Who knew happiness could be so much more than a three-syllable noun?
When planning for one’s life, common goals usually include a sufficiently paying job, a family and happiness.
But what is happiness? And is it achievable when so many people in the world seem to be unhappy?
The truth is, happiness varies from person to person.
“Really nice warm weather, good music and gymnastics all make me happy,” said junior Brendan Kincade.
For some, nature brings happiness. Photo by Sarah Schaeffer
“I’m happy when I’m talking to people. Thinking, hard questions and being challenged in my faith make me happy. So does being outside and beautiful sites,” said junior Jocelyn Mylin.
“A direct mathematical function for this is tennis plus chocolate plus another arbitrary interesting constant equals [my] happiness,” said senior Faheem Gilani.
Despite the wide variety of personal meanings, happiness can also be regarded in a scientific approach according to many modern psychologists.
Maria Vita, psychology teacher at Penn Manor High School, explained a few of the factors that have been proven to impact personal happiness:
-Control over your situations. The feeling of being able to change and control your daily situations plays a big part in your level of happiness. Although people have different approaches to control, some leaving control to fate and some feeling personal control, it comes down to the same thing.
-Your experience with love and happiness as a child. In studies, it’s been proven that people who are held and nurtured as small children, are more likely to have happy adults lives. This contact as a child helps adults to (subconsciously) carry a sense of security and comfort into their adulthood.
-Daily activities. Work can be a source of happiness when it provides a sense of accomplishment. Interacting with other people also contributes, as humans are social beings.
Time Magazine also recently published a list of helpful hints to live a happier, healthier life, found here.
Lancaster County may not need any help from Time Magazine, however, as it was ranked 15th happiest out of 188 cities in the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index of 2010.
Though the specifics of individual happiness may vary from person to person, it is agreed among Penn Manor that happiness is key.
“The happier you are, maybe the longer you live,” said Vita.
“Happiness is setting some sort of goal and achieving it,” said senior Lars Andersen.
“Whatever you find joy and satisfaction in, is happiness,” said Mylin.
In the past, revolutions were fought with swords and cannons. Unlike those revolutions, the latest in the Middle East are being run by young adults and teens via Facebook.
At least they were until the government discovered how powerful social networking sites could be.
Furious teens in Egypt and Libya have been protesting to overthrow their governments. Expressing their disgust with the government, organizing crowds of protests and arranging meeting times, their communication portal has been Facebook, although it has been shut down in Libya and just reopened in Egypt.
“The teenagers in Libya and Egypt are protesting because they want democracy,” explained Richard Brenton, a social studies teacher at Penn Manor High School.
“They want the rights you and I take for granted, they see what we have and they want their share, they want the same opportunities,” said Brenton.
How could you gather a large group of people to meet in one specific place, at a specific time?
Facebook.
When Libya’s government found that teens were planning protests over Facebook, the site was blocked to all users.
“The teens in the Middle East love Facebook, because in a way it is like democracy. They can be free and there is no political leader telling them what they can and cannot do,” said Brenton.
The Egyptian Youth Movement created a “manifesto” posted on Facebook, stating their reasons for the demand of government reform.
They wrote:
“We call on all Egyptians to join us in Tahrir Square on Tuesday, 22 of February, in our demonstration for the implementation of the demands of our revolution….
– Abolition of the current government.
– Abolition of the Emergency law.
An Egyptian disaproves the emergency law.
– The Release of all detainees.
– The formation of a presidential council, including civilians, and fair judges.
– Retribution of all the media figures that have contributed in killing our martyrs.
– Abolition of the state security apparatus and restructuring of the Ministry of Interior as well as all of the NDP headquarters.S
– Forming a new technocratic government.
– Abolishing the government led by Ahmed Shafik – which includes the foul faces that have a history of corruption such as Mufid Shehab, Aisha Abdel Hadi, Faiza Abu Naga, Sameh Fahmi, Ali Meselhi, Mahmoud Wagdy – to be dismissed and the formation of a new technocratic government,”according to the New York Times.
Ahmad Samih, an Egyptian abolitionist, is trying to gain support from local and worldwide seekers to stop the government from disconnecting Facebook to the people.
