When we are in elementary school, we are told that when we get older, our teachers won’t baby us and they won’t deal with our misbehavior. We are led to believe this; however, in my experience, this has proved to be untrue. Since eighth grade, I’ve lost more and more freedom in school than I have gained.
In middle school, we were trusted to use the bathroom or go to the library without someone having to time us or track exactly where we were going. We are now expected to sign out of the classroom and return in exactly five minutes. Failure to do so will result in discipline. This alone is unreasonable, but not only that, it leaves students to wonder why, at 15,16,17, and 18 years old, we are not able to be trusted to take care of things ourselves. Sophomore, Hailey Hendershot says,” having to sign out and let everyone know that I’m in the bathroom and how long I’ve been there feels like humiliation. It feels like I have done something to not be trusted, when in reality it’s a tiny portion of students who are doing things they shouldn’t be doing.” This is how a lot of students feel; using the bathroom is not a privilege but a right. So let’s start treating it that way.
The new phone rule has made lots of students and even parents very angry. April Lobdell, a parent of past and present FMHS students, says, “I have had two students graduate from Fruita, and I have one more who will graduate this year. With that being said, phones have never been the problem in why students don’t pay attention. The problem is that they are just not interested in what they are learning, and taking away their phones won’t solve that problem, taking away their freedoms, and the only way that they have to communicate with their parents. They need to learn to regulate their phone usage and pay attention when it is important.” Students should be able to make their own decisions for themselves. If they are never given the decision to do the right things, they won’t make the right decision when the option is given.
Without freedom in high school, how are we supposed to learn important life skills like responsibility and self-control? The teachers and principals treat us like we are incapable of making the correct decisions, and without the opportunity to do so, we will never have the chance. If a person is taught they cannot make decisions for themselves, then they will believe that until someone tells them otherwise. High school is setting students up for failure in their careers, and once they graduate, they will often struggle to self-regulate.
