While it is scientifically proven that females can multitask better than males, there is one form of multitasking seen at Staples on a daily basis that both genders have yet to master: texting and walking.
During any given passing time, one can witness the perils of such multitasking efforts unfold before one’s very eyes.
Fleet-fingered teenagers attempt to safely navigate the halls of Staples High School while keeping both eyes on the social lives that lie within their phones.
While publicity regarding the dangers of distracted driving has reached a fever pitch throughout the country, even distracted pedestrians in the Staples hallways have proven themselves to be a threat to the safety of those around them, as well as their own safety.
Just ask Bridget Johnson ’13. A friend of hers who was innocently walking while texting,managed to walk straight into an iron pole.
“She ended up suffering a mild concussion,” said Johnson.
Not to mention the humiliation and ridicule of any onlookers.
Staples graduate Kevin Moss ’11 is simply baffled by the whole concept.
“I just don’t get what’s always so important,” he mused. According to Moss, who is a freshman at Keene State College, it doesn’t end after high school.
“I’ll see these girls walking to their 8 a.m. classes and staring down at their phones, and I just want to be like, ‘What is wrong with you?’”
For many, however, texting in the hallways has proved to be a foolproof way to avoid any unwanted exchanges.
An anonymous junior boy shared his story as to how texting and walking has been his savior, time and time again, particularly with members of the opposite sex.
“There’s this girl in my grade who stalks me and has a lot of my passing times,” he explained. “If I see her coming from a distance, I pull out my phone and start pressing buttons.”
“It’s definitely useful for awkward moments with teachers, too,” he said.
One teacher who can attest to how awkward student-teacher hallway interactions can be is Catherine Hernandez.
“I’ve had it happen when I think a student is waving at me, so I wave at them, when the wave was really intended for someone else,” she said. “It’s moments like those where I wish I had a phone to text on.”
Hernandez was quick to clarify, though, that most of the waves she encounters are indeed intended for her.
But even she can appreciate the art of the fake cell phone conversation.
“I have a neighbor who is quite inquisitive, and I hate to admit it, but sometimes I’ve pretended to be on the phone to avoid talking to her,” she explained.
Regardless of motive, the ubiquity of texting and walking has become undeniable.
Legislation banning the practice of “distracted walking” has been proposed by state senators from both New York and Arkansas, as well as the Illinois Secretary of State, in response to an increase in distracted walking related emergency room visits. Nothing significant has come out of it so far.
In the meantime, it is best that Staples students, both in school hallways and on sidewalks, keep an eye for the oncoming pedestrian who is heavily involved in their dinner plans.