“It would be like if someone took my cell phone. It’s how I communicate, and how I find out what’s going on with people,” said Troy Diffenderfer, a student at Penn Manor High School about his Facebook.
The Egyptian government doesn’t care what their people want.
For commuting together, the government has been known to taser, beat, torture, jail and even kill members of the Youth Movement.
Pro- democracy activists are killed in Libya
“I think we as teens take our freedom of speech for granted. We can pretty much put anything we want on the internet, ” said Diffenderfer.
Could local teens be influenced by the teens in Egypt and Libya?
Just recently, student protested at Dickinson College have emerged for the lack of protection from sexual assult.
The Youth Movement declared, “Our revolution and struggle will continue until we achieve all our demands.”
Have you ever looked over at a classmate and seen a trail of slobber dribbling down their face?
Maybe it’s not that unusual. In a survey of 35 students at Penn Manor High School, every student admitted to being off task in one or more of their classes.
Many said that they have mastered the art of looking like they are paying attention while actually being so far from topic it’s hard to believe. Depending on the student, there are evidently many ways not to pay attention.
However, not every student at Penn Manor is in the clouds. They just have an occasional lapse in focus.
“Well in chemistry, I just get out my calculator, graph functions and study them,” said student Ellen Blazer.
Lunch, on the other hand, is a major distraction to most students.
Juniors Amanda Nolt and Kayla Bixler searching for clothes and playing Harry Potter Sporcle. Photo by Lauren Pironis.
Trying to pay attention without eating breakfast or having to wait until C lunch is rather difficult.
“When I’m not paying attention, I’m usually daydreaming about plans I have later that day or wondering what I’m getting for lunch,” said junior Sara Bennis.
“I think about gym class and lunch. Also if I have a game that day, I’ll think about that a lot,” said Jaquan Presbery.
The majority of students think of future plans. If something exciting is going to happen, especially if the class isn’t necessarily entertaining, a mind may wander far beyond the walls of the classroom.
“I find myself thinking about what I’m doing over the weekend or even that night. Sporting events or shows are probably also a pretty big distraction,” said Michelle Dempsey.
Distractions are probably the reason behind the lack of focus kids have these days. Everything from cell phones to a stressful project can be a distraction.
Students lose attention in class by texting the truth. Photo by Lindsey Ostrum.
So what are kids really thinking about during class?
“My girlfriend and soccer,” said Andrew Herr.
“I usually am paying attention, but if I have a lot on my mind or if I’m stressed out about something, I tend to lose focus and think about other things,” said Kelly Lenahan.
“Honestly my mind is usually on the things more that are bothering me, I have to really be into the lesson or topic in the class to concentrate,” said Kimberly Drennen.
“I think about what I’m going to do after school, about my weekend, but then a couple minutes later I realize what I’m doing and listen to what my teacher is saying,” said Alicia Ygarza.
Other distractions, although common, are far less talked about such as sexual activities and addictions.
Some unnamed students have admitted to pondering mid-class about where they are going to get their next cigarette or if they are going to smoke, or drink, or both with their friends that weekend. Many young men are thinking, of course, about young women.
In contrast, there are some students that daydream without guilt, but they still manage to do well in the class.
“I honestly think of absolutely nothing,” said Alec O’Rourke.
“I try not to be in class whenever possible. When I am, I daydream about odd things to do and adventures to have. Also, I doodle sometimes,” said Jesse Graham.
“Once, I thought of my teacher’s head replaced with a sea urchin. Probably because I was thinking of this time, when I was on vacation and snorkeling, and all of a sudden, I was about a foot above a bed of sea urchins,” said a student who doesn’t want to be named, about a rather interesting in-class experience.
“I think mostly about how to get other people to shut up,” said another student.
Erick Dutchess checking out a cool website during third block. Photo by Lauren Pironis
“When class becomes really boring, I just start to stare at the teacher. I look at what they are wearing and the way their mouth moves when they talk. It’s really annoying actually,” said Janelle Musser.
However, students aren’t the only ones who are off task these days.
“Dodgeball, Call of Duty and tacos,” is what math teacher, Jarod Staub, thinks about.
“Trying to get students not to bug me,” said science teacher, David Bender about his off-task thoughts.
History teacher, Cynthia Lonergan, said,”Trips I want to take, and how much they will cost and if I can afford them.”
