Connections. Strands. Wordle.
New York Times Games are often the most exhilarating and stimulating activity for our brains during the school day. However, they can also be our biggest distraction. Students are guilty of playing these rousing games every school day; whether it be during a boring lecture, quiet work time, or any other time period during the school day, we are all guilty of being off task. It is a natural flaw, but the New York Times Games certainly exacerbate distraction and make the school day that much harder to get through.
The danger behind these short-term distractions is how they impact our growth as students and learners. Becoming too invested in finishing one of these games instead of focusing on class can limit our potential to do our best work and succeed as students. Sometimes, these New York Times games can take up to fifteen minutes to complete, which can be equivalent to reading another passage for an English class or solving another problem for a math class. Ultimately, having these games in front of us can distract our concentration during the school day and steer us away from focusing on our schoolwork and assignments at hand. Like any mobile phone or best friend to have a conversation with, the New York Times Games serve as a diversion from the more crucial activities that should take priority during the school day. Additionally, these games often anger teachers, who are trying to direct and teach their students, who seem to be more interested in solving the crossword puzzle on their screens.
The question then is, how should students manage to stay away from these distractions and focus their attention on their classwork? Should the New York Times gaming applications be blocked just like certain streaming services are blocked on the Needham High School Wi-Fi? Or should there be a more informal message to students to stay off of these games? The unfortunate truth is that no matter the circumstances, students are always going to be able to find an outlet for distraction. Whether it is quietly passing notes, using their phone propped up on their computer, or playing the New York Times games on their computers and switching the tab when a teacher walks by, there is always going to be another distraction during the school day. It is also imperative that we do not limit students' freedom and time to take breaks during school hours. Sometimes, students will play the New York Times games during homeroom or study, which is a better use of time management and a nice pause from studying hard or completing assignment after assignment. We want to encourage students to do the right thing, not eliminate their free choice.
Students who often find themselves off task and playing the New York Times games during class should consider: (a) waiting until homeroom or a study period to play, (b) waking up early and playing before school, or (c) playing the games after school free of stress from the school day (but not free of homework, of course). School should be a time of learning and interacting, not of being glued to video games and solitude on our computers -- which sparks another valuable question of how much we spend the school day on our computers staring at a screen.