EDITORIAL: Cease texting during class
Issue date: 1/28/10 Section: Opinion
Once upon a time, one that isn't very far from our own, there were people who paid attention in class.
As a forewarning: this story doesn't necessarily have a happy ending.
Back when a cell phone was thought to be a communication device used in prisons, people didn't text in class.
Sure, there was goofing off as usual, but generally no full conversations while a teacher was instructing.
Those people have since evolved and turned into students who not only text in class, but think it's OK to do so.
When asked, more than half of the students polled at Pierce said they didn't think texting in class is disruptive to others.
Arguments in support of the previous statement consist of comments such as, "It's not their phone," and, "They can control their focus."
To those naysayers, certainly it is.
It doesn't matter if it disrupts two or 20 people; if one person's focus is pulled due to another's insolence, it should be stopped.
Not all people can control their focus; some may have ADD or sensitivity to sound.
Not to mention how the instructors must feel knowing their students are blatantly disrespecting them during their lectures.
An instructor said when a teacher feels his students care more about texting than what he is teaching, it "tears out the soul" and impacts what he is trying to do for his class.
This instructor compared it to playing a basketball game or being on stage: if the audience isn't with you, it changes everything.
Students are paying for their classes, so they ought to be trying to get the most out of them.
There isn't much that is so important it can't wait until after class to be responded to.
Yes, emergencies happen, and yes, a lot of students have kids of their own.
But with the amount of students texting in every class, you'd think there was a 23:2 parent-student to student ratio and a string of natural disasters strikes North America every day.
Finding the latter hard to believe, this brings us to only one conclusion: it's the way students are nowadays.
This will never change. One can always hope, but it should be understood that people don't change and most of them don't even think they are being rude.
But for the sake of your education, put your phone away.
As a forewarning: this story doesn't necessarily have a happy ending.
Back when a cell phone was thought to be a communication device used in prisons, people didn't text in class.
Sure, there was goofing off as usual, but generally no full conversations while a teacher was instructing.
Those people have since evolved and turned into students who not only text in class, but think it's OK to do so.
When asked, more than half of the students polled at Pierce said they didn't think texting in class is disruptive to others.
Arguments in support of the previous statement consist of comments such as, "It's not their phone," and, "They can control their focus."
To those naysayers, certainly it is.
It doesn't matter if it disrupts two or 20 people; if one person's focus is pulled due to another's insolence, it should be stopped.
Not all people can control their focus; some may have ADD or sensitivity to sound.
Not to mention how the instructors must feel knowing their students are blatantly disrespecting them during their lectures.
An instructor said when a teacher feels his students care more about texting than what he is teaching, it "tears out the soul" and impacts what he is trying to do for his class.
This instructor compared it to playing a basketball game or being on stage: if the audience isn't with you, it changes everything.
Students are paying for their classes, so they ought to be trying to get the most out of them.
There isn't much that is so important it can't wait until after class to be responded to.
Yes, emergencies happen, and yes, a lot of students have kids of their own.
But with the amount of students texting in every class, you'd think there was a 23:2 parent-student to student ratio and a string of natural disasters strikes North America every day.
Finding the latter hard to believe, this brings us to only one conclusion: it's the way students are nowadays.
This will never change. One can always hope, but it should be understood that people don't change and most of them don't even think they are being rude.
But for the sake of your education, put your phone away.
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