Cracking down on the phone craze
The new year has begun, and it calls for a change in Marysville Joint Unified School District. At Marysville High School, an existing rule that forbids all technological devices to be used during instruction time will be enforced more strictly by teachers because these devices are a distraction and a problem for students.
Most teenagers in my generation use their phones in class and cannot live without texting. There are consequences for texting in class. However, no consequence has been severe enough to stop the students from using their phones.
Tom Cheng, a sophomore at MHS, said the renewed enforcement is "a pretty good idea, because those devices are good distractions." Tom mentioned the cliché, "There is always a time and place for everything," which implies that students should use their phones and mp3 players outside of school.
School is definitely not a place to be inattentive. Back when none of this technology existed, most students put forth the effort to achieve better grades. Now the number of failing students is increasing; many do not pass their classes. Technology distracts us from our homework and from paying attention.
For instance, instead of actually reading novels for English class — or personal enjoyment — most of us would rather spend our time on YouTube or on social networking sites like Facebook or Twitter. Many students get caught up at sites like these and never get around to reading their assignments. Alternatively, they use their computers to look up the SparkNotes on the book instead.
It is a great thing to have access to these gadgets, but the way we use them makes us become inefficient and less motivated to gain knowledge. The no-technology rule pushes us back on the right track to what school really is about and can help students realize the importance of obtaining an education.
Every individual will be an important part in our future, for they will be the ones who will construct the important decisions that will shape our community.
However, Sam Baker, a senior at MHS, said, "For the matter of cellphones, they should not be banned because if there is an emergency during school hours, the student can be contacted sooner and faster than having the parents contact the office, the office call the classroom and the teacher tell the student. It's time consuming."
Sam brings a different view, but he makes a good point because cellphones were made for that purpose. There are more people who will fight the ban because it's up to the individual to choose whether to learn or not.
Luis Barranon, a Spanish teacher at MHS who fully supports the ban, said, "The new law will make many students more focused on their education rather than their social life, which causes them to stop learning. At first, some individuals will fight it, but then they will realize it is the culture of the school, the way things are done."
Students and teachers will have to adjust to this profound rule. There is no harm in trying to achieve a goal. We will just have to see the effects the ban will bring to MHS.
Courtney Ngai is a senior at Marysville High School. Her column appears every six weeks in Education.
