We all have a signature in-classroom pose. The Casual Slouch— students prop their feet into the basket of the desk in front of them and slither down their chair in an effort to hide behind the student sitting in front of them. The Faux Bookworm— students conceal their cell phone between textbooks or inside an open notebook. And then there’s the Cold Shoulder— students lean on their elbow away from the teacher in an effort to hide their cell phones. They do this because, let’s face it, not every second of AP World is riveting. However, there comes a point in class where if you are updating your Twitter account more times than you actually comprehend what the teacher is saying, there’s a problem.

Students today are more prone to take out their phones as opposed to taking notes. Even if your BFF is sitting next to you, no one wants the distraction of seeing your Snapchat selfie.

Other than it’s rude to the teacher, students are really damaging their own futures by not paying attention in class. Although a quick round of Candy Crush may seem harmless, a student could miss important information. Jotting down a perfunctory outline of the lesson won’t fly when it’s time for the final exam.

“When we were in school we didn’t envision a world where you would have a phone in class,” social studies teacher Lea Jefferson said. “It’d be highly disrespectful, and we didn’t even have accessibility to one.”

Decades ago, students couldn’t even stand up without getting in trouble. Today we are allowed to use the restroom at our will and have easily accessible lockers to hold all our stuff. And yet students today still complain about sitting in class and getting an education.

I’m not advocating for the collection of all cell phones at the beginning of class; I think students should show the courtesy of not using them when the teacher is talking. This should be applied even when doing class work or presenting assignments. It shows to the teacher that you don’t care, which could be a one-way ticket to a D on your report card.

Even though everyone loves their smart phone, there should be a time and place for that, neither of which are the classroom. So the next time you’re pulling out your cell in class, re-think your decision. Trust me when I say that your unfinished notes with a heavy filter are hardly insta-worthy.