Editorial Earbuds

From the constant announcements in the morning to the increasing amount of phone and earbuds comphenscated due to usage, many students have spoken up about their disagreement with the no headphones rule. Why exactly are students unhappy with this rule, and why is the school just now deciding to be fanatic about students with visible earbuds in their ears?
For many, music is comfort and a safe place. People use music as an escape during hard times or stressful situations. Many students find stress in school or even just the thought about it. If their only coping mechanism for their emotion is to put in an earbud and turn on their favorite song, why should that be taken away from them? “Music helps people with social anxiety and such to get through the school day,” a Gloucester Freshman shared. Students wake up as early as five in the morning and are expected to be able to stay concentrated and awake while going from course to course with no mental break for eight hours.
For others, it is simply about boredom. “I think the rule is illogical. Banning headphones from students is only going to bore them to death. Sitting in class without headphones is so draining. I prefer listening to music and working. Allowing students to put headphones in and listen to music is more efficient, for it allows them to get more work done,” says sophomore Kaia Hutton. If students finish a test or an assignment before other people, wouldn’t it almost feel like a punishment to have to sit in dead silence waiting for others to finish?
Coming back from hybrid school, phones were used in basically every class from being on zoom calls to just out of pure boredom. Next year, phones and earbuds are expected to be put away and forgotten about. Is this fair, or just another rule students are expected to follow without good reason?