Ramblings

One week unplugged

So a bit of context to this one, many of the 10th grade English classes in my school are having this extra credit thing. For one school week, everyday before first period you go to your English class and turn in your phone. You pick it up after 6th, and at the end of the week you write a page or two about the experience. I figured this would be a good place to write down my experiences of going throughout a school day without my phone.

Day 1:
Today after the starting bell I turned in my phone. It felt weird to leave a classroom knowing my phone was in a desk in a small room. I didn't think it would be a particularly challenging feat and it wasn't really but it just felt strange. I forgot that I was doing this every once and a while resulting in a panic as I frantically looked for my phone before realizing where it was. It was weird actually paying attention in 5th instead of texting my friend who's across the country. I did pay a little more attention in class today then normal. Although it's a Monday so it wasn't a lot of attention. So far this experiment seems to be going well. Other than annoying my friends when I can't respond to their cries of help as bordem crushes their will to participate.

Day 2:
Today is the one day a week I get to see my dad, so I was kinda nervous about giving up my phone. And even more apprehensive to turn it on. I have kinda gotten used to not feeling the weight of my phone in my back pocket so I didn't really worry about it as much today. Frequently however I would go to look at it for the time or if a human was trying to contact me but it wasn't there which was a quick reminder what I was doing. It was nice to not have it on me though, especially in 6th period where normally my phone would be going off with texts from my sister and dad there was nothing. After I got it back I didn't really want to turn it on as multiple friends had informed me that they had forgotten I was doing this and spammed me in hopes of getting a reply. The notifications didn't stop going off for ten minutes is all I'm saying about that.

Day 3:
So today I participated in the challenge the least for the week. I wasn't even at school except for the last two periods. I had a music trip so I spent all day at a middle school (it sucked). So when I got back I turned in my phone for a whopping two hours! I didn't really notice that it wasn't there except my pocket was no longer buzzing with the exasperated texts of my classmates who were wondering why I wasn't in class this time.

Day 4:
So today was a short day at school as most Thursdays are in my county. So I figured hey it won't be too bad, it's a short day I'll get it back sooner. Boy was I wrong, I went through the day trying to make plans for after school with no phone and this was a big group thing. So I was out of the loop, nobody knew what was happening the anarchy was real. I pretty much spent all day like stressing about needing my phone but knowing it was locked in a room so close yet so far away. But I survived the group did the thing nobody died so we good now.

Day 5: The end of the week has finally come and with it a new perspective. Today was spent relaxed without worrying if my phone will go off in class, and confident that it will be fully charged and ready for the weekend after school.

So this week has changed my mind a bit, before I wasn't completely sure how I would function without my phone. The amount of awkward silences without it to turn to was horrendous! However, it is possible to survive a week unplugged and I think that I might just start leaving my phone in my bag where it's there if I need it but not on my person at all times