Dayton Daily News education reporter Scott Elliott writes about schools, kids, teaching and learning.
Home > Blogs > Get on the Bus > Archives > 2006 > May > 27 > Entry
Maybe kids do need cell phones
In New York City, they’ve always had a “don’t-ask-don’t-tell” and “don’t-see-won’t-take” policy toward student cell phones. As long as the phones weren’t disrupting class, school staff looked the other way if students brought them to school.
But recently, the city’s leaders were shocked to learn just what a problem cell phones are. The school district began random metal detector sweeps to look for weapons and instead ended up confiscating thousands of cell phones. Teachers said the phones are used for cheating, taking inappropriate photos and organizing gang activity.
In response, the superintendent and mayor announced an outright ban — cell phones are now forbidden in New York schools, even if they are turned off and put away.
So parents rejoiced at this sudden backbone and long overdue flash of discipline from their schools, right?
Not exactly. Unless you call protesting in the streets and threatening lawsuits rejoicing.
Parents say kids need the phones, largely for safety reasons. And parents want to be able to reach kids after school.
For some, the school district is just living in the past. Like it or not, cell phones are a fact of life in today’s world and an essential tool, they say. Outlawing them is akin to requiring horse-and-buggy for travel or banning microwaves for cooking. The world changed and it’s time for everyone to deal with it.
It would seem like there’s room for a middle ground here. Cell phones could be brought to school as long as they are stowed in a locker until the school day is over. Any cell phone that is used or rings during the day could be taken by school staff and thrown away, period.
But teachers say even with tough rules, they spend their days taking away cell phones by the box full. And the kids keep on bringing them back.
Do you see room for compromise? Or is one camp here — the parents or the teachers/school leaders — just flat wrong?
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: The Parent-Teacher Divide
Comments
By Oldprof
May 28, 2006 9:20 AM | Link to this
In the big picture, the amount of time people spend in mindless conversations on cell phones is a cultural problem; nobody concentrates on what they’re doing. But in schools this is a minor problem; good teachers can catch cheaters, savvy teachers can remember to start the class with “turn off your cell phones and pagers” (the same as is done at concerts and plays), and if teachers want to maintain a looser climate in a classroom (which can help encourage creativity and critical thinking) then they can do what I do in my college class when a cell phone starts ringing—I sing along with the ring-tone.By Mary
May 27, 2006 12:58 PM | Link to this
It is times like this, I sometimes question compulsory education law. Sometimes the system and society seem so broken, I wonder if we should just close shop, raze the system as we do buildings, and just start over again. I empathize with both teachers and parents in this case.