Two weeks ago, Dr. Davenport made a bold decision to restrict access to all games on school laptops.
Kids love to play games. Even in school most of the student body had a certain game they loved to play on their laptop. Whether it was Roblox, Minecraft, Poki, or the New York Times mini crossword, games were a way for kids to have some fun in the school day. Of course, they shouldn’t be playing them in class, but playing games in study hall is a different story.
The school day can be a lot. Homework, tests, notes, presentations— it is absolutely stressful.
“A lot of times, I personally—and I think many other students— get stressed out with school, and sometimes people need a break and they play games to help relieve stress,” said Alison Stephan, ninth grader.
The argument against games in school is pretty valid. Games are distracting students from doing their work. It is true that a lot of students play games on their school computers during study hall or even in class.
“The intention of study halls is for students to complete homework,” said Dr. Davenport.
Although this is true, isn’t it the students’ decision how to manage their time?
I use study halls to do school work, but if I have some extra time, I will maybe play a game with my friend for a laugh. Laughing IS the second best way to relieve stress (as we learned in Health with Mr. Aierstok).
Sometimes, there is free time in class, and if it is early in the day you might not have any homework yet. When this happens, you have a choice of what to do. You can read, write, listen to music, or play games.
Some teachers actually give the option of playing games in class after you finish a test as long as you are quiet.
By banning all of the games, the administration is making it so students are not going to learn self control. They should be learning the skill of time management and not just from Ms. Usawicz in Career and Life Management. In life, you have to prioritize things and decide what to work on.
Kids can still figure out ways to play games no matter what the administration does to stop it. And when the school restricts so many websites, computers run more slowly, causing problems for teachers and students.
Banning games will only annoy students and make us resent school even more.
