Schools say they want to us, to be “successful in an ever-changing global society” (John H. Pitman High School Student Handbook 2013-2014), but is that what they are implying when they limit our rights as students, and ban phones during class time? 

No! How are we supposed to keep up with technology and be “successful in an ever-changing society” when our, sometimes only, source of technology, during the school day, is confiscated from us.

Cellphones, nowadays, can be and are very educational and full of information. It is easier to be able to start a research project with a cellphone nearby. Not having a cell phone can potentially set a student back from starting their assignment until they reach their house, missing an opportunity to ask a teacher a question we would have been able to ask if our phones were permitted.

Administration may wonder about students who do not have access to a smart phone during school; well there will always be an obliging student who is willing to offer their technology to a student in need.

According to John H.PitmanHigh School, all phones are to be “shut off and put away during school hours” (John H. Pitman High School Student Handbook 2013-2014).  This is declaring the fact that our phones are supposed to be off and away. Well what does it mean to have our phone ‘away?’ According to staff members, it is indicating to have our cell phones ‘in our backpacks’.

Now imagine walking to the bathrooms and falling to the ground and are unable to get up, no one around, grasping the fact that the only way to receive help is to scream, and then realizing that it would be useless because no one will hear you. You wish you had your phone on you, but since you are following the school rules, it’s located, safe and sound, in your backpack, some 150 hundred feet away.

According to Common Sense Media and Benenson Strategy Group’s surveys, about thirty-five percent of students admitted to cheating during a test.  My question is: Why are our tests so outdated and not original that students are able to find answers online?

This might be considered cheating, but this is by far the only way to cheat during an exam. A student determined to cheat will find a way to cheat- even if that means passing notes. Kevin Honeycutt, a global speaker, stated the truth behind this theory, “Students used to pass notes on paper.  We never banned paper.”

Teachers THINK we will cheat if phones were allowed, but in reality students would actually appreciate the fact phones are allowed, and would not abuse it.

Trust: that is the main issue. We should be allowed to have our phones on us at all times under the condition we do not cheat during tests. A teacher will reasonably state that students will continue to use their phones no matter what the rule says.

 But think about this: if a child is always under supervision, when he or she is not under supervision he or she will do actions, that aren’t always the best decision. Whereas, if a child is let to do what he or she desires, the outcome will be different- the child will be more responsible and less reckless.

The more freedom a child has, the less they want to break the rules. As a teenager, when someone says no, the automatic reaction is to go against it; so if the rule is no phones, the children will more than likely “break this rule”.