In high schools and middle schools, the almost bumble bee sized iPods* or other portable media players are the order of the day. In the hallways, during breaks, on the way to school and back on the school bus, whenever there might be a substitute teacher, and whenever there might be a few spare minutes to catch some tunes. In an average high school, it would appear that this is the case with about five in twenty-five students, which represents about 20% of the total school population.
While electronic devices such as iPods, texting, headphones are not allowed in school, they are usually tolerated in most public schools (in the city in which I am employed, a major city on the East Coast). Most teachers draw the line in the classroom during class, but many principals are tolerant of music on breaks. Some teachers are tolerant of headsets after testing, or after the student’s work is complete.
Do Teens Really Concentrate Better with the Music Playing?
Why does one grade school/middle school principal say that there is a war on iPods, cell phones and text messaging in her school – the same type of war as the “war on drugs”? “We know we will never completely win the war, but it’s the same as the war on drugs,” were her words, “we’ll keep fighting.” Why the fight? It is distracting to the students and to the teachers, who may find themselves wrangling with students with regard to their use of the headsets during class.
