By succumbing to the distractions of the modern world, students are missing out on their education, developing unhealthy habits and missing out on opportunities to grow as individuals. 

An article written by Emma Fittes for Education Week states that the average student in the United States spends one to four hours per day on educational technology. 

While having access to technology in school has many benefits, some students abuse the power and trust given to them by the school. 

There are a few students who decide to get their work done and move on to the next thing, but now that computers play such a large role in our education, many students choose to play games or watch videos instead.

School-issued devices are being used for entertainment and are just a distracting element that disrupts students’ learning process. Although this is a big problem, the school is not to blame. 

The actions of these students speak a lot about younger generations. We lack qualities and values that made other generations so great. 

Fifty years ago, schools didn’t have computers and other technology to distract students from learning and staying focused. Without those distractions they learned discipline. They didn’t take breaks to text friends, watch movies or play video games, they finished what they started. 

Nowadays, students are given an assignment and after ten minutes of little to no effort put in, they will go on their phones or computers to entertain themselves. 

This unhealthy habit is not only extremely disrespectful to teachers, who put in work to make the lessons and teach, but it also gives kids the false impression that a bad work ethic is acceptable. 

Even when an assignment is not completed or turned in late, the school system is designed in a way where students can still easily pass. This acts as a fail safe for people who feel their education isn’t as important as a videogame. 

Our schools value knowledge over critical thinking. This makes it hard for students, especially those who choose to entertain themselves, to fail. 

Instead of taking time to think about what they learned, they pull out their phones and distract themselves from doing actual work. This clogs their ability to think creatively and apply the things they are taught to real life situations. 

By ignoring these distractions, students learn to handle situations they aren’t comfortable with, and grow as people, learning the healthy habits that so many young people lack today. 

In a world where the education system puts a lot of trust in students, it is only fair that we show respect to our teachers and for ourselves. 

By not succumbing to the distractions, we learn discipline and respect, which can take you far in life. These two values alone give anyone the opportunity to succeed in life.