Comments on: freeSpeech: Joanne Lessner

Mom Proposes Alternative Cell Phone Bans In Schools

[dreamingirl]

Perhaps Ms. Lesssner might feel differently if her child were the one targeted in a particular bathroom because of an organized cell phone messaging blitz. (I teach in upstate New York, not even New York City and we have this problem regularly!) Or, when it comes time to get into college and things get competitive, her opinion may change when the teacher has to make sure that answers aren't going from desk to desk, throwing off the curve, and later class rank. Things change in the high school and yes, fights are organized by phone and teachers don't get invited. One of our main ways of preventing them used to be overhearing conversations but with cell phones, we lose that edge.
I haven't even begun to address how rude it is to have phones going off when class is going on. While I can't ban cell phones from my school, I CAN ban them from being out in my room and I do. 34 years of teaching gives me an air of authority and the students do listen. If I catch a phone out, the students can come retrieve it, with a parent, on Friday afternoon.

[dreamingirl]

Children have gone to school through all sorts of horrible events- World Wars come to mind - without cell phones so the post 9/11 argument does not move me I am afraid as a reason to need a cell phone in school. Parents are the ones who are now obsessed at being joined at the hip every minute. I find it amazing that I, an adult, can go through an entire day without checking my cell phone, and my high school students find 45 minutes an eternity.

[ejstrom1]

This woman has attachment issues. She is the same woman in everybody's office who answers her cell phone during work hours, on her employers time, thinking her call and her life are more important than anyone else.

WAKE UP your child is NOT special. He is just like everyone else...plain...regular..normal.

9/11 happened on his second day of school, and the terrorist won. He is being taught to live in fear and his way of life altered. That cell phone is not a shield it can't help him, and it can't save him.

Show the children the terrorist lost, don't live in fear. Live with caution. Let the children be children.

Cell phones do not belong in school

[jg4876]

I feel really awful for 911 parents in New York. The fear that drives them to overprotection must be horrendous. Since a cell phone cannot be used while class is in session and since a phone only allowing for outgoing and incoming calls could still be a criminal tool, the argument just doesn't wash.
These kids have been targets since long before 911.(Coulmbine) The cell pone isn't ofr your child's security. A cell phone won't stop a bomb blast, deflect bullets, or keep someone from breathing anthrax.
The cell phone is for YOUR peace of mind. So that if you hear of a threat you can get on the phone and wrap up in your security blanket.
Just remember that in a hostage situation if that cell phone rings it makes your child a target. If it rings while they are running away from something and they stop for that split second that costs them their lives how will you feel then.
If you want your children safe then train them on how to stay safe in emergencies. Give them real tools and skills to help them. A cellphone is not a survival tool. Its Mommy and Daddy's token try that makes them think they have done their job to keep their child safe.

PS. Its the cellphone that is putting the pay phone out of business. If Cellphones weren't so predominant you'd have those payphones around.

[coachclifton]

As a high school teacher I would like to respond to Joanne Lessner's comments on freeSpeech. The cell phone issue is far more pervasive than it seems to anyone outside of a school. Students have one, two or even three cell phones that they use each day to communicate with friends, family and others. I appreciate the acknowledgement of the fact that students use the phones inappropriately. My issue with the comments is that today's situation with the fear of terrorist attacks is no different than any other generation's fear of: World War spillover onto American soil (Pearl Harbor 1940s), nuclear warfare (Cuban Missile Crisis 1960s), and Soviet attack (1980s). Each crisis in history, people trusted public education to teach their children during a time of heightened fear. Please trust your public school to teach your children and protect them as much as we can. Keep your cell phones home. We will make the right decision to dismiss or retain your student to ensure that he or she is safe during a time of struggle. If you must reach your student, call the school and we will contact your child. The largest problem that we have with cell phones is parents calling at inappropriate times. I have had numerous occasions when cell phones ring in class only to be followed by, "Mom, I'm in class." Please save the minutia for after school, or leave a message for the student with the main office. Let us do our jobs as educators and we will let you do your jobs as parents.

[snugal]

I teach junior high at a public school. I think this mother needs to understand that the rules apply to EVERYONE(including her son)!!!! We have reasons for banning cell phones. She must be one of the many mothers who try to call their child during the school day. She obviously has attachment issues!The fact of the matter is, even these so called "emergency phones" would be abused during instruction time!!We allow the children to go to the pay phone or the SCHOOL phone to call home in emergency situations. It scares me to think that she doesn't think that her child is safe without one. We try our best to protect the children at all cost. I would protect them before I would protect myself!!! If she really feels that they are unsafe at school than she should send them to private school.

[pianomanf]

Is this woman too young to remember the cold war. Nuclear weapons desinged to wipe out entire countries with one strike and the cuban missle crisis. My generation survived without cell phones, why not the next? In my opinion you would be opening up a whole world of uncharted non-sense! As if there are not enough distractions in the life of a public school student. Maybe she has forgotten the "teen-age years" ("I have two of them!!") I hope they fine her and everyone else that refuses to abide by simple rules and policies that are in place for good reason. She obviously is not a teacher!!

[spotocko]

I have taught middle school for 16 years. Many of the schools have allowed students to have cell phones on AFTER school to contact parents, etc.
I think it is important to realize the main reason that you don't want every child to have a cell phone during an emergency. If EVERYONE calls 911 at the same time, how will the operators be able to handle the calls in a state of emergency?? Or if kids are all calling, how are the adults going to get through? Imagine the confusion...

[twardell]

Bravo Joanne. I believe that your idea is excellent. I too want to be able to contact my child at school. The idea of organizing a specific type of phone that can be sold to parents/students and the money goes back into the school is fantastic! It their is a will, ther IS a way. You just have to find the right government and school officials that have the WILL.

[atlteacher]

While I can understand your concern for your son being able to contact you, I must question what you are teaching your son by defying the rules set down by the authorities. This is one of the many things wrong with our country today...too many parents setting a bad example for their children. How about going through the proper channels to try to get the rule changed? That would teach your child how to go about changing the system in the proper way. My school system allows students to have cell phones as long as they stay in the bookbag during the school day. Students can use them when they get to their afternoon destination to call their parents to report in. I do teach in an elementary school where students are not yet obsessed with cell phones, thank goodness. We do confiscate phones if students get them out during instruction or any other place in the building. Parents must come to school to pick up the phone if it is taken away from a student. There are other ways to deal with cell phones in schools I'm sure. There are ways to fix a total ban, but teaching your child to disregard authority is not the best way.

[michaeldilli]

OK. I am a child of CBS News. Since 1963. I'm 53. I'm a journalist. I am trying to critique and give advice as warranted. But after I do, please don't contront viewers with a Free Speech as Ms. Lessner's. Please. She says children must have cell phones because we are post-9/11? My God. I grew up in Florida during the Cuban Missile Crisis. My grandmother who raised me would cringe to think it was a necessity to have a then unknown feature -- a cell phone. I'm still young, for crying out loud. Then this woman says government should get industry to "sell" cell phones with no features? Is this the twi-light zone? What about some common sense? What that is, maybe you can figure out. Oh, and what would Charles Kuralt say about an equally inane voiceover "My Cubicle.?" What would he say? Please afford me a short answer.
Michael Dillin, Neptune Beach, Florida.

[drcip]

These phones already exist. They're called Firefly's. They have only emergency buttons and a couple buttons to call mom and dad.