CONTEXT: Schenectady School officials instituted a policy of no-cell phones in class this year. Phoenix contributer Tatianna Jackson weighs in with her opinion on the policy.

Dear teachers, 

Self- phones are not the enemy. Your students are just used to their lives being more online than in person. I’m not saying this as an excuse, but rather trying to help you guys be a bit more open minded about your students. The past two years have been tough for a lot of them, especially with Covid-19, and everything going on in the world, home life and personal issues. Don’t you think these young growing minds needed something to help them through it all? Our phones have the ability to help and make us laugh, smile, and find some peace of mind through tough times.

So instead of trying to get rid of it as a whole, at least try to incorporate the things your students love about their phones and social media into future lessons.

Dear admin,

We Schenectady students know you have our best interests at heart, but there are times where we are put in positions as if the admin and students are going against each other. Take last year’s incident with the switch to block scheduling, for example. The students were put in a position where they felt like it was necessary to protest to be heard. I see on a daily basis where students aren’t being heard about the use of their phones, but rather misunderstood. Yes, there are students who use their phones to distract or procrastinate but there are also students who use their phones to mute the annoying chatters of a classroom just to focus, and students who use their phones as a resource to help them in class. Seeing that it has many uses and every student is using their phone differently, why group us as a whole and not try to learn why each student is using their phone? This may seem hard, but the constant no-cell phone reminders blaring in our ears every morning and the signs in the classrooms and hallways make us feel like we are the bad guys. As soon as we walk in the building. a lot of our rights are taken away and a lot more of our rights can be taken away at home, which can make us feel caged in. Our phones can give us the sense of freedom and allow us to take back our voice and power as young adults.

To my classmates, peers and friends,

See each day as another chance to try, whether that means staying off your phone during class, being on time, speaking up, or even just showing up. Give yourself the chance to try, because you owe it to yourself to achieve.

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