How to handle cell phones in the classroom as a teacher

Phone rules are where a lot of classroom management gets messy. A school can have a policy on paper, but in the room it becomes one student hiding AirPods, another asking to text a parent, and half the class watching to see if you actually follow through. What has worked better for me is making the routine boring: phone spot at the start, same consequence every time, and a short note home only wh…