Editorial: Distracted Walking

It is a Monday morning, and you are rushing to get to your third period class through the cramped hallway by the B-Wing.  Suddenly, as you are trying to maneuver your way through the hallway traffic you notice that the student in front of you suddenly stops walking.  He or she just stands there as if there is no reason to be walking in a crowded hallway, even though they are restricting other students from getting where they need to be.  You want to scream at the kid in front of you or find a way to push through the crowd.  But you usually end up just standing there waiting for this student to finish sending his or her text message, often causing you to be late to your next class.

Students often feel that they need to take the five minutes between classes to use their phones in the middle of the hallway.  Instead, it would be a good idea for them to scroll through Instagram or check their overwhelming group chat notifications after getting through the hallway traffic.

Many students walk while looking down with their eyes glued to their phones.  Not only does this disrupt other students trying to get places but it is dangerous to the students themselves.  Students should be looking in front of themselves in order to see where they need to go.  Students also think it is a good idea to walk in the hallways with their headphones on blasting music.  This, again, is not a good idea because it is necessary to be aware of your surroundings.

By not paying attention to what is going on around them students are putting themselves at potential risk for walking into something or someone.  By adapting to the habit of using your phone while walking in the hallway, students are likely to bring this habit with them to the streets, where it could pose an even more serious threat.

The Schreiber Times believes that our school should enforce non-distracted walking, and students should make a conscious effort not to use their phones while walking in the hallways.  By taking a minute or so before walking to your next class, you are benefiting yourself and the students around you. This should definitely mollify hallway traffic, allowing students to get to their classes in a timely manner.