Do you own a cell phone, an mp3 player, or any other electronic device? If you do, I’m sure that you’ve noticed that you are unable to use it at school. The administrative branch’s reasons are legitimate to make sure everyone’s focused and doing what they’re supposed to be doing, but should this rule affect everyone in the first place?

Personally, I believe that it should be up to the teachers. Teachers know their students. They know about the ones who are more motivated than others. The teachers should be able to judge, “This student is more responsible than that one, so he should be able to listen to music while he does his work.” It should be a privilege that’s earned, rather than getting them taken away.

What about lunch time? If I’m sitting in the hallways eating my lunch alone, listening to my iPod, I don’t think I’m disrupting the learning process, opposed to listening to it in class. Given the choice, I’d listen to music doing independent class work and when I’m eating lunch.

The reason things are like this is legitimate. There are thieves on campus, who will steal anything that seems valuable. The school doesn’t want to be held responsible for a stolen electronic device. However, there are ways to make everyone happy – instead of banning them completely, why not add a disclaimer? ‘Stagg High School will not be held responsible for stolen or lost electronic items.’ In the real world, if someone steals something from you, you’re held responsible for it. Sure, you can find the culprit, sure you may be able to get the police involved, but at the end of the day, you have to replace it. It works in the real world, so why shouldn’t it work here? After all, high schools exist to educate teenagers and to get them ready for the reality that lies ahead.