A wall furnished with a multicolored phone case decor has recently become a permanent fixture in South classrooms. A notable change from previous years, the cell phone jail is now being enforced upon the students by South’s administration. Most teachers now require students to part ways with their phones from bell to bell rather than trusting them to keep their devices off and out of sight for the duration of the hour. While many students protest the measure as an overreach of power, perhaps it’s time to reflect on how we came into this situation in the first place.
This change should come as no surprise to those who have looked around the classrooms in previous years. Students are constantly on their phones rather than doing their work or listening to the teacher. While many will argue that they still get good grades or multitask, maybe we should try empathizing with the opposing point of view.
A teacher has no idea if you are paying attention when you are so obviously averting your gaze to an object you are attempting to hide under your desk. It’s a matter of respect and courtesy. It has come to a breaking point where teachers are tired of telling students to put their phones away and focus on the lesson, an ask that is not unreasonable. We have brought these restrictions upon ourselves.
It is naive to think that phone use is not the cause of someone struggling in class. If these new rules can even help a fraction of this population, perhaps that justifies it alone. After all, our debilitating screen addictions aside, we don’t technically need our phones in class. And in case of an emergency, they are still at a safe distance. I think it is more beneficial that we use this opportunity to reduce our reliance on our devices. We have the opportunity to break a generational bad habit. Take advantage of it.
