Everyone’s heads are down with bright screens glaring on their faces. No one is paying attention to the teacher’s lesson and they will probably have no clue how to do the assignment.
Mindlessly scrolling through Tik Tok or Instagram reels, responding to text messages or Snapchats, students do not seem to care about what information they are learning that day. While everyone has different opinions formed on phones and the use of them, in a school environment this issue tends to make people question whether or not phones are actually harmful to students’ education throughout classes.
Triton Voice reporters wanted to see first-hand how many students truly were on their phones during class time. Over the span of three school days, two reporters counted the number of students who picked up their phones in a class period. On day one, one reporter observed 6 classes and found there were 66 total phone pick-ups. This does not include those who sneakily get by throughout the day without their screen time being seen. Additionally, a majority of students were noticed walking into class staring at their phones. Others picked them up right as they sat down but did not proceed to use them during the duration of class. It was also noted that at the end of nearly every period of each class, students would line up by the door and then begin staring at their phone awaiting the bell.
During the observations, students tended to look at, pick up, or use their phones quickly to check the time, look at notifications, or, as if they were just bored during class, take a mental break in class.
Some Triton teachers hate the prevalence of phones and really think it distracts their students’ education. One of their solutions to this are phone slots, where students place their phones into the beginning of class and can grab it at the end, or when they are all caught up with assignments. Other teachers, however, don’t mind their students having their phones out, being used, or kept on them Other teachers let students use their phones during assignments.
Assistant Principal Mrs. Elizabeth Pacheco explained the numerous write ups students are getting lately involving their phones. “From past years to this year (there has been a) significant decline,” she said, “17 students written up to date for breaking the actual cell phone policy. In total there have been 189 formal write ups, (and) 83 of them have incorporated the cell phone as secondary behavior.¨
So far this school year, at least a couple times a week a parent will come to pick up their child’s phone,” Pacheco said. She said that parents are an integral part of reinforcing the policy that Triton has set for phone use. She also explained how she believes that those students stuck on their phones are simply missing opportunities to connect with their peers.
“It’s as simple as looking up from their phone and saying hi or goodmorning, even just a smile can change someone’s day,¨ states Pacheco.
She also made it clear that the majority of the write ups that involve phone use also have a secondary write up cause like behavior or language. A student may fight back or refuse to do work and therefore the teacher will write up that student for both their phone and actions in the classroom.
Senior Ashley Sabino admits that she is on her phone during school quite a lot, and usually scrolls if she is bored or all her work has been finished.
“You should be able to keep your phone on you incase of a family emergency, or you need to use your phone in class, for example if your computer dies you can just use your phone.¨
Junior Sydney Champagne said that while she does not often use her phone, her teachers are often forgiving regarding the cell phone policy, which states that phones should only be out if a teacher directly states they are allowed.
“I do not often use my phone in class, but mostly before class starts, after I complete all of my work, or if I need to write a reminder or something on my phone,” Champagne says. ¨I feel like using my phone isnt a bad thing during class, or having it on me in general, what if theres a emergency at home or at school? I would want my phone on me.¨
Champagne explained that, ¨my teachers are not very strict within my classes, but mostly because we haven’t had any issues as I am in smaller honors or AP classes, which could be different for other students in different leveled classes.¨
While many students in her class tend to stay off their phones or put them away the first time they are asked, history teacher Ms. Jillian Lewis is still aware of the overuse of phones.
Lewis believes that the amount of phone use stems a lot from the lack of consequences students are receiving from being on their phones at an inappropriate time during class. Students do not receive punishment and therefore believe they are immune to rules and can use it whenever they please, she said. But they are also distracted from learning.
“People just generally have a hard time multitasking, so having that distraction is not going to allow them to properly encode and store that information they are supposed to be learning,” said Lewis.
