BY DILLON HAWRYLAK
Magazine Editor

A lot of things have changed for the better since the emergence of the high school’s Bring Your Own Device policy (BYOD).
The shortage of laptops have become less of a problem due to students having the ability to complete in-class online assignments with their phones. Kids are more connected with extra-curricular activities since they are able to follow Twitter accounts on the spot, and the amount of students trying to sneak in usage of their phones while being instructed by their teachers has dropped because they know that they will be able to use their phones in between periods.
Although these things are worth noting, the BYOD policy’s most effective feature is, ironically, its most overlooked feature: the ability to give kids the opportunity to listen to music.
Headphones have become a common accessory for many students, and this is to the school environment’s benefit.
Giving students the opportunity to listen to music when they are not doing school work offers a variety of positive escapes for students while maintaining a sense of privacy for the student.
When a student feels angry, anxious, or hyper and can’t focus on keeping calm enough to either maintain attention on their studies or follow the rules of the school, they have access to their favorite music to use as a way of settling down. For students who prefer to keep to themselves, headphones allow them to stay in their personal zone. Even teachers benefit through kids having a better attitude toward doing some types of class work when they can listen to music in the process.
Each day, Baldwin sees more students wearing earphones, and this serves as a statement to say that kids do really appreciate the BYOD policy and are benefiting from the opportunities that come from it.