Recently class 8.3 worked on writing a formal letter to the editor of the school magazine to discuss smartphone use at school. We particularly liked Alanya Ciantar’s letter, which we are sharing with you below.
11, Our Dream
Triq San Ġwann,
Pietà PTA 1234
Friday 25th February 2022
B’Bajda Middle School
Triq Mountbatten,
B’Bajda
Dear Editor,
To start with, the issue of bringing smartphones to school is a fairly controversial one. Some people say they should be allowed to school, while many others disagree. But who is right? The former, or the latter?
In the first place, let us discuss the benefits of students bringing smartphones to school. The main advantage is the fact that if there is an emergency, students can contact their parents without any issues. Secondly, they can help students learn through interactive and educational software online. They can also keep students entertained at break time, especially if they do not have friends, or their friends are sick. Finally, they help children chat with their parents, giving them an insight on whether they are okay or not.
However, let us move on to the disadvantages of smartphones in school. The main disadvantage is that they are, without doubt, distracting. Most students would probably secretly ise them during lessons, which can badly impact how much they learn. They may also be used to chat with friends instead of paying attention. Students may also break other people’s phones as a prank, which is not funny at all. Another concern is that this may result in cyberbullying at school.
Personally, I think that students should be allowed to bring smartphones, but should only be able to use them in free lessons, in-between lessons and in the break. This way, we can avoid the disadvantages while giving students most of the advantages of bringing smartphones to school.
Yours faithfully,
Alanya Ciantar