Headphones have recently been a big issue in classes at Thunder Ridge. Staying focused in class can be hard on its own, but when you add headphones there’s so much going on that everything can get drowned out. 

Teachers and students have had battles in class over headphones. Some teachers are more lenient on the matter than others, but headphones have been deemed a distraction by most. Mrs. Olson, an English teacher at Thunder Ridge, doesn’t mind headphones in class but only if students are responsible with them.

Even students have expressed that having headphones in class can make it hard to get work done. Maddox Bruch, Junior. at Thunder Ridge, uses headphones every day to listen to music during class. “I try to only listen to music during work time but when it’s a slow day I’ll listen to music during the lesson.” Maddox isn’t the only one. Almost every student at Thunder Ridge has struggled with when to use their headphones in a way that’s not a distraction. 

A Taiwanese study was conducted on how headphones can affect students in class. 133 students were divided into groups that listened to classical music, hip hop, or no music at all. The studies showed that students who didn’t listen to music performed better in class than those who did. The students who listened to hip-hop music showed the most effects of distractions. Researchers remind us that silence can be golden and to get the most out of class, cutting off all distractions, especially headphones, is the best way.