Adjusting from the luxury of sleeping in, relaxing, and going to the beach all day with friends, to all of a sudden waking up at six in the morning, doing tedious assignments, and having lots of activities and clubs can be really hard.
This is the reality of every high school student transitioning from summer break back to school. Most students dread the idea of going back to school, but at least they are prepared for it.
However, the one thing we really weren’t prepared for was to go back without our phones.
This August, the administration and faculty-initiated a no-phone policy in the classroom. This is something that a lot of students hate, but I, for one, have benefited from the policy at times and on the whole, it’s been good for our school.
To start with, the reason the school has decided to do this is because research shows that students will be more focused in the classroom when they can’t be on social media. Without having phones in our learning environments, we block out the stress of outside conflict or drama like comments, texts from parents, and other negative notifications. Senior Madison McAvoy shared her view on this.
“I feel more stress-free during the day without my phone and I am more focused.”
The only downside is that some teachers are taking this policy too seriously, leading to inconveniences in their classes, particularly in study hall.
“I needed to use my phone to do homework in study hall,” Senior Reese Williams said, “but I can’t use it because I was asked to put it away.”
One compromise would be for teachers to be a little more lenient in study hall; whether a student needs a second device for homework, or even just a brain break, letting us have our phones when necessary would be beneficial.
On the other hand, I tend to get more work done without the distraction of my phone and feel more engaged in class and study hall. I also believe that this policy has made me socialize with people I maybe wouldn’t have before. Between finishing work in class and moving on to the next task, I tended to have five or so minutes where I previously could check my phone. Now, I am forced to start a conversation with someone next to me, getting to know someone new.
Junior Ashley Black and I agree that we have become closer friends since we couldn’t have our phones in English, and we’ve actually gotten to know each other.
I also feel since I am used to not having my phone, I am less tempted to check it in the hallways, which results in me being more social and talking to my friends face-to-face.
In the long run, although disliked by many, I believe the no-phones-in-the-classroom policy is a good change for the students at Saint Stephen’s.
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