Day 11. Radio Silence.

Today began the lonely descent into the silent lands of the before time. A time before instant communication. The children suffered extreme withdrawal symptoms. All around school children were speaking into rocks and bits of leaves they found on the ground. One child had created a large fire in the courtyard and was sending smoke signals to his friends. The frustration over the cell phone ban was hard for some people. I saw kids staring into mirrors and talking to themselves as if they were facetiming, and the looks of disappointment when their reflection ghosted them was devastating to watch. What type of life is a life without constant reassurance of each minor decision you make?

By second period the kids were adapting. Many of my students had large cages with pigeons in them and they were tying messages to their legs like "This pigeon smells funny, lol". I noticed the most desperate kids had pigeons with a large apple drawn with sharpie on the backs of the poor creatures. By the middle of the day the classroom was filled with flapping wings and the indescribable waste and chaos that comes with a legion of carrier pigeons. The former Android kids didn't even have pigeons they just used grackles they caught in the courtyard by holding a crust of bread in their hands and holding as still as a Disney Princess. Of course the more eccentric kids took the opportunity to send owls to each other.

In reality and not at all ironically, there was a protest scheduled for 4th period that I imagine fell apart because no one could coordinate it with the technology they were deprived of. Godspeed protesters! We all have our moment of righteous civil disobedience. Ghandi had his freedom movement. Martin Luther nailed his ninety five theses to the doors of the church Martin Luther King Jr. was there in Selma and Birmingham and Washington D.C. to tear down the oppression of generations The students of Cypress Bay have had several hours of no phones. May your cause be just, and your voices ring clear. JUSTICE!