In a classroom, you expect to see the teacher at the board, students taking notes, and everyone paying attention. But as you look around, it seems the view is obscured. Students have earbuds in, phones are on and unlocked and Instagram feeds are being scrolled through.

That’s not how it’s supposed to work.

Now I will admit, I do my fair share of having my headphones on during class and texting. But I also pay attention to what my teachers are saying, taking the notes I need. It’s their job to teach. It’s not their job to address addictive cell phone uses.

Many teachers on this campus ask you to put away your phone and earbuds in their classes. Mrs. Campbell, Mrs. Milam, and Mrs. Matthews are a few examples. When you walk through the door, they tell you to take them out of your ears, to put it in your backpack.

It’s a great way to minimize distraction in the classroom, but the real question is how many people actually listen and do what they’re told.

Students and even some adults would say they’re not addicted to their phone, that they can survive without it. However, when a teacher asks for it, their reactions say otherwise. They’re offended, shocked, and reluctant to give it up.

According to Screen Time Guidelines for Kids of All Ages, the average amount of screen time for a teenager is seven and a half hours each day.

It’s just a phone. It’s just plastic and metal fused together. The only thing that gives it access to everything is Wi-Fi or data.

You’ve probably heard the broken-record tune before: go outside, read a book, talk to people face-to-face. Now, you can’t go outside in the middle of algebra, but you can talk to your group members. You can read a book when you’re done with your work, rather than get on Youtube and watch a movie.

There are seven classes a day, each where you have the opportunity to get homework. And maybe you have a job after school or sports. That doesn’t often leave much time to finish your school work. So instead of posting selfies, you could always start the math homework for the week and finish it early or get a headstart on the English project you have.

The normalness of phones in our lives isn’t normal. It is causing more issues than positives. And it is causing us to be rude to educators, in turn not allow us to truly learn.