Cell Phone Woes In Schools

Sure, our school is going in the right direction, but if the teachers enforced this policy 100%, then nine out of ten parents would be at the school at the end of the day picking up their child’s cell phone.

As a teacher, I have not really seen an increase of cheating in class with the use of cell phones. This might be because I teach English and it is quite difficult to text an essay without getting caught. I have, however, noticed that since text messaging has gained in popularity, more and more students are surreptitiously trying to text under their desks at school. Some blame the schools for not having stricter text messaging policies, but it is the parent’s fault as well. My students are fairly honest with me about their cell phones (perhaps because I’ve given up turning them in to the office and just give the student a detention), and about 50% of the text messages they are caught receiving are from a parent.

According to the Denver Post, one father recently dealt with his daughter’s abuse of text messaging by taking a hammer to her phone. Personally, I can’t imagine sending 10,000 text messages a month (I did away with my cell phone at the end of my contract two years ago and now have a TracPhone which is used for emergencies). I have sent exactly two text messages in my life, and I’m not any worse off for it. Cell phones are most assuredly a luxury item which we do not need in these troubled economic times. Even the least expensive cell phone plans from Verizon cost more than $40 a month, with those having unlimited text messaging starting at closer to $60 a month. The sad thing is that most people would rather skip buying groceries for a week than give up their cell phone.

I can understand the cell phones are convenient, but they are also quite dangerous. Yesterday I drove through Kansas City and I would estimate that 50% of people were using their cell phone while driving down the interstate at 70+ miles per hour. Though not yet illegal in the state of Missouri, I still find this dangerous. According to a 2002 article by CBS News, 1 in every 20 car accidents is caused by cell phone use. Of those 50% who were on their phones, about half were texting. At least when you are talking, you are looking at the road, when texting, people are often looking at their cell phones, either reading a message or looking at the keyboard typing. It would be interesting to see a similar statistic now, as text messaging wasn’t as popular then as it is now. According to the Chicago Tribune, in 2007, cell phone use was the listed as the primary or secondary cause of over 1,300 crashes in Illinois, a number which most feel is a very conservative estimate.

So when you’re out on the road, be aware of everything that is around you. Leave your cell phone in your purse or pocket because what could really be important enough to risk your life for. If you are faced with huge monthly cell phone bills, consider an alternative, buy a pay-as-you-go phone or use your home phone. It was difficult at first to give up having constant communication with my friends and family, but now I have come to realize that not having a cell phone on me at all times has made what time I do spend with them much more enjoyable. It is always exciting to get home and see the red light blinking “new message.”

If you have a child who is running up their cell phone bill, just take it away from them. The world isn’t a bad enough place that you need to be in constant communication with them. If you can’t keep their phone, then make sure you enforce the school’s rules. Don’t send them messages during school; telling your child to pick up milk on the way home from school can wait until after the bell rings. If it is an emergency, call the office, and they will get the message to your child, just like they did back when you were in school.

Written by Erin Small
www.yearoffrugality.com