Should cell phones be banned in school?
As schools across the country grapple with cell-phone policies, New York City's strict ban has everyone talking.
YES
As a former New York City public-school teacher, I can tell you that cell phones don't belong in the classroom. A student with a cell phone is an uninterested student, one with a short attention span who cares more about socializing than education.
When I was teaching, all too often I turned around from writing something on the blackboard to find students text-messaging or otherwise playing with their phones.
Come the end of the term, a handful of students would fail the class and far too many would drop out of school. The onus for failure should be placed on distractions in the classroom, specifically cell phones.
Parents think of cell phones as a connection to their children in an emergency. But I wonder what the last situation was that genuinely called for an immediate phone call to a child. In most cases, contacting the hospital or the police would seem more urgent. And parents can always call the school's main office to reach their children.
Cell phones are status symbols for teenagers because when their phone rings while the teacher is talking, everyone laughs. Because playing video games on their cell makes them look cool. Because text messaging their friend in the next room is more fun than learning about topic sentences. So is listening to the new Three 6 Mafia song they just downloaded onto their cell.
And saying students can store their phones in the locker is a joke. If they have cell phones, they're going to bring them to class.
—Jesse Scaccia
Former English teacher, Franklin D. Roosevelt High School, Brooklyn, N.Y.
NO
Schools make rules to facilitate a quality education in a respectful and safe environment. Cell phones are a distraction in classrooms and have no place there. I support rules banning their use—by students and staff—in the classroom.
But cell phones should not be banned from students' possession entirely, because that is, in effect, not allowing students to have cell phones while traveling to and from school.
My children's time before school and after should not be under the school's control. Making sure my children have cell phones and can contact me during those times is my right as a parent.
It's not just about safety or reassurance. Yes, I want my kids to call each morning when they arrive at school and each afternoon when they leave, and there are so few pay phones anymore on which to do that. But my children's lives are also enriched by the freedom to travel to a variety of extracurricular activities or social engagements without an adult chaperone. That is only possible because an adult is just a phone call away.
If my children are not allowed to keep their cell phones during the school day—off and in their backpacks or lockers—the school system is governing my parenting and my children's behavior during non-school time. The school has no such right. Besides, teachers should be teaching, not spending precious time tagging and bagging confiscated electronics.
I trust my kids to make responsible and respectful choices, and I trust their teachers and administrators to do the same.
—Elizabeth Lorris Ritter
Parent, Bronx High School of Science, New York
Article courtesy of Schollastics.com: http://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/indepth/upfront/debate/index.asp?article=d1211
Yes or no?
Mobile phones can be fantastic when it comes to the safety of your children and so many parents encourage their use but are they really needed when the kids are at school? Here are the pros and cons taking them in.
CONS
It could get stolen
Although you would hope this wouldn't happen, it is possible that your child's mobile phone could be stolen while they are at school. This would be very costly to you and a huge disappointment to your child. Placing their phone in a school locker during lessons could reduce this possibility but many children like to carry their phone around just in case they need it.
It could distract them
Mobile phones have come a long way from the screenless bricks they were twenty years ago and the latest smartphones can almost double as a computer. While this is great for those techno geeks among us, it does mean they offer far more of a distraction to kids than they used to. Nowadays, children cannot only text and make calls with their mobiles, they can also play games, surf the internet and listen to music. All these features could interfere with your child’s concentration and ability to learn if they play with them in class.
It could interrupt lessons
Many children, even though they are asked to do so, forget to turn off their phones during lessons meaning they may start to beep, chime or play music. This not only frustrates and annoys other pupils but also prevents them from learning as well as they would without the distraction. If this happens with several phones during a class the problem multiplies.
It is easier to cheat
Besides the distraction problem, access to the internet can also be used to look up answers and mobile phones have a couple of other dynamic features – a calculator and the ability to save notes. The possibility of children having access to this information during important exams could be too tempting for pupils not to take advantage of.
PROS
They can get in touch when necessary
The main benefit of having a phone is that your child can get in touch with you whenever they need to. This allows you to feel they are safe and gives them assurance knowing they can call home if they have a problem.
They can ring the emergency services if the need arises
If your child is in immediate danger, they can use their phone to call not only you but the emergency services. This is of great benefit and could potentially save your child's life. Even if your child has no phone credit they can still get in touch with the police, fire or medical services as all emergency calls are free.
Allows you to keep track of their whereabouts
Children, especially teenagers, can be extraordinarily elusive and can disappear with their friends for hours without notifying anyone. In the summer many kids will go to the park after school or pop down to the shops at lunchtime. Letting them have a mobile phone will allow you to know where they are – provided their phone is on!
They can easily be discreet
Mobile phones can be very discreet if turned off or on to silent. As long as your child remembers to do this their phone won't cause a distraction in class, but they will stay have a way to contact you if they need to. Giving them a standard rather than a smartphone will also reduce the risk of distraction.