Recently, “06880” introduced a new feature. “Students Speak” gives Westport students a voice on any issue important to their lives.
Will Enquist
Today, Will Enquist looks at Staples High School’s “cellphone ban.” It actually includes more than phones.
A Staples High School senior, managing editor of Inklings, and a member of both the Westport Youth Commission and “06880” board, he enjoys reading the Wall Street Journal, and watching the New England Patriots “slowly regain relevance.”
He plans to major in political science, and contribute to his college’s newspaper. Will writes:
As I took refuge from a chill fall breeze inside the warm halls of Staples High on November 5, I was greeted with a sight unseen over the past decade: Not a single student was using their cell phone.
On that day a “bell-to-bell” cellphone ban, first proposed by Superintendent Scarice and later approved by the Board of Education, was implemented.
Despite the student body’s fervor in the days leading up to the phone ban, my Wednesday was rather typical. Like many Staples students, my phone has never really been a distraction in class. However, during my lunch period I first noticed one of its unintended consequences.
As I sat down in the library, I put in my AirPods – equipped with noise cancellation – to block out the buzz during lunch, a volume comparable to Madison Square Garden during the NBA playoffs.
I was 90 seconds into Beethoven’s 6th Symphony and my calculus homework when a faculty member politely asked that I remove my wireless headphones.
I was suddenly reminded of one of the less reasonable stipulations of the ban: In addition to cellphones and smartwatches, students are prohibited from using wireless headphones during the school day.
Interestingly, it is this aspect of the policy — the ban on widely popular wireless headphones like AirPods — that has spurred the most criticism. Students and teachers alike express confusion about why devices that often complement or enhance learning have been strictly forbidden.
Before I continue, I should note that I am a supporter of the phone ban. I believe the superintendent and Staples administration have pursued it with every intention of improving school culture, focus and academic achievement.
However, I believe prohibiting the use of wireless headphones is a significant misstep in the design of the policy.
The administration’s central argument for banning wireless headphones, as I understand it, is that students who might still have their phones on them (in violation of the new policy) could use their headphones to have incoming notifications read to them.
This is not consistent with how I know Staples students to use wireless headphones. Before the ban headphones were most often used for listening to music, canceling out distracting background noise, and listening to teacher-assigned videos or podcasts – all legitimate uses of the technology that support learning.
I have never known of a student using wireless headphones to secretly receive notifications, especially considering that responding to any notification would require verbally dictating a message into their headphones, something immediately apparent to any teacher.
The misuse the policy aims to prevent appears far less common than the productive and legitimate uses it now restricts.
The ability to watch educational videos, listen to music, and cut out distracting ambient noise has been vital to my productivity during school hours and, by extension, my academic success.
Shortly after learning about the new restrictions on wireless headphones, I began researching wired alternatives with active noise cancellation. However, most headphones advertised as “wired” with noise-canceling capabilities are expensive wireless models that include a wired option.
While my summer job may equip me with the means to afford this option, it feels awfully wasteful and fiscally irresponsible to squander that money when I already own perfectly good AirPod Pros that the policy now restricts.
Ultimately, the goal of the phone ban is one I genuinely support: create a school environment where students are more focused on and connected to their classroom community.
For the phone ban to be effective, however, it must accurately differentiate between tools that detract from learning and those that support it. For the vast majority of students, wireless headphones fall into the latter category.
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Really? This is the concern of the next generation? Noise cancellation devices? I would encourage all HS students to make a bit more noise called conversations and engage with your fellow students… sigh
This is a student op ed. If adults take a cynical view of what students are advocating for, the kids will be less inclined to use their voices. As a community, we should be very concerned by other generations that scoff at what today’s students feel helps them be successful in a pretty complicated world. We aren’t being forced to navigate their world and they should not feel intimidated to speak up. Will did not say he didn’t engage with fellow students – he said he uses his headphones to enhance his work. Dan has this feature to allow students to be heard, but I don’t think he intends for them to be mocked here.
Earplugs?
Hey Will,
I’d love to chat with you about this. I work at Darien high school as a special education paraprofessional and we have the cell phone ban but we do not have the headphone /AirPod ban. I have been thinking the same thing as I see headphones as a mixed bag here. Teachers say if you want to put your headphones on while you’re working and listen to music, as we know all teens seem to be capable of doing, they’re doing that here at DHS. So I also thought it was a little extreme to take the headphones all the time. My concern I see in the classroom is that most kids have their own devices as we shifted over from school devices a few years ago and they can mirror their cell phones and they’re texting, looking at themselves in the “virtual mirror”, playing computer games when they’re not supposed to be doing that. As we know kids struggle with distraction and having their own devices loaded like their cell phones I think is still missing the mark. Before anyone talks about self control let’s remember that these systems are designed to trap you for as long as possible, so “ just say no” is not that easy. Think about how you binge a series on Netflix or stay on Instagram too long.
