It is 2015 and I am scared that technology has really started to take over our lives. Our teachers and parents are running out of options and only we can change the dark path we are heading towards. Cell phone use in the classroom should not be permitted, however, no one will argue that it is truly a hard habit to break.

Why are students checking Twitter during math or playing games in history and texting in Spanish? The first thing a teacher says when his or her students walk into the classroom should not be to put away their phones. Students are not getting yelled at for talking to their friends in class anymore. Instead, they are getting in trouble for talking to a friend who is in a different class or maybe even a different school via text.

To put it bluntly, the amount of cell phone use is just ridiculous. Our teachers are constantly attempting to get our attention and pull our faces away from the tiny screens in front of our faces. Pretty soon our teachers might give up trying to teach a class that is so unwilling to learn.

We, as the next generation, need to learn when to put down the phone and enter the real world in which face to face communication is essential. Technology has definitely opened up great opportunities to further the advancement of medicine, businesses and major issues, but it has not been helping students pay attention.

Psychologist David Goleman in his book “Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence” said, “Interactions mold brain circuitry; the fewer hours spent with people – and the more staring at a digitized screen — portends deficits.” This means that the youth in our generation and even in generations preceding us have shorter attention spans, causing more trouble in social situations and in expressing themselves.

The modern day classroom has evolved and this year may be the worst it has ever been. That is not saying that administration should ban phones from schools or the classroom completely, because when allowed, technology can be a great way to further a classroom experience. However, we should put away our headphones, unplug our chargers, and stay away from the temptations of using our phone when we are in a learning environment.