In a controversial decision, Sweden announced a nationwide ban on cell phones in classrooms last Tuesday.
Those affected are students aged 9 to 16 years old.
Those who support the new law, including teachers and parents, claim that cellphones are pure distractions, and educators should separate them from the students during the school day.
However, others argue that children should always have access to their cellphones for safety, connectivity, and medical reasons.
As always, some sides are diametrically opposed to each other.
Interestingly, though, many parents in Sweden expressed their support for the new law, as a majority believed it was best for their children not to have access to their cellphones in the classroom.
Simultaneously, many educators supported the law because their students wouldn't follow their directions in the classroom.
Before legislators took this step, there was no previously existing official policy in Swedish schools. Teachers could implement a class-by-class "rule" of no cellphone use, but they were not empowered to ensure compliance.
Kids would say they "liked" their phones, and it didn't matter because the teachers couldn't "do anything."
So, against teachers' wishes, kids were packing their phones and using them at school.
When the cellphone ban was put in place, parents celebrated, citing the law as the leverage they needed to control their children's behavior.
"I finally can tell my child they cannot use their phones at school because it's the law", many parents enthused.
Are you kidding me?
Parents in "developed" nations have lost their collective minds if they need the government to pass a law for them to control their kids.
While we are a nation of law, we are not a nation of government responsible for raising our children; yet, there are many who subscribe to the bumper sticker adage, "It takes a village to raise a child."
No, it doesn't. It takes dedicated, loving, and caring parents to raise their child.
However, when adults allow themselves to be subservient to their 9- to 16-year-old child, that's game over.
It's so painfully repetitive to state over and over again that your children are not your friends, nor should they believe that you are peers.
Parents, that's on you. Taking children to school is not a babysitting service. You are transporting your beloved kids to a place of education.
Now, the big question: what is Hawai‘i doing about this problem?
The state Board of Education (BOE) asked teachers, faculty, and families for their opinion about a statewide policy banning students from using their cell phones.
Survey results indicate that many believe phones are detrimental to learning, student engagement, and school safety (Hawaii News Now, 8/17).
However, the BOE responded to these precise results with noncommittal answers, saying there is 'no action on the horizon,' and 'we have the information, and we will update you on the status.'
Yes, this means absolutely nothing will come from those survey results speaking out against cell phones in the classroom.
Why? Perhaps that's a question you should draft in a letter or email to your lawmakers.
I'll leave you with this: we should not surrender our direct responsibilities to our children to the government. By doing so, we allow it to be the authority in our day-to-day lives, thus redefining the core role of government.
Parents, try this: if you don't want smartphones in the classroom, stop buying them for your kids. Instead, gift them a basic flip phone so they're connected, and distracting games and social media do not tempt them.
Because, based on the BOE's statement, you can rest assured this issue will not be dealt with on a government level.
Instead, if the BOE gets its wish, the issue will disappear once it's gone from the headlines.
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