Trust Us with the Laptops

The reason teachers should entrust a laptop to the student body is because it overall teaches them how to be responsible with something that is not their own. It teaches them to treat objects that do not belong to them with respect, and also teaches them to be very careful when handling expensive objects. It can also teach them independence, along with helping them develop a better understanding of technology, as that plays a major part in today's world.

Giving these children a laptop is a progressive experience. As a child, they take care of their toys. In elementary school, they may take care of an animal or a younger sibling. Then as they hit middle and high school, we give them the chance to take care of their own expensive piece of equipment: a laptop. After this, they might be given an even bigger and more expensive machine to take care of, such as their parents’ car, and as they get older, maybe even a child.

The biggest way it teaches students to become responsible is that this laptop does not belong to them. They know if they in any way damage it, they either pay for the damage, or their parents pay and they get punished for ruining the laptop.

This method of having a responsibility and then receiving a consequence if you are not responsible for said object is very much like when they get a job. If they do not tend to the job their manager has given them, they get fired. This teaches students that having a responsibility means that you must take care of it or a consequence will be dealt out, no matter how big or small that responsibility is.

Another way that giving middle school students a laptop helps is that it is a great tool for research. If they have something they do not understand, they can look it up themselves. This gives them a sense of independence, something they can do on their own without help from an adult. It can make them feel like they can do more things, rather than having to run to a teacher for help. This may make them more eager to do more things on their own, assessing the issue and solving it themselves. It’s a great way to learn how to problem solve on their own.

The last reason entrusting a laptop in a student’s care is not a bad idea is that technology now plays a great part in day to day life. People pull out their phones countless times a day to look up a word, to text somebody, to jot down a note that will come in handy later. Showing the kids how to use an object that will be used a lot in their job life will help them understand why it’s useful and how to figure out what they need to know on their own.

Plenty of people say that teachers and administration should not give the students laptops because if they break them, it costs a whole lot of money to fix.

Sure, it is a lot of money. Yet, if adults can not trust their children with a mere laptop, how do they expect to trust them with their car? Giving the kids something to practice being responsible with is all part of growing up. It all helps out in the long run.