It's Amazing We Survived
"NYC Parents: Lift School Cell Ban" City Councilwoman Letitia James said she's introducing a resolution to stop schools from confiscating cell phones, which she said were vital lifelines for parents and their children. James and parent leaders say they don't object to rules requiring students to turn off their phones during classes, but they want the children to have access to them in emergencies (Wired News).
When I read stories like this or talk to customers as a representative of major mobile service provider I find myself amazed that mankind survived long enough to even invent the mobile phone. When I was a student in the pre-enlightened era we live in now I actually had to use the phone in the school office, the pay phone outside the building, or even :::gasp::: go home to talk to my folks.
And in the paleo-communicative era we had to pass hand written notes to chat in class or to cheat on tests (no, I never did that as far as you know). For recreation in study hall we resorted to chess, checkers, or :::gasp, again::: doing homework.
Then there was emergencies. Responsible adults were required to control problems, direct activities, and in the odd circumstance, evacuate the school (it was a school day for me when the near by Three Mile Island accident happened). Of course, today's students are so much safer now that they can call parents to add confusion to well-ordered procedures established under state law.
Photo courtesy St. Petersburg Times Online
