The Shoemaker Bugle

By Daniela Galindo

It is no secret that students dislike the “new” phone policy even though it has always existed at John Glenn. Is it because there is a higher percentage of students failing this year that the phone policy is being strictly enforced? Maybe adults think phones prevent us from getting good grades.

What I’ve seen is that students use their phones for just a minute or so to answer a text. It’s not like students use them all the time in class. Our phones are not the reason why we don’t pass our classes. I was failing a class, but it wasn’t because I was on my phone. It was just because I needed a little help and to concentrate on class. But, it wasn’t the phone that was distracting–it was other classes, exams, and extracurricular activities that I had. Additionally, students dislike how parents need to communicate with us through the office. If there is an emergency, it takes the office some time to contact the student. Rather than that, we should tell the teacher that our parents are calling and maybe show them and allow the students to go out for a moment with the door open so they do not wander off, but still give them privacy.

It would have been great if this policy had been explained more clearly by the school from the beginning, like its consequences. We students need to understand why this is happening so suddenly. We don’t know why suddenly this has become something big, and it’s unfair. Students will feel as if they’re in prison. Rather than feeling forced to study, studying should be enjoyable. Rather than negative reinforcement, kids need motivation.