For the past two months, the 6th graders have had cardboard boxes as their lockers. When we found out we were getting actual lockers, we were so excited! You’re probably wondering, ‘What is so good about lockers that’s worth writing an article about?’ Well, let me tell you, when you have a cardboard box for the past 2 months, you’ll understand where I’m coming from. Not only were we able to keep our stuff organized in a brand new locker, but we were also able to keep our phones there, too! Although the 6th graders were thrilled about keeping their phones in their lockers, was this really the best decision?

Pros:

• No more forgetting your phone!

One of the most agreeable pros is when you no longer have to make a trip upstairs to Mrs. Ellen Baker’s office. Not only do you have to lug yourself up those stairs every morning, but you also have to do the same thing at the end of the day. Also, most girls have to leave right as the school day ends. Due to the long trip upstairs, some girls end up forgetting to retrieve their phones at the end of the day and often leave them there overnight. This can be terrible because of checking emails and receiving essential messages. If you’re allowed to keep your phone in your locker, you most likely won’t forget it!

• Responsibility

If you’re allowed to keep your phones in your locker, then the teachers are trusting that you will actually power down your phone as soon as you walk into the building. This gives you a sense of responsibility. You are being trusted to shut down your phone and not touch it until the school day is over. If you don’t follow these rules and get caught, you’ll have to face some consequences. If you don’t get caught, you will still have to live with the fact that you broke one of the school rules. I don’t know about you, but I’d feel pretty bad about it.

Cons:

• Temptation of checking your messages

Trust me, there are just as many cons as there are pros. When you keep your phone in your locker, you have to resist the temptation to take a quick sneak peek at your messages. When your phone is taken away, you don’t have to worry about that. If you have your phone right in front of you, then it’s very tempting to sneak a quick message to your friend or to check your social media account.

• Preventing classmate interactions

If you have access to your phone the whole day, this can mean multiple things. One of them is that it prevents interactions between classmates. For example, if you had your phone out during lunch, you would block out the environment around you and focus on the one thing in front of you, your phone. Not only would you not talk to your friends, but you would also not be eating lunch! Although some can manage it, it’s really hard to multitask, especially when you have an addictive device right in front of you.

As we can see, there are pros and cons for keeping your phone in your locker. The fact that some girls want to take on the responsibility of not using their phone during the school day doesn’t mean that some girls will take that responsibility seriously. There are various points of view on how students see this rule: some girls call it fair, but some disagree. This depends on your own reasoning and your own opinion. So, what do you think? Should phones be allowed in lockers?

By Sarah Tea ‘30, Contributing Writer

30stea@montroseschool.org