What’s the hang up with hanging up kids’ phones?

By Rachel Zuckerman

I know what you’re thinking. An opinion piece about Gov. Nancy Hochul’s proposed cell phone ban in schools by a teenager? She’s probably on her phone 24/7. Well, I am a teenager, and I have a cell phone, but I also have pretty good arguments for why spending millions on a phone ban in New York schools is bogus.

Many adults believe a ban would be good because it would prevent kids from using their phones during class or cheating on tests. But what if your child had an emergency and wasn’t able to reach you because the school’s phones were unavailable? Or if there were a family emergency? These alone are valid reasons why students should be allowed to keep their phones with them.

And then, let’s say your child had a medical condition that required having their phone with them. What if they were to become ill and their phone had been taken away? Think about it.

Now, this next reason for kids keeping their phones will seem grim, but I have to mention it. What if, God forbid, something happened in the school and your child wanted to say their last words to you but couldn’t because, well, no phone. I’m not saying this would ever happen, but you just want to be careful.

Also, I think it’s unfair that adults get to be on their phones all day, but when we teens use ours for about two hours, it’s a problem because, well, I don’t know why. Do me a favor before your child comes home from school – check your screen time. Is it more or less than what your child spends on theirs while they’re at home? Put some thought into it.

My mom has an expression. Anytime I, my siblings or my dad (haha!) are on our devices or the TV for a while, she’ll call us “zombies.” Like we’re brain-dead, staring at the screens. But, now, tell me, is it you adults who are the zombies, or is it your children? When I point out that my mom’s been on her phone all day while I was in school, she says it’s different because she was using it to do something productive. Doesn’t matter. It’s all about time spent, people.

Last thing. I heard that if the ban takes place, the state will spend millions of dollars on it. Millions! And what else can you do with those millions? Help people find jobs, find housing, prevent homelessness – multiple things that could help our state (and maybe the country). But no, the governor’s worried about children being on their phones in school.

So what? Some teachers allow phones in class if it’s a study hall, or if the class has finished their work and it’s the end of the period. The government is worried about that, instead of real world problems? You see, if I were in charge, I would make sure that the no-phones money would be put to uses that help the community and state become better so there would be fewer real problems to worry about.

So tell me, adult readers of the Ink, what do you think?

Rachel Zuckerman is a freshman in Livingston Manor High School and a reporter for Manor Ink.

It feels like NYSEG is ripping us off

By Marge Feuerstein

For the past 23 years, I have lived full-time on Shandelee, in the house my father bought as a vacation home in the 1940s. For more than half of those years, my electric bill stayed pretty much the same, between $45 and $50 a month. I have been a widow for almost 30 years, live alone and get by on social security and not much more. For many years, I had the company of a cat or two but they don’t use any electricity. They don’t need lights – they see in the dark much better than we humans do.

My sons come to visit and help out when they can, but rarely stay longer than a day or two at most. Some years ago, we all got a significant increase in our electric bills, with mine going to $80 or $90 a month. We were told it had to do with the cost of producing electricity, which had shot up. I grumbled, but had to suck it up and pay. We all did. We are all electricity-dependent.

In February, however, when I opened my NYSEG bill, I nearly fainted. I was looking at a charge of almost $300! Nothing had changed. I heat my house with oil and cook on a gas stove. I called NYSEG immediately, saying that the bill must be a mistake. The person I spoke with sounded helpful enough, but said all he could do was stop my automatic payment for the month while my problem was investigated.

The result: just about nothing! They would let me pay the charge off in two months rather than all at once. But this bill cannot possibly be correct. Either the meter, which they are planning to replace, had gone berserk or the meter reader was drunk. If neither of these were the case, then there is only one other alternative, worse still. Could NYSEG have deliberately falsified thousands of bills simply to get a revenue bump before the new electronic meters are installed? I would hate to think that was the case.

I’m sure many of you reading this suffered the same shock. If so, we need to speak up. Complain to your legislators and congressmen. We have to fight to keep the little guy from being trampled upon. Billionaires in our country don’t worry about their electric bills, but the rest of us certainly do.

Marge Feuerstein is a Manor Ink mentor and its town and school board meetings reporter.

A case for college: expanding your world and opportunities

By Barbara Martinsons

I recently read Editor-in-Chief Zoey McGee’s well-articulated column on her decision to skip college to become an electrician [Manor Ink’s March edition]. While I applaud her ambition and agree that skilled trades are crucial, I want to offer another view – one that champions the value of a college education.

A time for exploration: College offers a unique opportunity to discover new interests and learn about yourself and the world. College introduces new ideas and experiences. In high school, I had never heard of sociology. But after finding this subject at college, I became a sociology professor later on. The exposure to different disciplines can shape careers in unexpected ways.

A broader perspective: Life is not just about work. Electricians, plumbers and mechanics also read books, watch movies and engage with the world around them. College develops this curiosity. I never considered making a documentary about abandoned pet pigs until I took an introductory film class.

A stronger civic voice: College fosters critical thinking and engagement with pressing social issues. A philosophy class prompted me to think about good and evil, power and politics – concepts that later helped me manage a mayoral campaign. Understanding governance, economics and history allows us to participate more meaningfully in community.

Expanding career possibilities: A college degree enhances job prospects and flexibility. Even in trades, education can be invaluable. An electrician who understands architecture can wire a home for both efficiency and aesthetics. The best carpenter knows about climate change and sustainable materials. Imagine a security guard who draws killer graphic novels in her spare time. Statistically, college graduates earn more, accumulate greater savings and even live longer. The financial and personal benefits of higher education are well-documented and should not be overlooked.

Real-world impact: Consider Betty, who aspired to open a daycare center. She realized that a degree would help her gain credibility and navigate licensing requirements. After graduating from SUNY New Paltz, she became an assistant director at a childcare agency and now influences early childhood education policy for the governor of New York. Or take Eric, who entered college intending to teach math, but discovered cybersecurity along the way. He now works for GE in a career he never imagined at age 17. For fun, he collaborates with friends on building electric vehicles.

Bridging divides: A troubling gap exists between college-educated individuals and those without degrees, fostering mistrust, which can only lead us, and our community, to disaster. Keeping dialogue open, as McGee’s column does, is essential. College is not the only path to success, but it remains a valuable one – one that should be seriously considered.

Barbara Martinsons is an occasional columnist for Manor Ink.