Cell Phone Situations

Last year the rules on cell phones were strict, but with COVID-19 everything has seemed to change. I do not have a cell phone, but last year the rules were clear: cell phones stayed in your locker from when school started to when school ended. Now students with cell phones can’t put their electronic devices in their lockers, because we don’t have access to lockers.  Instead, cell phones must be kept in backpacks which makes it easier to be tempted to use them since they are so close at hand. I have noticed that many students have unfairly taken advantage of this change, and this has already created a strain on attention spans in some classrooms. In my opinion, the phone problem is worsening as students start to believe that it’s ok to use their phones instead of focusing on their studies. 

This shift in learning has proved to be a great annoyance to myself and many of my peers when we hear and see people watching videos and taking selfies. It also can cause others to fall short of expectations because it’s hard to focus when somebody is playing on their phone. 

In the end it’s just not fair to the other students of the school when some students decide that the rules don’t apply to them. These are rules that were carefully crafted to help create a better learning environment aimed at helping students focus on grades and become more successful in school. In my opinion this just isn’t fair to the other students that do come here to learn and want to be successful. Some teachers feel different about students abusing this right. Mr. Adair who teaches Art Unleashed  says, “It gives the responsibility to the student to make the decision for themselves.” Further, he states that, “Responsible students will always be responsible.” 

Seventh grader Mae McKenna says, “I definitely feel that some kids have been abusing their rights of having their phone with them during the day, but students need to be responsible to the right of having their phone with them during the day. They need integrity.”

In the end, it seems to be impossible to control the phones during these times and all we can do is hope that most students have integrity and do what they’re supposed to do. So next time you reach for your phone in class, think it over, and maybe take out a pencil and write down some notes instead.