Texting in Class a Growing Problem

In a generation of technology and information, students have the ability to engage in constant communication with others at anytime of the day without making a phone call.

By Julian Izabal

There are many reasons for students to text during class. Some reasons might include students who help other students with their work. There is also a downside to texting because students may be just plain bored with the lesson or do not care about their grade. They might set up a place to meet with someone during class time, or just cheat on a test. Maria Gutierrez, a senior at South East High School, says, “Yes texting is a problem because students become distracted.” Gutierrez texts in class herself mainly “because I am bored” and talks about “random things, whatever pops into my head at the time.” Gutierrez believes “People do text in class but most likely for the same reasons as me.”

But how many people text in class? Ms. Perez, an art teacher at SEHS, believes, “about 30%” of her students text in her class. Of the 30% of students that text in her class she catches 15% and gives the phone to the Deans. Perez confiscates a phone if she sees a student using it, and believes “if I didn’t take away the phones they would do it more.” Once Perez has taken away the phone and gives it to the Deans it is the student’s responsibility to retrieve the phone. Perez believes the deans are “not consistent, because they give the phone back to some students and not to others. They should do the same to everybody.”

Danielle Rodriguez, a senior at SEHS, also believes “they [Deans] can be unfair sometimes, because they will take the phone away for an extended amount of time.” Even though Perez says “about 30% of student’s text in her class,” Rodriguez believes “the majority” of students text in class. Rodriguez said, “Texting in class is a distraction, because people pay more attention to their phone than the teacher.” The reason Rodriguez believes students text in class is because they are “bored, and they don’t care” about their education.

Stephanie Duran, a junior at SEHS, said “Yes I text in class sometimes to meet people somewhere.” Like many students Duran is responsible and does her work, but she also says “If a person is lazy then, yes, texting in class is a problem, but if the student is responsible then not at all.”

Some of the many reasons Duran might text in class are “To know what’s going on with people, sometimes to talk with my boyfriend, and sometimes to help people with their work.”

One problem Duran sees with the consequences of getting a phone taken away is that “If you have a lot of detentions” the student must serve them to get the phone back. Gutierrez believes, “Getting rid of all your detention hours to get your phone back is too much.”

Not all teachers take a phone away and give it to the Deans. Some have the student serve detention with them and then get the phone back. Fernando Grajeda, a senior at SEHS, had his phone taken away and had to stay an hour after school to get it back. Grajeda believes “it is fair, [to stay after school with a teacher and] better than getting it back from the Deans at the end of the year.”

To some students texting in class is not a problem if the student is responsible enough to get their work done.