Over the last few weeks I have been asked a number of questions regarding the cell phone ban in Ontario schools. Of course the ban is not really a ban. According to the CBC story on it , “The directive says students can only use personal mobile devices during instructional time if it is for educational purposes, for health or medical purposes, or for special needs.” That is pretty much how things are in all the classrooms I see in BC, and to the best of my understanding the general guidelines across the country. Technology is intended for learning.
And while the headline of banning cell phones nicely ignites people who hold views on both extremes, the reality I am seeing in schools is that teachers and schools have put guidelines in place and worked on building culture with students that make cell phones a part of school as needed. And this is nothing new, I was blessed to work at Riverside Secondary in Port Coquitlam more than a decade ago and even at that time they were figuring out thoughtful ways of using handheld devices in classrooms. Saying “ban cell phones” in schools is one of those things that wins easy political points, but like “the hat rule” or “proper dress codes” or “making homework mandatory” or any other of these kind of catch phrases are actually kind of silly. Schools, and our world, is far more grey.
So OK, if this is what I think, why do I think it is time for a ban of cell phones in schools?
Well, I am actually not talking about the students. I find generally students have it figured out pretty well. I have been wondering about a parent ban of cell phones in schools. It is funny that one of the most common reasons I hear from parents around banning student cell phones is “my kid texts me in the middle of the day when they should be learning.” I always think, well, why do you text them back. Or often, why did you text them in the first place?
We have a generation of parents who lack presence when they are at school. I see this at parent nights, with parents scrolling their social media as the Principal speaks, at Parent Conferences when they are texting to organize something later in their days while their child is reviewing her work, and I really see it at school sporting events and school productions. Look up in the crowd at any elementary or secondary basketball game and you will see parents plastered to their screens, maybe looking up when their son or daughter is on the floor. And at school productions they are using these phones and other hand-held gizmos to stand-up at the front, often blocking the audience to record the event.
Imagine if schools were a cell phone free zone for parents. I often say that parents could learn a lot from their children regarding technology use, I also think they could learn a lot from their children about when not to use their technology.
This is a little tongue and cheek, and I don’t really want to ban parents from their devices, but I do want all of us with children in schools, who actually so rarely get to visit these schools, to better treat this time as a gift, and to be a bit more present when we do.
cultureofyes.ca 