Sallie Bookman often thinks of recipes.
She said,”I could be a cook. I am constantly thinking of what I’m going to cook for dinner that night.”
Astheimer enjoying her cup of coffee. Photo by Lauren Pironis
“I think of where I’m going to get my next cup of coffee,” said English teacher Holly Astheimer.
Science teacher Erick Dutchess said,”I often get off task but I mostly think of things I’m going to do that night. When the class gets off task though it’s usually informational or educational.”
The minds of the students and teachers at Penn Manor are rather amusing. They think of a variety of topics depending on their own perspective. Overall, kids can’t focus for seven hours straight without needing an escape. That is why a large amount of class time is spent on different subjects.
Even though the drinking age is 21, many teens begin drinking much earlier – in high school, in fact.
SADD, an organization that focuses on information about underage drinking, said that three quarters of students consume alcohol by the end of high school. Also, it’s usually more then just a sip they consume. By eighth grade more than a third of students have consumed alcohol.
Although teens are informed in school about the risks of drinking alcohol, some would rather risk their health to be in the social crowd that enjoys drinking. Teens also know drinking alcohol is illegal but some take the chance that they won’t be arrested at a weekend party.
After talking with a handful of Penn Manor students who drink, all of them except one, said they beganat least two years earlier.
“I began drinking in eighth grade,” said one anonymous student.
Underage drinking. Photo courtesy of Granby Police Department Blog
Almost every student interviewed has drank or still does drink alcohol. The students who still drink began in 10th grade or earlier on. They said that their parents know they drink or believe they don’t drink very often. One student said, “My mom buys me the alcohol,” when asked if their parents know.
Other students said, “They(aka parents) know.”
“Parents knew [I] drank, but didn’t mind,” said one student who stopped drinking recently.
Only one said, “I would say it’s not ok to drink.” This student enjoys hanging out with friends and being social without the use of alcohol. Never has the student even considered drinking at all.
Some teens that drink do it so they can fit in or be cool. Others may drink to relieve stress or problems in life. Getting drunk makes the person unaware of their surroundings.
According to familydoctor.org, you can become addicted to alcohol because it is a drug. Teens may be surprised hearing that even one beer can slow down your reaction and confuse your thinking. Driving requires concentration and coordination, but after a drink it is danger to get behind the wheel.
“I did [drive] once, but it was an emergency,” said one student.
“I have a couple times,” admitted another student.
One anonymous student said, “I made bad decisions. All the problems it caused wasn’t worth it.”
Teens stop drinking when they make bad choices and begin realizing the effect partying has in their life. Some teens are able to go out and have fun without caring what others think.
“It’s not hard to go to parties and not drink,” a student insisted.
“Drinking usually can make it hard to form genuine relationships and makes it very difficult to focus on other activities,”said one teen.
Many teens don’t care that drinking is illegal and neither do their parents. They start young and are surrounded by others, the same age, doing the same activity.
A mother of a student in the high school always said to her child, “Remember you’re graduating this year and getting into college, make good choices.”
The McCafe' selection from Mcdonalds has kids rushing to the popular fast-food venue in the "AM" for various types of coffee
By Matthew Ulmer –
Coffee has rapidly become the addiction that propels teenagers through their school day at Penn Manor.
Starbucks, McDonald’s, Dunkin’ Donuts and Turkey Hill are the main destinations teens reach out to to support this caffeinated habit.
These outlets not only provide coffee, they provide many other intriguing coffee drinks. Iced coffee, Mocha’s, Latte’s, Frappuccino’s, Cappuccino’s, and many other gourmet drinks add caramel, chocolate, whipped cream, and other sugar content to the morning selection for teens.
The common reasoning for the outburst of coffee products in school is, “I need it to wake up” or “It’s just good.”
Junior Megan Schlegelmilch said, “I feel like it wakes me up for AP Bio”…which just so happens to be her first block class. Her selection is the popular French Vanilla Coffee From Turkey Hill.
Another Junior, Aaron Vickers, followed up by saying, “It wakes me up because I’m up late doing homework and playing xbox.” Aaron also goes to Turkey Hill, but prefers black coffee.
