Midaber 6 - Cell phones in schools: Good or Bad?

Cell phones are very popular these days. Almost every teenager and even young children own at least one. This has created a problem in schools, since students bring their cell phones with them to class, and sometimes use them during a lesson to play games, send messages and listen to music. A month ago, my principal decided that students would not be allowed to bring cell phones to school because the cell phones disturb to normal lesson and help to cheat on exams. In my opinion, this rule is fair, but not all the pupils have the same opinion as me. 

I support the rule, because:

First, Students often forget to turn off their phones in class or just don't want to, and the ringing noises or text-message alerts disrupt the learning. Even if the cell phones are set to silent mode, cell phones can still cause distraction, since text messaging has become a high-tech method of passing notes in school. For example, if I forget to turn off my phone and the phone rings in the middle of a lesson, all the students will be distracted by the ringing phone, and so will the teacher.

Second, Phones can be used as cheating devices during exams. Before the cell phones were made, or at least became popular, cheating on exam was more difficult. The cell phone is more accessible and easy to hide to use for cheating on exams. Cheating on exams is a violation of school rules and when the violation of rules has become easy to perform and difficult to catch, more people will do it and it will become more popular. As a result, it'll be more difficult to catch pupils cheating on an exam than before.

In conclusion, I agree with the new rule, which says that cell phones are not allowed in school, because cell phones are used to break rules, for example, using cell phones in a lesson, cheating on exams with the help of cell phones. Now, with the new rule, less pupils are cheating on tests, because it is more difficult without cell phones. Also, there are less distractions in the class than when the cell phones were allowed.

Good work.

(92)

Daphna

Midaber 5 - School Tours: Good or Bad?

School activities are supposed to expose the students to culture and art, as well as enrich their knowledge. One example of my class' school activities is a visit to the Tel Aviv University which, in my opinion, was the most interesting school tour which I have ever been to. I think that school activities are very important but that depends on their topic.

In my opinion, school activities are very important, because first, the school activities teach beyond the material which is taught in the class. In school activities the students learn facts, which improve the general knowledge, widen horizons. Facts which are learned in the school activities, may be more important than the school learned material. For example, at the lecture about sleep, we learned about ways to remember dreams, an important thing which is good to know. Secondly, some pupils wouldn't go to places like theatre, muzeum on their own.

Another reason, In school activities the students learn the facts in a more fun and interesting way than in school, which in my opinion is better. In that way the facts and the information are learned better than in school.  For example,  in "She-la-ch" trips the pupils don't just learn the material in class, they go outside, to the field, and visit the places which the pupils learned in class.

In conclusion, school activities are very important for general knowledge and to get out from the school to the field and understand the learned material in a better way. In my opinion, school activities are very important, but there are some activities which I think are superfluous, for example, going to the theatre, because I don't think that going to the theatre teaches necessary things. In addition, the tour spends studying day.  In my opinion, school activities, like visiting in universities, museums and lectures need to replace the theatre.

(88)

Daphna