Maybe you can let me know what you’re seeing in classes and how we can help kids who have computers Apps designed to catch their attention, fight against the traps of not doing work while in school when they have a lot of time which would reduce their stress, or not listening to lectures or other lessons inside the classroom. Thanks Will for starting the conversation.
You’ll get over it.
Home schooling followed by moving the “Y” back to its God-given location in the center of town will solve all of these “issues.”
Listening to music and having a way to unplug during the day using AirPods should be allowed – I think rolling out this cell phone ban and not allowing any exceptions was not the right approach. Now that it’s been implemented there is clearly an opportunity to refine it to ensure it’s also sensical.
With all due respect and exception of Mr. Enquist who obviously has his head on straight and his educational agenda clear, a good portion of our students do not. As typical teenagers if given an inch they’ll take a yard, especially younger HS students. There are a myriad of ways to circumvent a cell phone ban if airpods/earbuds or similar devices are used, same as smart watches. So perhaps the guideline here is the lowest common denominator. Let’s support our “less motivated” students. I’m sure a resourceful, clear-minded student like Mr. Enquist and his like will turn this challenge into a opportunity to exercise his flexibility and work-around skills. They’ll come in very handy in any career choice. Kudos to Dan for giving our students their own forum. More communication is never bad.
Dan: Is there an opportunity for the community to publish to “Student Speaks” about career choices, life lessons, educational experiences, etc.? Perhaps you’ve already considered this but our community has a enormous wealth of knowledge, experience, ideas and tips to share. This might evolve into an open and two-way forum for the community and our students to build bridges and bring the community even further together. Of course it should be moderated and kept very positive by an acceptance of rules and guidelines by potential posters. Just a thought. Thanks!
Other than leaving out the pain of watching the Giants continue to be irrelevant, Will nails it. My generation hid comics inside textbooks. We endlessly passed notes to each other. We doodled in our notebooks instead of taking notes. We mocked each other with hand gestures. We made funny noises. We even “accidentally” kicked chairs or tripped over desks.
If we did not catch something the teacher said, we could not replay it or get the notes online. One could therefore argue we were more detrimental to our classmates because we endlessly tried to distract, err, entertain, them.
The bottom line is, in keeping with Will’s final assessment, the focus needs to be on “the vast majority of students”. That’s because those who seek distraction will always find it… either at their own expense (today) or at the expense of others (yesterday).
While I have endlessly fond memories of high school, I can only imagine what I would have done with all my free time if my notetaking, studying, researching, and composing were automated. Well, actually, who am I trying to kid: I’d have listened to more music and watched more TV, just like the kids nowadays.
Cell phone ban, and all the accessories a good thing, as it is just for a brief time to “focus on learning” and part of that learning is improving social skills.
We have a society problem that should NOT only focus on our kids. Adults should apply “self policing” of their own ear pods and electronic devices.
Automobiles, Supermarkets-stores, restaurants, and cross walks to name a view places where we can set examples for our kids.
Auditory
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Auditory learners prefer to learn by listening to information, rather than reading it. They tend to learn best through auditory cues such as verbal instructions, lectures, discussions, and audio recordings.
Kinesthetic
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A learning style that emphasizes physical movement and hands-on experiences.
Visual learning
.
Visual learners prefer to learn by using images, diagrams, charts, and other visual aids to understand and retain information.
Reading and writing learners
.
Learn best through reading and writing. They prefer to read and write, and may benefit from textbooks, notes, and dictionaries.
This district know about the different types of learners and that kids need different environments.
I would listen to Will on this—but also, understand and embrace a struggle others have.
I have noise canceling headphones, and they are my saving grace in open, loud and busy environments. I also have a learning disability, where what I hear and what I see takes slightly longer than others to process. It’s hard to absorb information like that.
Will Enquist, for such a young age, has demonstrated leadership skills and not only started the discussion, but always adds to the discussion. Will is someone who is simply pointing out an unintended consequence that needs to be addressed.
Will has been instrumental in the discussion with Parks & Recreation, myself, and another student, Kevin Cano. Their voice, a youthful voice, is what we always talk about embracing, having a younger opinion in the mix, student representation. After all, the policies adults make, impact your kids.
Will, thank you for this wonderful piece that you wrote. Please continue being who you are, demonstrating democracy & leadership.
Thanks, Andrew, for your summarizing comment that is, as often yours are, the one that is the most generous and makes the most sense.