Penn Manor teems say they prefer caffeinated coffee and agree it defeats the purpose of drinking coffee as their daily routine. What many of these “highschoolers” don’t realize is the amount of caffeine in the drinks they purchase can be quite high. A generic coffee from Starbucks has 93 milligrams of
This was a graph conducted of random high school students at Penn Manor
caffeine(http://www.cspinet.org); more than twice the amount of caffeine in a canned coca-cola. A Starbucks Espresso contains the same amount of caffeine as an 8 oz. Red Bull energy drink.
Now for the shocker, a Grande brewed coffee from the chain holds 320 mg of caffeine, exactly double that of a Monster energy drink. It is obvious that energy drinks are another fad, but when kids can consume the equivalent or double the amount of caffeine with their coffee.
The habits seem to start from the family’s of the teens, or just because they wanted to take on the “acquired taste.”
“It keeps me up, but I drink it because my family drinks it,” said Penn Manor sophomore Matt Slack.
Certain teachers have different opinions on this coffee habit among their students.
“I don’t think they should drink it at school, a good night’s rest is all you need,” explained math teacher Mike Fowler.
Science teacher Eric Duchess said, “It’s the same thing as soda, so I don’t see a problem with it.”
The fad is spreading throughout the school and it is apparent that unless a new rule is set in place, it will continue to occur.
Sirens are blaring from the Millersville police car in your rear view mirror. You are 17 years old and the clock reads 12:03 am, driving 80 mph through a 40 mph zone. Crap.
Being pulled over by the police is one reason teens might lie.
Still wondering why teenagers lie?
According to Preventionaction.org, online news publication reporting programs for improving children’s health and development, all but two percent of teenagers in a recent US study admitted lying to their parents. And out of 36 possible topics – including drug use, dating, and their friends – the average teen lied about 12 of them. Teenagers lie more then any other age group and parents wonder why this occurs.
“I don’t want to get yelled at,” Trevor Troup explained.
Troup, as well as every student interviewed, expressed the same consensus. They all claimed to lie most to their parents. Ironic as it may be, that’s the truth. Teens are lying to their parents, the people who have the greatest concern for their welfare.
A Penn Manor junior who wished to remain anonymous recalled a time when he lied and really felt the consequences.
“I was being really dumb. I went to a party with my friends and I wasn’t thinking at all,” the student said. “Red cup in hand, a ping pong ball in the other, I wasn’t really concerned with anything. Beastin’ in pong without a worry on my mind until I heard people saying cops!! We all ran, unfortunately I wasn’t quick enough and I knew right then I was dead. Let’s just say my parents weren’t the happiest with me and I lost everything, my car keys included. It was horrible.”
Why do teens lie?
The student had lied about where he was and that just iced the cake.
“My dad yelled a lot. Both of my parents don’t trust me anymore.”
Alcohol consumption may lead to fabricating lies.
Lies come out of teens’ mouths like streams of water. But is it always their fault?
Pressure from parents to do well in school and be the perfect child can push students to rebel and lie at a rapid rate says education.com, an online parenting website.
“I never have to lie to my friends,” Troup said. “I only ever lie to my parents.”
Yes, though some kids do lie to each other.
‘Do I look fat?’ -Um yes? You look like a cow. You never really say that. You comfort them and fill their heads with compliments. But trivial things like ‘does my hair look good’ aren’t what kids lie about the most.
Three juniors told stories of lying about having sex, drinking and sexting to their parents.
“My parents wouldn’t like the truth,” a senior said.
Can parents really wonder why teens lie? Expectations for students have only gotten higher with time and doing calculus homework with friends sounds better than drinking with friends.
“I lie because I don’t want to look bad,” Karly Weist said. “But I always end up looking worse.”
Lies big and small are told all the time. The truth is, all of us are liars.
Prom season is upon the students at Penn Manor and it is causing quite a stir.
There are many things in question when it comes to planning out that special night and many students find themselves stressed when they think about all that goes into it.
“I can’t even think about it right now,” said senior Katie Maisel. “It’s so far away and everyone’s already freaking out about it and it’s making me really nervous.”
One thing that students find to be extremely nerve-racking is how the question of asking someone to prom will come up.
Some guys feel obligated to go out of the way and enjoy taking the time to plan a creative way to ask a girl.
“Guys should definitely go out of the way,” senior Jeff Ford said. “You want to have the best idea. You have to do it big.”
