Texting in Class: To Do or Not to Do?

Chances are you have glanced over at your classmate and caught him looking down into his lap or onto the floor. You’ve wondered what could be so interesting about the white cubic tile design. Then, upon further investigation you see a little screen light up saying, “New Message.”

Texting in class has become as common as chewing gum. I know I can usually find classmates texting just by scanning the room. In a recent survey of 100 students, here’s how the numbers line up.

I must admit I am included in the 81 percent. Backed by the statistics presented, texting should be allowed in class. There’s always that one question on a math test I just get stuck on. So if you can phone a friend on Who Wants To Be a Millionarie, why not during a math test? Not to mention the moral support you can receive before a test via text.

Regardless of my beliefs, students still must keep their phone hidden from the prowling eyes of a teacher. Some teachers feel it's insulting to see students texting in class and usually take the phone away to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Science teacher Nancy Raicht finds texting insulting and rude. “Students should be paying attention to me, not what’s going on across the building,” says science teacher Eugene Sul. But this problem can be solved simply, DON’T GET CAUGHT.

Texting fiend Katie Albanese, junior, has been caught numerous times even including a trip to Assistant Principal Will Dowell’s office. To this day, she still hasn’t stopped. Sophomore Jake Larussa even shed a tear after being caught texting in class, but managed to put himself back together and continue his texting frenzy. Senior Kenny Schunk, even after being caught, brought his phone right back out and resumed texting. I don’t think punishment has deterred anybody from texting again, possibly only encouraging the imagination of the student to think of new ways to hide his/her cell phone. So technically, I stand corrected. Texting should not be allowed because by prohibiting texting, the school is doing its job by fostering creativity.