Opinion: Staying plugged in

Vincent Williams focuses on writing a paper while listening to music in Audra Whetstone’s Advanced Placement Language and Composition class.

Being a student can be hard, especially when getting assignment after assignment. Students have found that music can be an escape for them and a way to cope with stress. 

I look around at my peers sitting in a group and the majority of them are wearing headphones. 

Music has shown me a way to deal with my stress and a way to get myself through a tough day by relaxing my mind and helping me deal with my anxiety from the stress of school.

I am not the only one who feels that music can be a way to cope with the stress of school. Junior Vincent Williams has always seen music as something important to his life at school.

“It was always there. Just [focusing] on the lyrics [in the] music can make you feel things. You feel happy, it’s an escape,” said Williams. 

Senior Nickolas Milton has also found that music can be a way to relax his mind. 

“Having headphones in has saved me from so many distractions and anxiety. I couldn’t have made it through my first three years without them,” Milton said. 

Although students may find having headphones in and listening to music as an escape, some teachers may find it as a distraction. 

“It becomes a problem during teacher-led instruction or group work even at a low volume. [It’s] distracting and makes it hard to participate or absorb what a teacher is saying,” economics and government teacher Robert Nowak said. 

Naturally, teachers find having headphones in as a distraction yet Talker has done studies on the importance of music in academics. 

Brooke Witke and Ellie Throop listen to music while silent reading after getting all their work done in Rebecca Fase’s advanced algebra II class.

“Results showed that half of respondents recall regularly listening to music while studying (49%), and 60% said they were able to study better with sound on in the background,” Talker research said in “People who play music while studying more likely to have higher GPA.”

Therefore, it’s not only students at Northview that feel that music is an escape from the stress of school.

Overall, teachers should relax more when it comes to students having headphones in. They should have more of an open mind towards the impact music can have on a students life, especially when coping with the stress of school.

About Maren Tepastte 1 Article
Maren Tepastte is a junior and first year journalism student. She plays varsity lacrosse and has been involved in the Green Club. She enjoys the outdoors, spending time with family, sports and getting coffee. She is hoping to continue her education at Indiana Wesleyan University after high school.

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