Dear Principal,

I believe that you should allow students to use their phones during lunch time, and other free periods. It is inevitable that students will have their phones with them at school. So if you give them the freedom they want and let them use their phones during school then they will accept your policy and strive to maintain it. You will have compromised with them and they will respect you for it. On the other hand, if you take away their phones and don't let students use them during school they will still us their telephones anyway. Humans, just like animals, have a natural instinct to rebel against authority. Especially teenagers because this is a time of self discovery for them, and they must first fight authority, before they can become it.

The free use of theirs phones, also gives students a sense of safety, and don't you want your students to always feel as safe as possible. When they have their phones they will feel that they are prepared for the worst. If something bad happens, they are ready at a moments notice to call for help. Why would you want your students to feel unsafe, when it would be so easy to just let them have their little pieces of plastic that we call phones? It seems to me that the only logical thing to do, to insure a sense of security throughout the school, would be to let students have their phones.

Cell phones can also be used as a helpful research tool. When your in the middle of study hall and you need to look up to find the number of electrons in an atom for example. All you would have to do is reach in your pocket and pull out your hand-held computer (cell phone). It is so much easier and simpler to use a phone to look something up then struggling to find a free computer for your use. Why would you want to put such an intentional strain on students? Especially since their lives are already so hectic. Wouldn't it be nice to ease their burden but doing something as simple as allowing them to use their phones?

When you compromise or strike a deal with teenagers, they will respect you and honor the deal. They react well with cause and effect situations because they are easy to understand and connect with. Personally I feel that since students will always have their phones no matter what an adult says, in an attempt to ensure a feeling of safety in the school, and because cell phones can be useful research tools, you should allow students to care their cell phones. However, I also agree that they should only be used during lunch and free periods. I'm sure that if you make this deal with the students and allow them their phones, they will react positively.

Sincerely,

One of your students