dreadedmonkeygod . net

What Better Training Ground?

Tags: education
Fri, 12/21/07 • via Techdirt • comments (2)

In Caddo, LA, a student used a cellphone to record video of the school principal in a fist fight with one of the students.

Let's take a moment to appreciate the grandeur of that. Wow. Just... wow.

The video made the local news, and the principal was placed on leave. It should have ended there, but the school board is now proposing a measure to ban cellphones on campus. It says, "No student shall possess, use or operate any electronic telecommunication device."

School Board member Dottie Bell said, "We can't search the students all day for cell phones, but I think the first offense for getting caught with a cell phone should be something they never forget."

What's amazing to me is that high school is the perfect training ground for dealing with brutal societies and oppressive governments. Why don't we see waves of students graduating into careers as invstigative journalists, political activists, labor organizers, idealistic cops and lawyers? How is it that a system so brutal produces such docile citizenery?

permalink • RSS
Previous
Next

Readers' Comments

Like banning anything at a high school has ever really worked. Plus, many parents insist that their kids have a cell phone at least for commuting. Banning phones in classrooms may work, but on campus is completely unrealistic.A lot of schools ban cell phones in class with real reasons, such as preventing cheating and disruptions. So, students need to leave them in their lockers. Especially after Virginia Tech, a lot of parents will surely object to little Johnny not being able to call mommy at any moment.

Plus, they miss the point - the phone was not the problem, the principle was. The student not having a phone would not have made situation not happen (although it would have been students' words versus the principle's.)

Meagan | 12/22/07 6:28AM
Yep. I basically agree that trying to ban cellphone is dumb. It's unenforcible. Too many kids, too many cellphones, and they're just too small and harmless. We can't keep weapons or drugs out of prisons; how do we expect to keep cellphones out of schools? So the bedrock rules are the same: don't cheat, don't do anything illegal, and pay attention in class. Why is breaking these rules more grievous if it's done with a cellphone? Why is texting worse than passing notes? Why is having a cellphone on campus worse than having a calculator?
raser | 12/25/07 9:25PM
The author has disabled comments for this post.