Cellular Addiction

"Call me later!" "I'll text you after class." We hear these words constantly. In this day and age it seems like everyone has a cell phone, and if they don't, they must be a freak. In the past five years the amount of people who own cell phones has risen drastically. Today, when instructors are handing out their class syllabi the statement, "No cell phones in class" or "Cell phones must be off during class" is almost always there. In my opinion ,cell phones really shouldn't be an issue in the classroom. If students are paying for their seats in class, why would they let their cell phones distract them from paying attention to their professors? I mean, isn't that why we're here in the first place, to educate ourselves?

Students who can't put their cell phone away for one class show poor self-discipline. Don't get me wrong; I feel lost without my cell phone, but no matter who is texting me, if I'm in class, I'm trying to focus. Instructors shouldn't have to ask their students to keep their cell phones away during class because we know better. We've all hid our phones under our desk and sent a quick text while in the middle of a lecture, but honestly, we didn't need to; we wanted to. There are very few places we're not allowed to use our phones: school, work and while driving. Is it really that hard to simply put your phone away and concentrate on the task at hand?

Cell phones are a tremendous convenience today, yet there are times when they are nothing but obnoxious, like when you're in a movie theater and suddenly you hear "California Girls" screaming out of your neighbor's pocket. Or when you're in the library trying to study and someone's phone continues to vibrate every two minutes because he or she won't check their text message. It's one thing when your phone is a bother to you, but if it's disrupting the people around you, it can be very rude.

Cell phones are a great way to keep in contact with anyone close to you, but there is a fine line between normal cell phone usage and obsessive usage. If you're having trouble deciding whether or not you're an obnoxious cell phone user, try leaving your phone home for an entire day. If you make it through an entire day without having to check your phone, you should be proud of yourself. If you can't go a whole day without it, at least put it away out of respect for your instructor.