Phone usage in class is a controversial topic throughout Benjamin Carson High School. Some students use them to get information or gather facts about a topic in class. Others use phones to go on social media, text people, or listen to music and are distracted from their work.
Teachers have different ways of teaching. Some let students use phones in class while other classes don't allow them at all.
Although students may be distracted sometimes, there has been some positive feedback on phone usage from several teachers.
Sarah Murphy, a chemistry teacher at Benjamin Carson, claims that phone usage isn’t too much of a complaint in her classroom. She believes phones have much more to offer, and she rarely sees them as a disruption in class.
“It’s pretty low, maybe one incident per day,” said Murphy.
Another supporter of cell phones is the head of the Math department, Michelle Schwendemann.
“I think it's fantastic,” said Schwendemann. “Phones allow you to use resources globally.”
On the other hand, some teachers disagree with the idea of phone usage. Shannan Lockhart, history teacher at Benjamin Carson, collects phones before the start of class.
“It’s a distraction,” said Lockhart.
English teacher Shannon Waite believes phones can have benefits, but are mostly a distraction.
“I think that while phones have pros and can be used to find information, often times they are mostly distractions to students and keep them from being on task, working, and learning,” said Waite.
Cell phone usage in class has many different perspectives. Some believe it has more benefits, while others say it is a total distraction and prevents students from focusing. Both sides have reasons and evidence to support their argument. It is up to individual teachers to make their choice about cell phones.
