Computers, caddies, and cameras

Administrators and staff continue to dig their claws in and tear away freedoms students have in school, and it’s time we bring it into the light.

Phone caddies. Bus cameras. Lockdown on school computers. What do these all have in common? That’s correct, they’re encroaching on students’ privacy and freedom.

The whole phone caddy idea was a huge mistake and a waste of money. Let’s face it- the majority of teachers called it quits on pushing the policy onto students.

It’s dumb, and doesn’t matter. So far, in classrooms, not a single phone is in hand and in use, and the pockets stay empty. The single positive point to see regarding them is that the concept makes kids connive in finding new and original ways to hide their devices.

That said, it should be the choice of the students to decide whether or not they want to pay attention in class and fail tests and exams. It’s the job of the teacher to teach, and whether or not students choose to receive the lessons isn’t in their control.

Finally, it isn’t worth the time and effort. The teachers need to see it’s ineffective and won’t make any progress. It further ensnares students into having other generations label them as “always fixed on their phones” and “always plugged in,” because our free time is spent on scrolling through what we missed.

Cameras on buses make it look as if students aren’t trustworthy enough to ride a school bus with civility similar to a human being. Not does this encroach on privacy, it shows a gross lack of distrust the administrators and teachers have in the student body. In fact, all of these factors do.

What’s the worst a kid can do? Stick a pencil in their nose? God forbid they use their phone! Cover the children’s eyes, they can’t see someone writing on the windows with the fog!

In all seriousness, the bus cameras aren’t necessary. The single legitimate purpose they find hypothetical use in is to make sure nobody hurts themselves. Tax money pours into idiotic investments that take time and energy for policies and concepts that aren’t necessary.

We go to school to learn and build valuable life and social skills needed for when our parents push us from the nest. Not watched as test subjects and herded as cattle.

Finally, the crackdown on the school computers is unnecessary. Yeah, people need to do school work and print papers, except for one, the printing station exists, and two, it takes 2.5 seconds to ask someone to use the computer for work if they’re playing a game. If you work hard enough, less.

A minute handful of people need to work in the morning. Teachers in many instances give plenty of class time to do computer work. It’s the responsibility of the student to use it with efficiency.

Oh, and by the way, who’s going to enforce the policy? The slips of paper taped on top of the monitors?  This whole scheme, bus cameras and phone caddies, is dumb and a massive waste of effort, resources, time, and money.

There is, I guess, a positive side to all this. People can focus in class more if they aren’t a complete walnut and have to check their phone every five seconds. The bus cameras have the possibility of helpfulness in an accident with a car to see what happened. The computers set aside for work purposes may keep them open and usable by other people.

Moral of the story? The new policies are a massive guzzling of taxpayers’ money. Why not spend this phone caddy money on new textbooks? New calculators? More spare supplies for students in the event they can’t afford any? People should take action to change how the admins spend the money so it’ll go to concepts of genuine use. That’s  my two cents.