Ban cell phones in Ontario

To the Editor,

For once I am in complete agreement with an initiative from the Ford Government and that is to put a ban on cell phone use in public schools. I have been an educator for 40 years and never have I seen such an insidious invasion into the classroom as the uncontrolled use of cell phones as students text, e-mail, stream and use any number of social media sites during class time.

 I totally support technology in the classroom just not this technology.  There are those who say we should embrace and integrate the use of personal electronic devices into classroom instruction and in theory that sounds plausible, but over-all unachievable because students do not just use the devices in the proper way as they are most frequently addicted to these same  devices and their many applications.  I have been physically attacked in a school while foolishly attempting to separate a student from his Smart phone during class time.

For students who say it is their right to have their cells in class I would simply say they are lucky to have the right to an education.  How this is enforced could be problematic and what the punishments for breaking the law will be on the classroom level should also prove interesting.  However, the rewards once the withdrawal period is over and their little opposable thumbs have stop twitching after going cold turkey will be a better focus on education.  Students after class will have the whole evening to text through dinner, then their parents can deal with it.

Marty

THIS IS HOW IT APPEARED IN THE KW RECORD ON WEDNESDAY MARCH 20. 2019

Ford was right to ban cellphone use in classrooms
I support technology in the classroom, just not this technology, writes Marty Rempel of Waterloo.
OPINION Mar 18, 2019 Waterloo Region Record

Students can't use cellphones in class starting this fall — March 13


For once I am in complete agreement with an initiative from the Ford government, and that is to put a ban on cellphone use in public schools. I have been an educator for 40 years and never have I seen such an insidious invasion into the classroom as the uncontrolled use of cellphones, as students text, email, stream and use any number of social media sites during class time.

I support technology in the classroom, just not this technology. There are those who say we should embrace and integrate the use of personal electronic devices into classroom instruction. In theory, that sounds plausible, but it is unachievable because students do not just use the devices in the proper way, as they are most frequently addicted to these devices and their many applications. I have been physically attacked in a school while foolishly attempting to separate a student from his smartphone during class time.

How this ban is enforced could be problematic and what the punishments will be at the classroom level should also prove interesting. However, the reward will be a better focus on education. After school is over, students will have the whole evening to text through dinner. Then, their parents can deal with it.


Marty Rempel

Waterloo