By Ivonne Nieto
Have you ever sat through a class and just as your teacher is about to reveal her wisdom you hear a soft buzzing sound coming from someone’s pants pocket? Here’s another scenario: Have you ever been with a friend who seems more interested in texting than talking to you? What was the point of setting up a coffee date when you could have just sent her a text messege?
I not writing this article to lecture the readers of this newsletter about the bad habit of texting and how detrimental it is for your learning and attention spam that job, my good reader is for your mother.
I am very annoyed at how people are using their cell-phones at the most inappropriate of times. During every period there’s always a cell-phone going off, because students are receiving a text message or a phone call. This is creating a major distraction to the students that are trying to focus, and a big annoyance to the teacher. Mr. Garcia, a History teacher in the Magnet, says that “sometimes in the middle of a test you can actually hear the vibrations sound of the phones. This does not only presents a digressions to my students who are busy guessing the answers, but also brings into question if they are being honest. I have also caught some people ‘sharing’ answers during a test via text-message.” I know many of you reading this might think Mr. Garcia’s suspicions are far-fetched, but in reality, there have been events where students share their answers during a test. Who can blame Mr. Garcia? Is it not really easy to send a text message to the person in front of you without your teacher knowing?
If classroom situations don’t seem an inappropriate time to use your cell-phone then, what about somewhere where you want to be fully engaged, like, for example, the movies? Doesn’t it bother you when just as you’re about to have the climax reveal your attention is diverted to the shiny object two rows down? And all the commotion for what? Just for a simple “hey, wat up?” It’s just so annoying and frustrating.
Another place where people are using their cell-phone in inappropriate places is somewhere where they really shouldn’t. Many people like to text while driving. Most people would say that that’s illegal, but they are wrong. In California, it is illegal to TALK while driving unless you have a hands-free set, yet texting is not listed. People, c’mon! Let’s be honest, in your sincere opinion what do you think causes more of a distraction? An avid texter whose eyes and fingers are busy clicking the letters to spell out the words of their message, or someone who only took five seconds to answer the phone while driving? My opinion is that texting is more of a distraction. A lot of accidents have occurred due to texting. An example of a texting tragedy occurred when Eric Helm, a senior at Jenison High School was driving west on Port Sheldon Avenue when he missed a curve and drove into oncoming traffic. The accident occurred about the same time Mr. Helm was texting his girlfriend, whom he had planned to pick up on the way to school, according to the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Department in Canada. Was the loss of his life worth the text message that the Eric was sending? Such a tragedy could’ve been avoided if Eric was paying attention to the stirring wheel, rather than sending the typical “hey u wat up?” text?
My fellow Magnet community members, I am urging you, please stop texting during times you shouldn’t. I know it’s hard; believe me I am “one of those.” I am one of the students who sometimes ruins intimate moments with a special someone just to check her phone to check if a friend replied. I am one of those whose fingers just text without her being aware of whats going on. I love to text, but its a habit that not only distracts me from my classes, but also it can lead to being in a dangerous situation, and that should be something we all should work to avoid.
