I remember every once in a while, during middle school, my phone would die out on me during after school band rehearsals. It was time for parents to pick up their children and students were being moved to the front of the school where we departed. I didn’t make a phone call to my parents when I still had the opportunity, so being the introverted, anxious kid I was, I internally refused asking to use the school’s or other students’ phones. Uncomfortably, I waited until I remained as the only one left. Realizing this, I made the stupid decision of trying to walk home, unaware of where to actually path to get home, as I have been a car rider my entire life. The sun was not going to stay up for much longer and I knew I had to get home as soon as possible. While I walked through the neighborhood, the kidnapping stories that my father had repeatedly told me lingered through my mind. Every car that passed by made me restless and the sudden barking of the front lawn dogs made the situation worse. I decided to check what time it was just to be reminded that my phone was still dead. It wasn’t until after an hour of confusion and fear when I eventually found my way and made it home. After going through this experience, it made me realize that sustaining phone battery was a recurring issue for many students at school, especially in higher grade levels. Considering the time we live in, the reliance on phones and mobile devices has increased and can be a hassle to deal with. Classes that incorporate technology for their assignments and our typical usage of our phones, whether its for communication or entertainment, slowly drain our phones. With teenagers using phones everyday, students tend to get side-tracked and find themselves invested in their phones, wasting time by the hour. Yet, many people rely on their mobile devices in order to work on classroom projects or communicate with their associates for after school business. That’s why I want to help the student-body by bringing in chargers so that people don’t stress over dying phones.
Phones are distracting in school. A Harvard University study showcases that 80% of students agreed that using a mobile phone in class decreases their ability to pay attention. Not only does it distract the students in use of their phones, but as well as neighboring students. Students who text during lectures tend to also take lower quality notes and retained less information than those who don’t take out phones. Because students shift their attention from classwork towards their devices, obviously less work is applied to their works. This in return can affect the student’s performance in class, scoring lower grades than those who aren’t occupied by mobile devices. However, many times, teachers might decide to employ the use of technology within their classworks. Apps such as Schoology have encouraged the school system and teachers to incorporate their teachings through the internet. Students are able to submit assignments and open files that teachers might decide to share. The use of the internet is also heavily relied on for the purposes of online research. In turn, this encourages the use of mobile devices as it seems just the most convenient.
Though, by providing supplies for people to keep their devices energized, students are able to plow through classwork without the worries of reserving battery for other purposes. Going to Kerr High School, I have learned the importance of having a phone by my side. Every class heavily uses schoology whether it’s for the sake of school announcements, or for PAKS and projects. It is especially important to keep up with due dates at Kerr in order to smooth sail through the school year. Instead of waiting for a computer to start up or waiting in line to check out an unreliable chrome laptop for students can use their phones to accomplish the same goal quicker. Without concern for a dying phone, the utilization of phones makes it efficient and stress-free with many modern school systems. Students need to be able to check their assignment due dates and announcements through the use of apps on their phones. They can apply their phones to heavy-purpose uses like recording videos which are common for projects and tend to drain a lot of battery. If a person intends to message a teacher a question or any means of a note, a phone always makes the process easier. Not only do people need phones throughout the day, but they need the phones to survive long enough into the afterschool. Many Muslims at Kerr High School attend the Muslim Society Assosiation club in order to participate in friday prayer. However, with the short time that the club offers, many Muslims end up going to other clubs as the MSA usually ends an hour before late buses arrive. However, in my case, I don’t have any other clubs to attend after MSA so I would make a phone call to my mother asking her to pick me up. There are many cases where my fellow peers would forget to make calls before hand and end up finding their phones dead, in which case they would ask to use my phone to call their parents to pick them up. Occasionally, they would request a ride home as they didn’t inform their parents beforehand to make time to pick them up. Although they may be my peers, this would sometimes become annoying and frustrating, especially if my mother or father has to report back to work on time. Common after school activities include listening to music, communicating with other peers to meet up for clubs or tutoring sessions, recording information like tabs and contacts, and calling/texting people like older siblings or parents for a ride home — all of which require the use of a phone. I guarantee that if students lose battery life in their phones, they will without a doubt rely on other people to use their phones, something not everyone is okay with.
All things considered, my overall SMART goal is to help the school community through means of supplying chargers in order to create less stress for the student body. With almost everybody using their phones, I believe many can benefit from the supply of chargers and should no longer have to worry about not being able to finish projects or make important phone calls. By the end of my 1st term, I will have the survey on the different types of phones students have ready in order to gather supplies for the 2nd. Being able to contribute in solving an issue that I have myself been in feels very gratifying. Essentially taking control over my problem and creating less stress in an already stressful environment, gives me the opportunity to feel valuable and essential within the school community.
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