Volume 71, Issue 1

October 3, 2022

Getting acquainted with a new classroom at the start of the year is hard, but when the blue and yellow caddy disturbs your aesthetic academic environment, you know students are going to have to address it. Although teachers are trying to help their classes engage and do well in school,  many students are upset and believe that there is no reason to restrict the usage of our phones. 

Students feel that the phone caddy is an inconvenience. Sophomore Lauren Sielatycki explains, “I don’t like not having my phone [near me] because… if I need to use my phone to contact my parents, I can’t do it without announcing it to the teacher. Also, if there is an emergency, you have to go race to the phone caddy to grab [your phone].” Restricting kids from their freedom to speak to their own parents through the usage of their phone simply strips a students rights to communication and personal property. 

Freshman Grace Peng also mentioned that the phone caddy has fallen twice in her classes, meaning that we have to assume the risk of damage if we leave our phones in the phone caddy during class.  Senior Matthew McAuliffe agrees with the sentiment, adding, “It is annoying to have to grab it after every class.” 

Students agreed that they should have a choice about whether or not they use their time during class wisely, and that independence is a big part of the learning experience.. Junior Payton Cavagnaro stated,: “…It makes me feel like middle school again. Some of these seniors are literally 18. I think they know how to manage themselves. If anything, we need to be taught to discipline ourselves through trial and error. Locking our phones isn’t going to teach us anything but that the school doesn’t believe we are capable.” 

There are suggested solutions to this issue, but most of them exclude the phone caddy. Junior Ianin Clee suggested, “…[phone caddies] can easily be replaced by just tucking [your phone] away in your backpack. Then again, I like this idea of ‘natural selection.’ Those who choose to use their phones during class and not pay attention, get lower grades. While the ones who make an effort thrive.” 

This brings attention back to the fact that instead of taking away a student’s right to their phones, teaching them the importance of responsibility and discipline might be more valuable than the phone caddy and could aid in building a community that every student feels comfortable in. The best idea might be to allow students to decide for themselves what works best, and keeping the phone caddy an option instead of a mandatory rule in classrooms.