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Tuesday, August 15, 2006. Posted: 7:23pm CENT. |
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Why can't we use phones, too? |
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Austen Saltz
Staff Writer |
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Author's Note:
This article relates quite strongly to
"
Shouldn't teenagers be equal, too?"
Approaching this article I was being very careful to sound less like a
little kid who wants a cookie, and more like a teen who wants a cell phone
- well, let me rephrase that: A fairly smart teen. Moving on...
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Most public schools across the country don't
allow cell phones. Don't allow iPods. Don't allow PDAs. All they allow is
textbooks, schoolbooks, notebooks, and reading books. Books, books, books.
Now I know that school is school. We go there to learn, to get an
education, and that cell phones distract kids, and get them in trouble. I
understand that. But they allow cell phones in the workplace, don't they?
So what, we're 10 or 20 years younger. Okay, yeah - we're less mature,
it's pretty much a fact. But that doesn't imply that we're
immature. So why do they allow it
in the adult workplace, but not in schools? If teen are responsible by
turning their phones off, putting their iPods in their backpacks, there
shouldn't be a problem.
And yet they continue to say that we don't need them. Why have these
electronics in schools when we never use them, becomes the question. We go
to school to learn. But first, let's state the obvious: The parents need
them. This generation of teen parents have become addicted to the cell
phone. They need their cell phones to contact their children, make sure
that they're okay. That's pretty much decided. But what about the iPods,
PDAs, etc.
Although people claim teenagers don't need their electronics when they go
to school, I think they do. Let's compare it to the workplace again. If
someone goes to work, they might take the subway. They may listen to an
MP3 player on the subway. It's the same with kids. If adults can do it,
why can't we? In addition, school isn't our whole life! We have other
stuff to do: Movies, family, social life, etc. After school, you may go
over to a friend's house to practice a dance routine for the talent show.
The music is on the iPod. Teenagers can't keep their iPods hidden in their
backpacks until school is over where they then use it in a more
appropriate manner? Is it so forbidden to carry one? People are treating
these things like bombs or something!
I know there are a lot of points against this including camera phones and
locker rooms, text messaging and cheating, etc. But still, if the kid gets
caught, take the device. This separates the good kids from the bad kids.
The ones who are in the talent show, and the ones who aren't. (No offense
to those very smart people who aren't talented in one particular subject.)
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