One senior boy who wishes to remain anonymous plans on asking a friend he tutors to prom in a special way.
Candles can be used to enhance a prom proposal. Photo courtesy SparkNotes
“I tutor the girl I want to ask in French so while I’m tutoring her I’ll ask her in French, ‘Will you go to prom with me?’ Knowing she won’t understand what I say, I’ll tell her to type the question into the translator.”
He believes asking a girl to prom should be “subtle, not generic; intimate, but not over the top.”
Guys with girlfriends have a different take on prom.
“Since I have a girlfriend, I’m just going to be like, ‘Are we going to prom or what?”’ said an anonymous senior boy.
Other boys simply don’t understand why an elaborate proposal is necessary.
“If it makes you happy, go for it,” senior Evan Singleton said. He admits that he never really heard of going all out for the occasion though and probably won’t attend prom.
A lot of girls in Penn Manor are indifferent about receiving an elaborate proposal.
“I’d appreciate something more elaborate but it’s not an engagement- it’s prom!” said Julia Rios.
“I don’t care. I think it’s the thought that counts,” said Veronica Willig.
“I don’t really care, but if you really like someone and they ask you in a really cute way, then it makes it a lot more fun,” Maisel said.
Girls are taking it upon themselves to make prom proposals. Photo courtesy SparkNotes
“I feel like as a girl you don’t have a choice of who you want to go with,” added Maisel who believes that it’s friends who usually set each other up.
Senior Elena Hart decided to go against the norm and ask her date to prom. She was nervous before doing so.
“I’m kind of freaked out because I think he’ll think it’s taking away his manhood but it’ll be a good senior memory and is a way to switch it up,” she said.
Other girls are in favor of Hart’s Sadie Hawkins approach.
“I think it’s a very defiant thing to do,” said Natasha Fletcher.
In case any guys feel like being creative in how they go about asking a girl to prom, here are some ideas courtesy of SparkNotes:
Spell out Prom? on her driveway in candles or on her street with chalk.
Write Will you go to prom with me? on a piece of paper, cut it up, then give it to the girl to put together.
Fork her yard so that it spells out Prom? and take over spaghetti for two to her house. Ask her to borrow a fork since all of yours are in her yard.
Bake a batch of cupcakes, put a piece of paper that says Prom? in one of the wrappers and give it to the girl.
Stand outside of school with a sign that says Will you go to prom with this guy??? with a downward arrow on it pointing to you.
Grab the girl in the hall, swing her into dance, and tell her that that’s only a taste of what she’ll get if she goes to prom with you.
Create a Build-a-Bear and insert into the voice box Will you go to prom with me?
Upload a video asking the girl to prom onto YouTube.
So you’ve grown up your entire life thinking you’re a Sagittarius. You’re an Archer, you’re invincible. All of a sudden a new study comes out and boom! You’re stuck there holding a snake, you’re an Ophiuchus!
This is exactly how student Jenny Weaver feels.
“I was Leo. Now I’m Cancer. Great,” Weaver complained. And she’s not the only one with a few gripes about this ‘new’ science of which people are starting to take notice.
The truth is it really isn’t all that new. We’re taking all of this old news, Astrology that dates back to the times of the ancient Babylonians, and putting it back into place.
This is because of the moon’s gravitational pull on earth, which has pushed the alignment of the stars back by about a month, affecting the way astrology works. Astrology is based around the position of the stars, not the dates of the calendar, and that’s why it’s become tricky.
Ancient Babylonians had 13 signs originally, and now that the stars have been pushed back, astrologists have chosen to reincorporate the sign that had been axed out years ago, Ophiuchus. Now it has pushed all of the other signs around, according to one source.
Here’s what that Zodiac looks like:
Capricorn: Jan. 20 – Feb. 16
Aquarius: Feb. 16 – March 11
Pisces: March 11- April 18
Aries: April 18 – May 13
Taurus: May 13 – June 21
Gemini: June 21 – July 20
Cancer: July 20 – Aug. 10
Leo: Aug. 10 – Sept. 16
Virgo: Sept. 16 – Oct. 30
Libra: Oct. 30 – Nov. 23
Scorpio: Nov. 23 – Nov. 29
Ophiuchus: Nov. 29 – Dec. 17
Sagittarius: Dec. 17 – Jan. 20
However, other sources claim that this isn’t going to affect anyone who follows the western zodiac. Still other sources are telling the world that because it’s based on star positions, this only affects those born after 2009.
