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The Voice
Larry “BILKO” Bilkszto
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THE PAPER THAT PELHAM READS
bilko@rgcmail.com Vol.23 No.23
Wednesday, June 5 2019
DARCYRICHARDSON.CA darcy@revelrealty.ca 905.321.6292
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School cellphone ban hits this fall
Column Six Taking one for the bees Nice lawn, or food on the table...the choice is clear
Aims to disconnect from distraction, reconnect with classrooms
BY HEATHER BOYD
Special to the VOICE
G be negative when it becomes a distraction or disrupts others. Proponents of the ban say that phones shouldn't be used during class time to converse with friends or visit social media sites. Teachers will still be allowed to incorporate phones into lessons and students with special needs will be able to access the technology they need to be successful. “I have mixed feelings
ARDENS ALL OVER Pelham have morphed into a slow motion fireworks display of colour and blooms. Our attention has turned from snow shoveling to looking at the explosion of crocuses, tulips, daffodils, chives and hyacinths in our private and public gardens. One plant that is among the first to arrive on the scene is far less likely to garner admiration: the dandelion. These yellow-flowered spiky-leaved weeds are a visible blight on the soft green carpets we work so hard to cultivate. But what if we’ve got it all wrong. What if we’ve made assumptions that these yellow flowers are noxious (if not to our bare feet, then at least to our sensibilities) when in reality they are helpful? What if these misunderstood flowers represent something more than conduits of childhood wish-making? I grew up in a household of
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See COLUMN SIX Page 18
BY MEGAN METLER
Special to the VOICE
An Ontario-wide school cellphone ban comes in to effect this September. The ban covers cellphone usage on school property and during instructional time. Out of 70,000 who voted in a provincial consultation, 97 percent voted in favour of restricting cellphones in schools. This has led to a controversy among students across the province. Students have organized walkouts to protest the recent educational changes that the government of Ontario has recently implemented. The Ministry of Education has not defined the repercussions if students disregard the cellphone ban, but it relies on the schools and school boards to enforce strategies to prevent cellphone usage at school. “I think what will happen is that different schools will enforce it in different ways and that could lead
Darcy Richardson, CPA, CA | Broker
Students Laura Tremeer and Mia Colangelo demonstrate how they might—only theoretically, of course—pay closer attention to their phones than their teacher during class. MEGAN METLER PHOTO to a lot of confusion,” said Maria Tremeer, a teacher at St. Ann School in Fenwick, and a parent of three. “I think it will be very difficult for schools and school boards to all get on the same page because it’s a difficult thing to control.” This is an issue that is causing doubt about whether the ban will achieve its goals. Cellphones have been around for decades, and some believe that taking them away now would be unpro-
ductive and an implausible solution. Many students bring their phones to school, but not all of them use them appropriately, which is one reason for the ban. This may lead to poor grades and a minimal understanding of the curriculum. During lessons, students shouldn’t be on their phones. A 2013 study published in the Journal of Communication Education concluded that students without access to their phones wrote down
more study notes, were able to remember what they learned in class easier and scored higher marks than students with access to their cellphones. “Cellphones should be banned at school because most people, when they have their phones on them, can be more distracted and cause interruptions in the classroom,” said student Abbey Rittner. Technology is an important tool when used for the right reasons, but can
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