Walk into almost any classroom today and you’ll hear a low-level hum, phones buzzing, tablets pinging, dozens of tiny screens shouting for someone’s attention, and, students glancing up and down. Students are not the only ones glancing down; teachers sneak peeks at e-mails between words and slides.

Everyone, it seems, is half-in and half-out. The loser is real listening, the kind that builds trust, sparks ideas, and reminds us we are more than profile pictures on screens. This concern led me to write a book titled, ‘Unplugged’ in 2023; available on Amazon.

Students: Heads Down, Minds Elsewhere

For many learners today, distraction is the default, particularly in tertiary institutions. Group chats scroll during group discussions; earbuds go in the moment a classmate starts talking. The result is a shallow loop in which they hear a word, fire off a poorly thought-out response, and then tune back out.

Over time, students lose the patience needed to follow a line of thought that is not their own. Worse, they miss the emotional clues like hesitation, excitement, hurt, that tell a speaker, “You really matter.”

Teachers: Screens Up, Ears Half-open

Educators like to blame phones, yet they model the same split focus they often complain about in the students. Answering a quick “urgent” text while a student explains a problem signals that the adult, too, has “better places” to be. Students notice.

When the people who should set the standard multitask, multitasking becomes the norm.

Ethical Implications of Listening

It is a show of respect to give someone your full attention. It says, “You’re a real person, not a background app.”  Would it be fair if only the boldest voices get heard? The quiet students, often girls, minorities, or new language learners are forced to stay on the margins – silent.

A sure mark of injustice. Some other times, a mumbled answer hides hunger, fear, or grief. Listening attentively and long enough to sense the real need is basic kindness; it is a matter of care for the other person. And, it is not enough to preach that “every voice counts” while we are distracted, checking Facebook feeds and fantasy-football scores on our devices. It is plain hypocrisy.

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