The Zodiac Calendar Courtesy Stock Xchng
The knowledge of students is ever varying.
Many reacted with shocked ‘What’s?’ and many questions, such as asking if they can choose to stay with the sign they were. One of the few students who knew something about the subject, Cheyenne Brubaker, didn’t know much.
“I heard it was in some different country or something,” was all Brubaker knew about the issue.
Until astrologists come to a collective decision, or publicly announce their collective decision, the public may have to remain in the dark and adjust to their new signs. While this frustrates many people, it could be the best option for the time being. That’s not to say people can’t be frustrated about it. Student Suzanne Brown gave her two cents, voicing the same opinion many others have.
“I feel ripped off. Like something that I’ve had forever was taken away,” said Brown
Some Penn Manor students, and others around the world, partake in illegal downloading and companies are now working hard on methods to prevent that from happening. There are two major companies that are essentially leading the charge against piracy known as Steam and OnLive.
DRM (Digital Rights Management) is known as “Any technology used to limit the use of software, music, movies or other digital data.”
One of Steam's goals is to prevent piracy. Image owned by Valve Corporation.
Steam, a program created by Valve Corporation, was made to minimize the amount of space that physical copies of games take up. But it was also created to prevent piracy.
Some major computer games are Steam only, for example the Call of Duty series and the Fallout series.
Steam only lets an individual play a game after they buy it. It adds the game to your account so only that person has access to that certain copy. If someone else logs on to their account, it notifies them right away.
One can either buy the actual disk, but have to activate it via an included game code, or one could buy the game directly off of Steam.
“Steam is great because they actually have a good anti-piracy system that works well,” said a Penn Manor senior who wished to remain anonymous for previous trouble with the law on this topic. “I know from experience, their games are extremely hard to crack.”
Some think that piracy really isn’t all that bad, as long as they feel that the product isn’t cheap and not worth their money.
“I think it’s alright if it’s overpriced,” said the anonymous student.
But Internet piracy is all fun and games until you get caught.
“My ISP (Internet Service Provider) emailed me,” said the senior. “They were all like, ‘Ya dead kid!'”
Steam is a very solid platform for game management, there were always nice things to be said about it. It’s also mainly known for the fact that all the games that are purchased are online. So one who buys a lot of games, wouldn’t have a lot of clutter everywhere.
“I am usually a fan of physical copies since most online distributors only allow a certain amount of downloads, but Steam is good about it and usually allows unlimited downloads,” said the anonymous student.
A clutter of computer games. Picture by Ryan Krause.
“Downloaded files simply cannot compare to a stack of physical, tangible games,” said Penn Manor senior Jerome Lynch. “The ability to have hundreds of games on a shelf as part of a collection is something that is not possible to achieve with games that are available exclusively through digital distribution.”
Many people like to have the physical copies for the sake of collection or resale.
Lynch said, “As a collector, this is something that I will miss once digital distribution completely replaces physical media.”
Other companies are also working on their on programs for rights management.
OnLive was created for both DRM and to be different.
It has a revolutionary feature that doesn’t require a lot of hardware to play “high-end” games. High end games are newer games that have very high graphical properties and cannot be handled by a simple machine usually.
The OnLive controller and console. Image owned by OnLive.
OnLive actually has the games hosted and played on their own computers, while the user controls that computer from their own personal TV or computer. This means that the person playing isn’t hosting the game on their personal machine, so it doesn’t require a powerful computer. Essentially, the player is only seeing a projection of what that remote computer is showing. OnLive sells a very small box to plug into one’s TV, or one can just download the program for free on their computer.
To help put a stop to piracy, gamers have to buy or rent the games on the OnLive program to play them. There are many time-based demos on there as well. It’s an effort to help stop piracy because players who don’t wish to buy an entire game because of the price will have the ability to rent for the cheaper price. Most gamers only play a game for a little while, usually within that time-frame.
Although there have been complaints about how the program doesn’t host enough popular games, OnLive stated that their selection will broaden once more companies submit more games for them to host.
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.”
