"One of the best definitions of concentration is, "wherever you are, be there."

"As the number of students using cellular phones in school has grown, situations have arisen when I had to stop a student from using his/her device in class. In those moments, I had to stop teaching and helping other students and instead deal with the cellphone use. Despite the TDSB ban on the use of cellphones in schools, some students continued using their devices at lunch time, before class, and between classes.

"In spring 2011, TDSB Trustees voted to lift the ban on cellphone use. This came to a vote as a result of a proposal made by two Student Trustees and, surprisingly, without consultation with teachers even though teachers would be subject to direct consequences from this decision.

"Allowing young students to use cellphones at any time--especially in school--not only causes many unnecessary environmental and health hazards but also encourages and increases inappropriate moral, ethical and social behaviours in school settings (and elsewhere).

"Since September 2011, as the result of the new cellphone policy, and despite administration's clear message of not using the device without the teacher's permission, and despite several big signs reminding students to turn off their cellphones prior to entering the class, my classes are disrupted at least once each day because a student is texting. This causes extra work and additional classroom management issues for me . . .