At the beginning of the second semester, Woodhaven High School enforced the rules on phones more than before. Woodhaven High School already had a phone rule, but now there are stricter rules on when you can have your phone out and when you can’t. Students are not allowed to have their phones out during instructional time, other than that, it is left up to the teacher’s discretion. If students get caught with a phone during a time they shouldn’t have it out, they get one warning, and after that, it gets taken to the office, and they will not get it back till the end of the day.
This has been a very controversial topic amongst the students and the teachers. Teachers find this rule necessary because students are getting distracted with phones during class and finding ways to cheat on assignments using their phones. A Woodhaven High School senior chose to stay anonymous, saying, “I think students should be responsible for their education. If a student chooses to abuse class time and be on their phone, I think that is their choice. However, I don’t think students who use their phones responsibly should be punished because those who can’t.” Some students are more responsible with when to use their phones than others and know when to have them out and when to have them away.
Mr. Taylor, a teacher at Woodhaven High School, thinks that students not being on their phones during class will benefit students’ educations. Mr Taylor says, “I believe that limiting phone use in the classroom will have a positive impact on student learning outcomes.” Phones being out of sight in classrooms help students not be distracted and more engaged with the teachers. A Woodhaven High School senior, who also chose to be anonymous, says “I believe it is important to stay focused during class, I understand that this is difficult for many people with cell phones as they can be a major distraction. I know when I do not have my phone it motivates me to do more work and allows others around me to work to their full potential as well. It is important to stay motivated in class and I believe this can be done without cellphones as a distraction.” Students who can learn without the distraction of a phone will have a better outcome in understanding what they are learning and better grades.
In classrooms, earbuds and headphones are also not allowed out during instructional time. This annoyed students because some of them work better listening to music instead of any other background or classroom noise. Even though those students are productive while listening to music, some kids have earbuds in and zone out on work and during instructional time.
Dr. Nick Perham, a lecturer at the School of Health Sciences at the University of Wales Institute, wrote an article about how listening to music while studying can interfere with short-term memory performance. Perham had subjects recall a series of numbers while listening to various background music. Perham stated, “If sound exhibits acoustical variations, the sound is impaired. Steady-state sounds with little acoustical variation don’t impair performance nearly as much.” Listening to music during instructional time is a very common thing at Woodhaven High School, so it was important to enforce the rule not just on phones but any type of earbuds and headphones as well.
Another problem with phones out in classrooms is students cheating. AI has become a commonly used resource used by students to cheat on assignments and tests. All different AI websites on the school Chromebooks have been blocked, but now students are finding ways to pull out their phones and use AI on their phones. Phones not being allowed out during class time will hopefully decrease the number of students using AI on their classwork.
Cyberbullying has also been an uprising problem in today’s generation, with a lot taking place over various social media platforms. With fewer phones out during school, there will be a decrease in cyberbullying happening during school hours. Students will also be able to get more face-to-face interaction with other students rather than spending time on their phones. Students not being allowed to go on their phones will allow them to talk to other students instead of spending every chance they get on their phones. The responsibility of students will also increase and they won’t be relying on their phone as much and have better time management.
