Opinion: The new phone policy? Not that bad!

Despite the grumbling about it, the new phone policy benefits students who are now focused on classes and conversing in the hallways. When the policy was revealed last year, many students complained about the idea of not having their phone on them during the day, even though the thinking behind the policy made sense: By eliminating phones, which are addictive and distracting, students would place more focus on their education and schoolwork rather than checking notifications. Tabor is not the first school to implement a strict phone policy. Many ISL schools have also created similar guidelines and reported having success in recent years.

Now, students congregate in the Fishbowl with renewed energy. In years past, students would jump on their phones to check Instagram or play a game instead of interacting with their peers. Students now gather and converse during passing periods. In the Campus Center, people are more productive and engaging in lively conversations during their free time.

Without the distraction of phones, students can more easily focus on their schoolwork. For teachers, not worrying about phones has made their jobs easier because they no longer have the annoyance of searching for students sneaking glances at Instagram. Although the new phone policy has complicated communication with the outside world during the school day, the Tabor community itself is better because it has eliminated phones during the school day.