I think it’s great that the province is not letting students use their cellphones in class this year.
The kids are no doubt complaining and I’m sure some parents don’t agree with the new policy but it makes a lot of sense when you think about it.
Older generations did not have instant access to everything. We had to learn things. We had to listen to our teachers and go to the library to find books to learn our topics.
It took time and the longer it took the more the information sank into our little brains.
That isn’t happening anymore and it’s clear to see the effects. Younger people have no attention spans and want instant gratification all the time.
I am also wondering about the expense.
When my children were in school we lost one backpack or shoe or book or pocket calculator every week at least. I can’t imagine most children are responsible enough to protect an expensive phone from loss or stealing.
There is also the safety issue. I was visiting a friend recently whose grandson is young and had a phone to keep him busy while we talked.
We suddenly heard some very vile language coming from the phone because he had ended up on a YouTube about something too old for him.
My friend grabbed the phone and put it away but who is going to do that in a school?
These days the parents would probably call the police on a teacher who did that.
This is a good decision that we won’t see the results of for a few years but I suspect many people who are children today will one day say they’re glad they had a chance to focus on books and blackboards instead of screens.
Anna Rodney, Prince George
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