Head phones or no headphones? That is the question that stirs up conversation throughout the school. Headphone use in the halls is now being limited from two ear buds to one. How fair is it to the students though?
Passing periods are only five minutes long and within those five minutes students should be allowed the option to listen to their music during their transition from class to class. During the passing periods, music is played throughout the halls, but it is not always what kids like to hear. Each student has a different taste in music and with that causes issues. You can’t find music that will always satisfy each student. That is why students like to bring to their own iPod and listen to their own music.
They want to tune out the surrounding sounds and they want to enjoy their music. Listening to both ear buds should be a privilege given to the students.
Using one ear bud you can still hear your music; however, it is not the same. If teachers want to get your attention, they should talk to you either before or after class. They should tell you they want to talk to you during your passing period. Now it would be up to the student to remember. Even with one headphone you still can’t hear everything. A student could have one headphone in and feel like because they don’t have both in they should turn their music up louder.
While some people feel like headphones cause distractions, in reality they don’t. Listening to music in the halls is simply a way for kids to escape reality and get away from the pressure of school for at least five minutes.
It’s hard to see the problem in using both ear buds during the passing periods. The school already frowns upon the use of iPods during extra time in class. Even though students take off their headphones and put them away before entering a class, it’s just not enough.
The reason being for this “pilot” program is so students can hear if staff members are calling them and also in case of emergency related information being said through the PA system. Although this is understandable, students should be allowed to wear both ear buds on a trial run basis at a low volume.
Assistant Principal Passarella should dismiss the use of one ear bud and use a trial run basis just like study hall did for a while. The trial run basis would allow students to use both ear buds, but keep their music at a low volume. That way students feel like they have an option to wear two or one without fearing consequence and staff members can still have a way of getting the attention of students.
If all fails then Passarella could go back to the use of one ear bud.
