NYC schools discover teens can’t read clocks after cellphone ban
Many teens have no clue what time it is during the course of the school day, teachers said. Prostock-studio – stock.adobe.com
New York City teachers are discovering that many teenagers can’t read traditional clocks following a statewide cellphone ban in schools — a skill students had dismissed as outdated in the digital age, according to a recent report.
“The constant refrain is, ‘Miss, what time is it?’” said Madi Mornhinweg, a high school English teacher in Manhattan.
“It’s frustrating because everyone wants to know how many minutes are left in class,” she told Gothamist. “I finally started asking, ‘Where’s the big hand and where’s the little hand?’” Many tech-savvy students reportedly struggle to tell time during the school day because most classrooms only have analog clocks.
“That’s a major skill that they’re not used to at all,” said Tiana Millen, assistant principal at Cardozo High School in Queens.
Some students said they learned to read clocks in early grades but later forgot the skill because they rarely needed it.
“They just forgot because they never used it, always pulled out their phone,” said 14-year-old Cheyenne Francis of Midwood High School in Brooklyn. “I know how to read a clock — the only time I might struggle is if the clock isn’t set properly.”
New York’s statewide smartphone ban took effect on September 4 for the 2025–26 school year. Teachers say it’s had few downsides and several benefits: students are more focused in class, interact more during lunch, and move faster through hallways. Ironically, the ban has even helped students arrive to class on time, despite many not being able to read analog clocks.
Parents and educators have long debated how technology affects certain skills, from handwriting to attention spans, even as Gen-Z often outpaces older generations in digital know-how.
“At NYCPS, we recognize how essential it is for our students to tell the time on both analog and digital clocks,” said city Department of Education spokesperson Isla Gething. “Even in an increasingly digital world, traditional time-reading skills should not be left behind.”
Schools continue to teach terms like “o’clock,” “half-past,” and “quarter-to” in early elementary grades to ensure students have a foundation in analog time-telling.
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