Phones in school are a controversial topic throughout the country. Some will say that phones are an effective way to stay in touch with friends and family and to keep yourself entertained, but others will say that the phone may be the most savage invention known to man, and putting a phone in the hands of a teenager makes it that much worse.
Students getting in trouble for just having their phones in their backpacks without being on it is unnecessary. The administration feels the policy, which has students put their phones in a phone caddy for the whole class period, is fair and has no plans to change it.
“I think the cell phone policy is fair and helps students focus more during class. Accessing the phone during class is just not necessary unless the phone is part of the curriculum or activity. At this point, there is no change to the cell phone procedures planned,” Assistant Principal of Student Operations Mr. Frank Lesniak said.
Even if a certain subject is known for being boring, teachers could still work on making class so interactive that students don’t feel the need to go on their phones. Teachers, you have all had the feeling of being in a long, boring meeting and wondering what your friend on Instagram is doing or wanting to text your family. It is no different for students.
I know that I will get bored in class sometimes and be thinking about the fun things I could entertain myself with on my phone over anything I’m learning in class. If this is the case, then is the physical phone the issue, or is it the idea of entertainment on our phones that feeds into the addiction?
The idea of more interactive activities in general could really be beneficial to everyone, both teachers and students.
For example, I know I always look forward to when my teacher plans an activity in class for all the students to participate in or individual work time where students can either work on their work for that class or work on assignments for other classes during the period. I don’t feel the need to go on my phone when doing certain activities like these.
I don’t see the issue with being on your phone when there is no other school work or after you finish a test early though. In this case, I think teachers should back off of students and let them use their extra time how they would like.
Although it would be impossible to come up with a clear solution to regulate phones so kids can still effectively learn and not constantly be thinking about phones, without completely banning them, schools can still try.
It is important to remember that the school and students need to work together to solve the serious addiction to phones that everyone experiences. It is a nationwide problem and not just seen in teenagers in high schools.
If everyone makes an effort, then schools won’t need to jump to extreme measures to make sure students are paying attention in class but that also depends on the amount of effort schools are willing to put in.
