The bell rings at 3:34 pm.

Heads go down and eyes follow.

Students pull out their phones.

“I can’t think about school any longer. I need a break.”

Why?

Because all day we get assignment after assignment: essays, labs, and deadlines. We are told to focus, take notes, and participate. Teachers ask us for more, but there is only so much to give.

Because when we pull out our phone, reality disappears for a while. We open an app, and we are in a world where there aren’t expectations. Even if it’s only for five minutes before practice, there’s a chance to escape – a chance to laugh or text people we don’t see often, it’s a few moments of peace and a break from the pressure.

Because our phones have become a lifeline. The world becomes smaller, less scary. We’re connected to friends and activities we love outside of school. It’s a break from hearing the clock ticking slowly in a classroom full of the sound of typing.

Because, even though we are told that phones are a distraction and that we need to disconnect, it’s a way to experience more than the same thing every day. A chance to feel freedom outside of not only school, but outside of our small town.

Because we know that tomorrow will bring the same thing. The same classes, the same after-school practice, the same people. We know that the cycle will repeat.

Yet in those stolen moments we spend on our phone, we can forget about the homework and the studying waiting for us at home. We can forget about the test in the morning. We can forget about the overwhelming pressure and expectations that come with being a student.

We only get so much time to breathe, and for now, that’s enough.