NYC Schools Next to Ban Cell Phones?

Mobile phones have become a major distraction in classrooms.Photo by(The author)

School districts nationwide are strongly considering outlawing cell phones in the classroom

New York City — "Back in the day, we maybe slipped a comic book or two between our textbooks," Dr. Larry said. "But nowadays, these students can access mini-televisions on the phone."

If indeed attention is the mother of learning, this spells problems for teachers. After all, TikTok now competes for the student's attention.

While teachers have their backs turned and busy themselves scribbling on chalkboards, students busy themselves scrolling down Instagram feeds.

It's no wonder school districts nationwide have finally said, "Enough... already!"

Last week the Los Angeles Unified School District took a major step in favor of banning cell phone use during school days. Could New York City be next in line?

Mayor Adams and city council are believed to be strongly "in favor" of following Los Angeles' lead. After all, according to a recent study: a whopping 97% of teens use their phones during school hours.

As middle-school teacher Nancy Streit reminds us: it's mighty hard for schoolteachers to compete with smartphones for a child's attention.

Perhaps sooner than later, NYC's teachers won't have to compete much longer.