Libraries have always been a place where people could work productively and quietly. However, North’s library, intended to be a sanctuary for students to work productively, has become an out-of-control playground for rambunctious students. Students shamelessly type without regard for the noise their keyboards make, whisper about math problems, and flip the pages of their books as if they need to announce to everyone that they can read.
This is unacceptable.
The following four-step proposal is my plan to make North’s library the epitome of productivity.
The first step in my proposal is to ban all electronic devices. The sounds of students giggling at their screens and the loud typing of students texting their friends are just too distracting for hardworking students like me.
While this may sound radical, for my second step, I propose that all chairs be completely removed from the library. All the sofas, the wooden seats, everything must go. Sitting down lets students laze about and lose useful momentum for work. Also, since standing for long periods of time is tiring, students will have more motivation to do their work so they can leave the library faster. Not to mention, standing for so long will provide students with some much-needed exercise. Have you seen how slowly they walk the halls? Their panting sounds like they are dogs after a 26-mile marathon.
The third step is to limit how near students can be to one another. Where students stand should be assigned to prevent them from distracting each other. Stickers should be placed on the floor six feet apart like the school did during COVID. The stickers will have a box outlined in tape that should keep students in check. Students also should not be allowed to leave their assigned box while they are in the library studying. Whether they are whispering with friends about god-knows-what or asking for help on a homework assignment, students are never productive when they are around each other.
The only productive library is a silent library. I can’t think of a single reason why students would need to speak to one another, other than to ask for help, which they shouldn’t need in the first place. North should be teaching strong, independent students, after all. And those students should be, at minimum, five feet away from each other at all times.
This leads me to my fourth and final step. Ban students from breathing loudly. No one should sound like Darth Vader after he finished a battle with the Jedis when they are breathing. It’s too distracting and completely inappropriate for the library. The only reason why they may be breathing loudly is because of a cough or a cold. I say they should suck it up, and step outside of the library if there needs to be any noise.
A dead-silent library is the only good kind of library. Learning and studying needs to be quiet so students can succeed in their work. The famous adage, “Children should be seen and not heard” should be applied to North’s library so children can reach their full potential.
North’s library needs to change now, and with my four step plan, our library could become the leading spot for effective and productive work. Without the banning of electronics, the removal of chairs, the required social-distancing, and the deathly-silent atmosphere, students can never be truly productive.
