by M. Velasco

Created on: May 23, 2009   Last Updated: May 24, 2009

I remember when students were in trouble because they were caught passing notes or having social discussions by whispering to each other's ear. In most recent years we now have teachers wasting at least five minutes trying to pry a cell phone out of a student's hand because he or she will argue in a circle as to why theirs should not be confiscated.

I remember in college, yes college, when I forgot to turn off my cell phone before class and my best friend was calling from the other end. My professor walked up to me and asked me to hand her my phone while it rang. She answered the call and had a discussion with my friend, walking around the classroom and pretty much making an example of me. My professor was not mean to my caller nor was she out to make a mockery out of me, she simply wanted to point out to me and my caller that, "Please remind Melody that she needs to turn off her cell phone during class time or we shall have a discussion like this one again."

In general, a cell phone does not necessarily need to be banned from a classroom so much as it is a tool to teach responsibility to its owner.

As much as we would like to think parents have bought their child a cell phone for emergency purposes, these children see it as an accessory to their outfit, a trend, and a way to keep in touch with the friend who they just saw at lunch who is currently sitting three seats away from them. Cell phones are a communication tool, and if used in the classroom, they not only interrupt the education process of which a teacher is hired to provide our children but also demean the original purpose of why they were purchased.

If a student was not taught the appropriate use of a cell phone prior to bringing it in the classroom, then agreeably that student should not have a cell phone. The classroom provides the student the tools necessary to meet the academic needs of the student. Social trends and style can be learned outside the classroom, during lunch, after school, the weekends, and such. What is ever more annoying to a teacher is having that one particular student anxiously fidget in his/her seat waiting for a text message (or phone call) that would arrive some time during 5th period when he/she just missed the syllabus on an upcoming project. That scenario may vary, but there is that one student.

Students have much more to worry about than who is going to call or text, when and where, about this and that. They can give that cell phone a break, place it on silent, and check between classes if necessary. What would be more appropriate if our students were taught the consideration of informing our teacher that they are awaiting a phone call from our parent. Any other phone call and message can wait, as it's not worth the interruption during a classroom session. On the other hand, parents should also know the difference between immediate contact with their child and the appropriate channels of contacting their child during school hours, a reason why schools have front desks and attendance offices.

Responsibility is key to owning a cell phone, and in owning it, having the responsibility of understanding its use and purpose is just as appropriate and necessary. If one does not have this, cell phones can be confiscated and, if we had such the authority, be given to someone who does have that responsibility.

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