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Schools fight losing battle against student cell phone use PDF Print E-mail
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Monday, 22 September 2008

ImageSalli Robinson was first exposed to cell phones in the classroom when she taught health at Utah State University. Nothing, however, could prepare her for what she saw when she arrived at East High School.

"Students walk down the hall, talk to their friends and text at the same time," said Robinson, a counselor in the Salt Lake City school's GEAR UP program, which prepares high school students for college. "Teachers think they've got a handle on it, but they don't."

Socks and shoes make ideal hiding places for students with cell phones, Robinson said. So does the bend of a knee while sitting in class. Students with music file-equipped phones store them inside baggy coat sleeves, then rest their heads on top of their desks near the phones' speakers.

And don't bother trying to catch students in the act of texting their friends. Most are so agile they can text without looking at the phone, which is hidden under the desk as they look toward the blackboard paying mock attention to what the teacher is saying.

"It's a fact of life," Robinson said. "There's no way you could ban them. It would be too much of a logistical nightmare."

 

 
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