The French (mobile phone) Connection.

[Workingman]

They are about to stop pupils in what is our year 9 and below from using them in schools. They have to be silent during the school day and not used during breaks, playtimes and in the classroom, though they can take calls in an emergency. Some politicians even want phone lockers to be installed to remove any temptation to flaunt the rules.

Good on the French.

This is an idea we should pick up on and we should enforce it to the hilt.

[Suff]

This is not even the smallest difference with the French education system.

Non secular schools are separated from the secular state system. They are not even allowed to compete with the secular schools sporting competitions.

Children sit in regimented rows and discipline is absolute. If a child comes home saying they were physically disciplined by a teacher, they'll be serious repercussions at home, not a rant at the head teacher because their precious little monster was castigated.

Lessons are mandated from the government, you can walk into any class in France at any week and be doing the same lesson plan. Teachers teach, they don't develop core teaching content. This massively reduces stress on the teachers.

Packed lunches are banned. The Children either eat School meals or they go home. If they go home they are met by a parent/guardian at the gate and are delivered to the gate by said parent/guardian.

French school meals are defined by committee which is open to the public. They create the meal plans forward (one or two months, can't remember), then every child eats the same meal. If the children are very young the food is prepared for younger children. Nutrition in school meals is Very important to the French.

As for religious dress or adornments??? Secular schools, not a chance.

[cromwell]

It is a good idea; whether we take it on board is another matter.

[JoM]

Joe's school actually started really cracking down on mobile use in his last year, that and the wearing of hoodies. Not sure how it's worked out in the long term though as obviously he's been left over a year now.

Sort of mobile ban related, I was reading the other day about a US comedian who is playing some UK arena shows shortly and how mobiles will be banned from his shows. Apparently if you take a mobile in then you'll be provided with a lockable pocket which can only be opened at the end of the show at a kiosk in the arena, anyone found using one will be thrown out. It's about time this was done (although this is probably just being done so that footage doesn't leak and hinder the sales of a probable soon to be released DVD), but it's pretty annoying watching a concert or a football match through the mobile screen of the person in front of you.

[cromwell]

Chris Rock?

[Workingman]

Chris Rock?

He's the one, and good on him, even if it is to stop pirated copies of his show.

All we need to do now is turn buses, trains, cinemas, pubs, supermarkets and shops into Faraday cages and we have cracked it.

It's especiaqlly annoying in the cinema when a phone goes off, doublydoubly-do-boop-boooop and its screen lights up the cinema like a blue searchlight - always blue:

'Hello'. No, i'm in the cinema.... I SAID I AM IN THE CINEMA... in about an hour... AN HOUR... yes I'll call in and get one on the way home... what was that?... A BIRIANI, I THOUGHT YOU SAID A BIKINI... ok, bye.... love you too, bye, yup BYEEE, kissy-kissy... gotta go, some bloke is going to hit me with a cricket ba...!

[Suff]

Hmmmmm. Who needs a faraday cage?

As I don't go to the Cinema much at all I don't have a problem with the people who don't understand either do not disturb mode or silent mode. I do use the phone on busses, trains and trams but mainly for reading the news, my mail, work mail and VV. Quietly...

Mobile phones have no place in a school or in many other places including, to a degree, the workplace. However we are, at the moment, implementing 2fa (two factor authentication), for external access to company apps. Requirement to access? A private mobile phone. The French and German Works Councils are going nuts. "you want them to have a mobile, you provide one" they say.

Deep joy. The genie is out of the bottle, mobile computing is here to stay. We just need to manage it.