Local schools react to 'fidget spinners'

This year, the latest trend popping up in homes, classrooms, playgrounds, gas stations, and Amazon shopping carts appears to be the fidget spinner. The toys consist of a trifecta of circles arranged around a wheel bearing, and come in a variety of colors and designs

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2017-05-30 / Front Page Local schools react to 'fidget spinners' By KELSEY CHRISTENSEN kchristensen@eagletimes.com Hand spinners, or fidget spinners as they are known informally, on display at a local convenience store. — KELSEY CHRISTENSEN Hand spinners, or fidget spinners as they are known informally, on display at a local convenience store. — KELSEY CHRISTENSEN Tamagotchis, slap bracelets, silly bands — unto each generation a new trend in toys, and the challenges they bring upon teachers, school administrations, and parents alike. This year, the latest trend popping up in homes, classrooms, playgrounds, gas stations, and Amazon shopping carts appears to be the fidget spinner. The toys consist of a trifecta of circles arranged around a wheel bearing, and come in a variety of colors and designs. The popularity of the toys in schools perhaps comes from claims that students learn or focus better when physically active, or fidgeting. Ben Nester, a special education coordinator for Stevens High School, said the evidence surrounding fidget spinners’ educational benefits are anecdotal, not scientific, at this time. “There is peer-reviewed research that suggests there are some benefits to kids using a stress ball [because] they lengthen attention spans and reduce stress,” Nester said. “Given that [fidget spinners] are new, there’s no peer-reviewed research that suggests they have any benefit.” Fidget spinners have sparked such a conversation that Weathersfield School Principal JeanMarie Oakman had to share a policy on fidget spinners with parents and teachers to address the toy’s use in school. The informational memorandum, which Oakman shared with her staff as a draft before sending to parents, states that while fidget spinners are suitable for helping students who focus best while occupying their hands, not every environment is appropriate for spinners. Oakman said she knew a specific policy would have to be drafted regarding this new device to set its treatment apart from other toy-related school policies. “We have K-4 [kindergarten through fourth grade] students that bring toys in,” Oakman said. “But they have to be used appropriately, kept in lockers during class, and used before and after school or during recess.” Oakman’s policy states that fidget spinners should be operated in one hand, stay in a student’s hand, desk or locker, function like a toy as per the school’s aforementioned toy policy, and are not to be used as weapons or to distract another student. The policy also states that fidgets can be suitably used in a classroom if the student in question has a plan geared towards their specific learning style. “A fidget or spinner can be used in school if a child's plan specifies its use is helpful in focusing a student's attention,” states the memo. Fidget spinners are said to be helpful to students with ADD/ADHD, autism, and anxiety. “We want to help kids that need a boost,” Oakman said. Oakman has been hand-making fidget toys for her students that focus better when engaging in a physical activity, though her version more closely resembles small bean bags. Like Oakman, Principal Steve Cone from Riverside Middle School in Springfield is amenable to all types of fidgets if they can help a child to learn or focus. He’s been keeping stress balls in varying shapes and colors since the beginning of his teaching career as a counselor. “I certainly believe in fidgets,” Cone said. “I’ve got stress balls in my office that students can hold and squeeze in their hand.” While Oakman first learned of fidget spinners watching the news this past April, Cone had a pleasant introduction to the popular toys: one of his students had 3D printed one in the technical education lab. “I hate doing school-wide bans if we can help it,” Cone said. “Our approach has been to have teachers make their own classroom policies. We want to be reasonable if we can.” Central Elementary School in Bellows Falls only allows students to have spinners if their IEP (Individualized Education Plan) states that it benefits them. “At Central, our position is clear,” Principal Keith Nemlich said. “Toys are not to come to school.” For Nester, the toys may be appropriate or inappropriate for stress-relief depending upon the age. “Fidgets present a challenge at the elementary level,” said Nester. “Their impulse control [at that age] is not such that they can self-regulate and use them during a lecture, and then put them away when it’s time for seat work. So there may be a little push and pull with teachers there.” “There’s not a straightforward answer,” Nester continued. For many teachers, the benefits of fidgets depend on how they’re being used. While they’re at their most beneficial when being used in one hand to keep a child’s attention, they can quickly become a distraction or problem if they’re used as weapons on the playground, or used to distract other students. “They’ve gotten tangled in students’ hair,” Cone reported. Oakman said she originally saw the toys an ephemeral novelty, but realized she had to address the topic after observing the toys being used as weapons during recess. “Because these are all the rage, they’ve become a distraction,” Cone said. “We always want to do what’s best for kids, but we also want to help them make good decisions along the way.” Parents and teachers alike have reached out to Oakman to thank her for formally addressing the issue. “I’ve had parents say ‘Thank you — now I know,’” she said. “Parents just want to follow the rules, too. They don’t want to put their child in the middle.” Cone feels that the distraction fidget spinners pose pales in comparison to the drop in students’ focus that organically arises as academic years come to a close in the spring. “It’s the time of year where you feel like you gotta figure out how to keep the roof on the building,” he said. “You have to be fair, and evolve, and move along with modernity.”