Texting Behind Teachers’ Backs Becoming More Common

James Frese –

High school classes couldn’t be more interesting.

Text your friends, check Facebook, answer some e-mails.  Oh yeah, and that voice droning on in the background, that’s the teacher trying to do her job.

During the present time at many high schools, students can be on a different level than the teachers and administrators. The question is, do teachers and administrators know when kids are texting behind their backs? With the most up-to-date cell phone technology (smart phones independently connected to the Internet), kids can text without looking at their keyboards or screens and surf the Internet.

Lots of kids at Penn Manor think its alright to text during the school day.

David Schneider, a junior from Penn Manor, stated, “What they don’t know doesn’t hurt them.”

Is a text message really that important during an 88 minute class period?

To some high school students it is not, but to many others all across the country a single text message is more important than what the teachers are actually trying to teach students.

“Not being allowed to text during the day doesn’t stop students at all from texting,” said Schneider.

An anonymous student here at Penn Manor said he sees kids texting in class, “Oh my all the time, kids are texting all the time; and there’s no reason students shouldn’t be allowed to use their cell phones, they’re all passing anyways.

“I send and receive 40 texts easily if not more in each class period. I have to clear or delete my inbox and outbox because they fill up quick at school and I’m still passing,” said the student.

In many schools across the country, texting is not allowed during the school day hours for many reasons. Cells phones are considered unnecessary because they distract not only students, but teachers as well.

Although Penn Manor changed its rules on technology this year to allow cell phone use on a teacher-by-teacher basis, most classrooms do not allow their use.

Another student at Penn Manor said, “I send 50 to 100 text messages in a school day and everyone else I look at during class is texting. I think texting should be relevant during the school day to communicate with whoever is trying to talk to me.”

Carson Bennett, an English professor at the University of New Mexico, commented on the issue.

“Maybe high school teachers are not making classes interesting enough, maybe that’s why kids may be interested in texting during the class. Especially if the class is boring, or the teacher is lecturing, I can totally see high school students texting left and right.”

“Texting during class and throughout the day is a piece of cake, depending on the teacher, usually I can text about 20 messages in a class period. I sit in the back in all my classes so I can see what is going on in front of me during the block, always its texting and nothing but. I put my phone under the the desk, look at the teacher in the eyes and text without looking or I hold my phone next to my leg, the opposite leg that the teacher is teaching from and text away” stated an anonymous student from Penn Manor.

According to Schneider, “Some teachers just lecture the entire 88 minute class period at Penn Manor and it is boring and very hard to listen, understand, and pay attention to, therefore I text. ”

Technology teacher Sean McKnight added his opinion on the issue.

“Students should be allowed to use the technology during the school day if it is in the form of respect,” said McKnight.  “If my teaching style is lecturing, then students should respect me and put their phones away. I think teachers get a bit carried away with the cell phone policy here at Penn Manor. If kids use their phones in a non disrespecting way, then I don’t see a problem with them manipulating the technology at certain times.”

Scott Lackey, a phys ed teacher, had his own side of the story.

“Texting behind my back depends on the text. I think kids do not need to text unless its necessary,” said Lackey. “If it’s that important, sign out your passbook and text in the bathroom because if you text while I’m trying to teach, then you’re not paying attention to me. It’s a school rule.”