Editorial

During distance learning, students had unrestricted access to their phones; their social and educational needs were fulfilled through technology. Students are now being asked to decrease their screen time after not being monitored throughout the 20192020 school year. The transition from online to in-person schooling should come with lenient policies in classrooms regarding cell phone usage.

Strict phone policies in the classroom limit students’ ability to take responsibility for their own devices. If phones are too strictly monitored, students are unable to decide and think for themselves. School should teach students to manage their own time and deal with consequences if they choose to let phones be a distraction to their work. When entering a job setting and some college environments, in the future, there will not be phone regulations but individuals are expected to know when it’s appropriate to use their cell phones. During high school, we should learn the effects of using it at an inappropriate time on our own and therefore hold responsibility for our actions. Responsibility should be taught not simply expected in teenagers. Teachers should take phone usage in classrooms as an opportunity to teach students when and how it is appropriate to use phones in a professional environment.

Due to the pandemic, students have participated in over a full school year of online distance learning. From at least three hours of being on zoom a day to submitting every assignment from our phones, school became synonymous with technology, specifically our phones. The majority of notifications on our phones came from apps like classroom and canvas. But now we are expected to forget the last year of our online education and dramatically decrease our phone usage during class. This is just not realistic. Unless teachers start taking every student’s phone at the beginning of the class period, asking students to put them away is not effective. Instead, teachers should find creative ways to have students use their phones and other technology during the lesson. Students will find a way to use their phones in class, it is inevitable, so it is in teachers’ best interest to have students use them in efficient ways that promote learning. Expecting students to stay completely phone free throughout class is counterproductive and unrealistic, especially after coming out of quarantine. With all

STAFF EDITORIAL the current technological advancements, OPINION OF THE DRY GULCH the ‘no cell phones GAZETTE EDITORIAL BOARD in the classroom’ policy is outdated and in need of a change. While a change in policy is not something teachers want to hear, it’s inevitable and, arguably, necessary. It’s understandable that teachers feel the need to prohibit phone usage in the classroom to increase the engagement of students, but there are better alternatives that achieve the same solution. Rather than completely banning phones in the classroom, students should be allowed to use their phones freely when the teacher isn’t actively teaching, such as work times. Once the boundaries around when it’s appropriate to use phones in class are established, it’s up to teachers to put their trust into their students to be responsible. Teachers should let students use their cell phones during work time and when they aren’t actively teaching. Technology has become a big part of students’ lives; expecting students to not use them during class is an ineffective way to run the classroom.

DGG

Dry Gulch Gazette

Dry Gulch Gazette

is an open forum for students and does not necessarily represent the views of Arroyo High School or of the San Lorenzo Unified School District. We want to provide our readers with entertaining, informational, and relevant stories that will be worth their time. We intend to produce accurate and unbiased reporting, and we will therefore work to correct any significant mistakes. You should contact us at AHSGazette@gmail.com if you can find such a mistake in this publication. You may also email us to submit a letter to the editor, but we reserve the right to edit letters for length or accuracy. Letters will be rejected or published at the discretion of journalism staff.

Managing Editors:

Wynne Bendell Claire Terzich GabrieElla Quiliza Renteria

Staff Writers:

Liliana Agatupu Haylie Blair Eden Buell Clarence Capunitan Scott Glueckert Thinh Huynh Jose Leon Ashton Menge Kevin Padilla Makani Reith Fifita Robert Romero Nicole Watson Yuki Wen