Cellphones should be banned in schools

Re: “Cellphone ban at city school riles parents,” May 14. The principal of Central Middle School is a rare hero in schools today. I am a 30-year teacher, and the public does not understand the enormity of this problem. Of all the challenges that have emerged in my three decades of teaching, no issue has had such serious consequences for our publiceducation system.

Picture a zombie generation, unable to pull their faces away from the small screen, and you will have a view inside my world. The popular notion that this is a new age and students use these devices to learn in a different way is pure nonsense.

Research indicates the vast majority are not using the device for learning, but rather for texting friends and visiting social media, distracting students from the precious lessons that would help them build necessary skills to be successful academically. But these skills are undermined, sacrificed to the insidious addiction to the small screen.

This is not just my opinion. Research out of reputable universities such as Oxford indicates that student performance is diminished when cellphones are permitted.

If this is such a problem, why are authorities doing little? The answer is simple: pure cowardice. School authorities are afraid of parents and students who object, just as you are seeing at Central.

If we do not get on board and start truly supporting those who are trying to help kids, the detractors will win and our kids’ futures will be the cost. Daniel Companion Dover Bay Secondary Nanaimo