Sitting in the lunchroom, waiting for your friends to finish eating so you can go into the gym to play basketball, is not the same. It’s tempting to take out the vibration in your pocket, but you know cell phones have been banned, not by the lunchroom ladies, not by Dr. Shelmire, but by the state. So, you keep the phone hidden in your pocket, wondering if this cellphone ban is a good idea or not.
The main reason for this new law is to keep us focused on schoolwork. Cell phones are a distraction in the classroom, and one of the benefits of not being able to pull them out is that it will be easier to focus, and students will need to be more responsible.
“I think it will be hard to get used to, but it will be beneficial in the long run,” Connor Broughton (‘28) said.
With no phones, students’ minds can be on more important things, like schoolwork.
“I think it’s good so I can focus more,” Lilli Scheurer (‘27) said.
Many people, however, think they are capable of focusing with their phones. It’s hard for some people to focus without their music. So it will be hard for people to get used to being without their phones and not being able to listen to music.
“I need my phone, like OMG, and I need music,” Kaylee Washington (‘27) said. “I literally can’t focus.”
Although some students are angry at Missouri for making this rule, it is something we will get used to. Missouri is not the only state that has this rule. Abby Marks (‘29) is accustomed to the ban.
“I just came from a school that also doesn’t allow phones, so it’s not a big change, but I would like to have my phone out here and there,” Marks said.
You can no longer occupy yourself during downtime. Some students do not socialize a lot during lunch and are used to being occupied on their phones during lunch. It will be a harder transition for those students.
“Why’d we have to copy Arkansas’ rule?” Avery Hill (‘27) asked. “Couldn’t we have just left it on its own and let them be the ‘special’ state? We should at least be allowed on them during lunch.”
On a positive note, some believe that less time on your phone will make more time with your friends and perhaps more time to make new friends.
It will take time for us to see the benefits of this new Missouri law, and it will take some creativity to come up with ways to stay busy during WIN Time and DEN Time.
“When work is completed, there are fewer options and choices to do or something to pass the time,” Katelyn Horn (‘28) said.
Students have been taking the lead and bringing cards, UNO, and doodling more to keep them busy during free time. With all the options available during WIN time, students will be able to explore new activities and discover new hobbies.
Teachers and administrators are in support of the new policy.
“I think the new cell phone has been beneficial and the students have been really good at following the rule so far, and it’s helping them engage more in school work,“ social studies teacher Mrs. Kelly Foster said.
It will take a village to make this work, with everyone enforcing and adhering to the policy.
“I like it and I will enforce it,” social studies teacher, Mrs. Heather Ohlms said.