There are two different kinds of students in this world. The ones who feels their phone vibrate and leave it alone, and the ones who grab it every single time it vibrates. Even in the most inappropriate times. For example, right in the middle of class.
Last year as a sophomore I was that second student. Every class, every day, every vibrate, I would grab my phone. Texting, Twitter, Snap chat, Instagram, and music. Any app you can think of there’s a good chance I was on it. As a junior looking back I’ve realized that not only did that hurt my grades, for obvious reasons, but it also hurt my relationships with my teachers.
One relationship that stands out more than others would be the relationship with my third hour instructor Dave Drnek. He was constantly saying “Jada put it away” or just giving me a look until I put it away. This was an everyday thing, a constant back and forth. I sat with Drnek to reflect and talk about how cell phones affected him as a teacher.
When you see a student on their phone what’s your first thought?
“Do I want to make it a big deal or not? Do I want to fight it or not? It all depends on the situation I guess. If it’s transition time and we’re not doing anything as a class it’s all right, but if they’re supposed to be doing partner work then it’s a big deal. I see that as disrespect to others in the class.”
If you were a principal what would be your cell phone policy?
“Well I think that would be up to the teachers. But I would defnitely try to come up with a lesson plan involving the student so much that they really wouldn’t want to be on their phones. Or try to involve technology into the lesson plans more. Like you guys are getting chrome books next year for example.”
Do you lean toward technology based learning or old fashioned paper and pencil?
“I’m learning more about technology based. It’s all new to the teachers. I like that stuff more; in my opinion it’s great learning skills for the outside world. It’s just the pen and paper is much easier”
How are your classes with cell phones this year?
I think it’s way better this year. I feel students are finally starting to learn when and when not to have their phones out. It’s much better than last year.
After my relationships with a majority of my teachers started going south, my grades went in the same direction. One class in particular would be Spanish. I started coming into class completely lost and clueless. Borrowing and copying notes from classmates even though I was in class the day before. Not getting papers because I didn’t hear the teacher telling me to grab them. It became a cycle of never- ending work and stress.
When wasting class time, one slowly starts to realize life outside of school becomes nothing but cramming and feeling over whelmed. For me, after school was worse than actual school hours. I had so much to do every night, including late work. I started making excuses, but none of them made sense and I kept allowing myself to be on my phone, ignoring the fact that I knew it was holding me back.
The moment that made me realize I had a problem, I bet you guessed it, was in May. Right before exams. I was cramming beyond the normal amount. Retaking tests, trying to locate, finish, and turn in late work. Anything to get those extra points. As a freshman I passed all my classes with my GPA at 3.7, and last year I passed all my classes but my GPA dropped to 3.1
Knowing my grades suffered like that is the reason I’m such a happier person this year. I know exactly what was holding me back, and I’m determined to not let it happen again. For the students struggling with cell phones, just put it away. It’ll make you such a happier person, and you might even surprise yourself with your grades.