by Crystal Robenolt

Created on: June 04, 2009   Last Updated: June 09, 2009

Years ago teachers had to be on the lookout for students passing a piece of paper across the classroom - passing notes. Today, teachers have to be on the lookout for students with their hands in their pockets, underneath their desks, and inside their pocketbooks typing out messages to friends across the room, in another class, or perhaps in another high school entirely - texting. It is amazing how time changes things so much and even more amazing to think that more changes are inevitable in our future. The moment we figure out how to effectively deal with cell phones, texting will have been replaced by more advanced technology. So when do we stop addressing everything but the education of the students in the classrooms?

Please do not misunderstand me. I do not in anyway encourage cell phones in the school setting. I am not even sure I truly understand why parents in America feel that their children require cell phones on a regular every day basis. And I think I just hit on the real issue of cell phones in the schools - parents. Let me give you a personal example. I had a student with a 25 average in math class, and although his average had been this low for a very long time I had not heard from a parent nor had I been able to get in touch with a parent - frustrating. But I became more frustrated when a parent called the school not more than 5 minutes after their son left my classroom on a day when I'd taken up from him a very nice, very expensive cell phone. Not only should this student not even own a cell phone, but it is ridiculous that the cell phone being confiscated rates higher then the student's grade in the class. Students with poor school grades, no involvement in after school activities, and no after-school job should not have a cell phone on their person period and this is something that the parents need to correct. I can see the justification for some students to carry cell phones when they have need to make arrangements to be picked up from extracurricular activities or to communicate with parents between school and work for example, but I cannot see the need for a cell phone outside of similar situations - students should go to school and come right home.

However, as seems to be the growing trend, parents feel that their children require cell phones and thus the presence of cell phones in schools becomes our, the teachers and administrations, problem. I wish students could exercise some self-control and demonstrate an understanding

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