Please stop me from using the phone!

Students use phones during an activity at school in Ho Chi Minh City - Photo: NHU HUNG

Contrary to the adults' worries, the boy put on a smiley face and replied: Okay, I'll put my phone away!

From initial excitement

The boy started a new school year at a top high school in Ho Chi Minh City. With good test scores, he could pass all his first choice schools after the 10th grade entrance exam, and had just left a private school where he was completely banned from using phones or computers during his 9th grade boarding school year. Of course, he was extremely excited about a wide open world full of promise.

The school doesn't have boarding schools so there's no strict lunch break schedule. We don't eat like boarding schools but buy what we like at the canteen or shops around the school. It's great!

I can bring my phone to school without it being confiscated. I'm so happy everyone!

At first, the whole family shared enthusiastically the joy of a student starting his first year of 10th grade! One person went to school, the whole family was happy! Until something went wrong...

In the first month of the school year, my child was deducted 6 points for attendance out of 100 points. Forgetting to check in: deducted 2 points. Forgetting to tuck his shirt in after gym class: deducted 2 points. Forgetting to be on duty: deducted 2 points. And if his score is below 91, his conduct grade will be reduced by one level. The whole family was shocked.

Why do you forget such small things? What did you do that you forgot? Why are you always online when you go to school? How can you concentrate on studying when you are always on your phone?

10th grade student answered: I have to chat with friends, study in groups, make slides, and register for extracurricular activities to make up for the deducted attendance points...

At home, adults began to wonder why this school was so strange, letting students use their phones so freely. How could the students communicate with each other when the whole class was allowed to use their phones at school? Or during recess, each child hugged a phone and lived in their own world?...

To the point of having an unsolved headache

In fact, at the beginning of the school year, when the meeting to elect the parent-teacher representative committee began, the parents' chat group with her on Zalo was formed, the homeroom teacher created a voting board on the issue of phones with... 11 options including: completely banning their use in class (20 opinions agree), not allowing the use of phones during class without the teacher's permission (only 14 opinions agree);

Cell phones should not be used during class time without the teacher's permission, including during recess (only 4 opinions agree), there should be a small cabinet to store the whole class's cell phones, which can only be taken out when the teacher allows and returned when students leave (3 opinions agree);

If a student uses a phone during class, the teacher will confiscate it and send it to the supervisor for 3 to 5 days, and the parents will come and claim it (2 people agreed). Other opinions on handling measures as well as completely banning phones from school did not receive any agreement!

After collecting opinions, the homeroom teacher announced on the Zalo group that they agreed on the plan: "Students are allowed to bring their phones into school. Keep them on vibrate mode. Agree to ban the use of phones during off-hours and regular class hours, except in cases where the teacher allows it. Outside of class hours, students can use them normally!"

Schools and classes don't ban it, students are like birds out of cages, when they come home to eat they still keep their phones glued to them, when it's time for class they are both on the computer and on the phone, when asked they say they are studying, they ask their friends for homework, they ask the teacher for opinions.

Passing by, I glanced at my child's phone or computer and saw countless chat groups: class chat group with the homeroom teacher, chat groups for each subject, group chat group, sports chat group... every group vibrating and flashing! I wonder how my child will learn when he has to worry about all those chat groups?

I don’t know what benefits the phone brings, but in the first month of 10th grade, my child has shown countless troubles. Using studying as an excuse, he stays up as late as possible every night, and has a hard time waking up when the alarm clock rings in the morning.

I forget all kinds of things. I forget to turn off the lights and fan after school, I forget to close the door when I'm the last one out of the house, I forget to fold the blanket, I forget to do the laundry, I forget to change the cat's water, and I get 6 minus points for 3 things I forget in class!

The parent could not keep smiling and decided to meet the homeroom teacher. When talking to her, she praised her child for being gentle, but criticized her for not being sociable and not talking much outside of the class, but for some reason, in the class chat group, if she asked anything, the child was always the first to reply. One time, at 2am, she even saw her child replying to a message in the group! The parent laughed as if she was about to cry.

Teacher, have you heard what the media has said? Letting students use their phones even during recess means they are no longer living a normal life as students? She nodded sympathetically: Yes, I have reminded them all the time, even during the flag salute, I asked my students not to use their phones, but the students only showed me two other classes on either side, and they were still busy using their phones!

Can we stop group chat, teacher?

Unable to ask the school to ban their children from bringing cell phones because "all the kids are bringing them", parents can only ask the teacher for help: Please, teacher, ban my child from bringing computers to school, and ban him from using cell phones in class, more thoroughly!

The lessons have been taught in class, there are enough homeroom classes and parent chat groups, teacher, please don't create chat groups with students anymore, okay teacher?

It's difficult to ban students from using cell phones because... parents object.

She shared honestly that the school did not issue a general policy, but pushed the management responsibility to the class, to the homeroom teacher. She wanted to ban or punish, but the head of the class's parent representative committee did not agree; she held a vote, but the parents also did not agree to the ban. She could only remind the children to be self-disciplined, there was nothing more she could do!

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/xin-co-hay-cam-con-xai-dien-thoai-20241014082727832.htm