actually makes it easier to catch those who use their phone because the rest of the class alerts him about violators for cookies.

The punishment for bringing cookies has evolved to sort of a class joke. For the class, it is funny, but it is also a effective warning to students who might want to use their phones in class: Get caught and spend a night baking cookies.