Parents must monitor, control their children’s cellphone use in school
As a consultant teacher in a local high school, I have the unique opportunity to be in a large variety of classes and to observe them from a different perspective. I typically stand or sit behind the students near the back of the class. One thing has become increasingly clear over the past few years: Schools are fighting a losing battle with cellphones. Students have grown attached to their phones to the point of obsession. This obsession is damaging to relationships, functional communication and the ability to attend on all levels. Many students cannot make it through a class without sending or receiving a text or checking their Facebook account. Even the most diligent teacher is not able to stem the frequent, consistent use of cellphones in class. Obviously this results in decreased focus, loss of instruction and a noticeable decline in performance. How can we expect students to focus for 30 minutes on a quiz, or for two hours on a Regents exam, when they cannot go 15 minutes without using their phone? I would urge parents to employ a very simple strategy: Check your child’s phone and text usage on a regular basis, and compare that usage with their class schedule. I, as a parent, would be very interested to know why my son or daughter had texted a friend 14 times during math class. I would also be interested to know when the last time they sent a constructive text like, “Don’t forget to study for our English test this Friday.” Another recommendation would be to set age-appropriate parameters on phone use. If it is not reasonable to leave the phone at home, eliminate the data plan, which for most students is not needed.
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