This might not be a popular view for the younger readers, but I think it is a great idea for education officials to ban cellphones in schools.

It must be a distraction. This is just logical.

I use myself as an example. If I had had a device like a cellphone, where I could surf the internet to check sports, news and other things, it would not have been good.

I had one teacher from Nolan Grade School who called my mother and told her I was a “daydreamer.” That was probably a true statement. My attention span was not always the best. Ask my wife and she will tell you that it is still the case today.

I liked to draw and did stare out the window at times. Really, I was probably also thinking about recess where I could play basketball or softball with my friends.

I now know that this might have been because I was creative, but it was not always good when I did not pay attention to the current assignment or stay on task.

Imagine if I had had a smartphone! That certainly would not have been the best-case scenario.

Having such a device in school is just not good for our children while they are trying to learn.

Besides playing games or scanning the internet, there is the texting of friends in the same room or in a different part of the building. There is no doubt this is a major distraction.

Then there are those kids and families who cannot afford a cellphone for their children. This could make some kids feel inferior or even sad and humiliated. We know how tough peer pressure can be, especially in middle school and high school.

Kudos to those school administrators who have banned cell phones from the classroom.

Short stuff:

I have seen some liberal politicians criticizing the ICE agents for wearing masks when they make arrests or conduct a raid. Really? These brave men and women have lives outside of work. They have families. They need to protect themselves and their loved ones from some of these illegals that have criminal records as long as my arm.

…The democratic legislators who fled Texas rather than attend a session because they were against the redistricting should be ashamed. They went to other states and delayed votes for many things other than the redistricting. They also slowed down the funding for the flood victims who suffered in that state a few weeks ago.

Storms ripped through Kerr County, killing more than 100 in part of Texas. Flooding preparedness was on the agenda for the special session of the Texas Legislature. Besides, the redistricting has been done in many other states by their own party. So, they might want to look in the mirror.

 …Then there are those left-wing mayors and councilmen who want to defund the police departments in those cities. This comes even when crime is rampant, especially in our nation’s capital, Washington.

I bet if they were mugged, car-jacked or the victim of another crime they would wish law enforcement would show up to help.

Some of these discussions are just good common sense.

Until next time.

(Kyle Lovern is a longtime journalist in the Tug Valley. He is now a retired freelance writer and columnist for the Mountain Citizen.)