Ever since the release of wireless earbuds, it’s become much harder for teachers to catch students listening to music. Without the obvious wire leading to their ears, students can hide it more easily.

While teachers can still catch students using wireless earbuds, many students have found clever ways to conceal them: some use their hair to cover their ears, others rest their heads on their hands, or simply turn the ear with the earbud away from the teacher—all just to avoid getting in trouble while listening to music.

However, not all students bother hiding their AirPods. These days, it’s common to see students wearing a single earbud in class, and surprisingly few teachers say anything. While some might not notice, it also feels like others simply don’t care anymore.

When AirPods first became popular, students were frequently caught and disciplined for wearing them. Now, it seems rarer for a student to be called out than not.

Many teachers are fine with students wearing earbuds during independent work or projects, as long as active listening isn’t required. In my experience, only three of my teachers consistently care if I have an AirPod in. The rest seem indifferent.

In a survey of students, the average number of teachers who enforce rules about AirPods during lessons was about three per student schedule (roughly three out of seven).

At the beginning of the school year, teachers tend to be stricter. Take phone pouches, for example. Many teachers start the year assigning students specific numbered pockets and checking daily to see whose phone is missing. But as the year progresses, that vigilance fades. By the end of the year, few students are still following the rule—and fewer teachers are still enforcing it.

Some might blame the teachers, but it takes a lot of time and energy to monitor phone pouches and repeatedly remind students to comply. Eventually, it becomes easier for teachers to just address issues as they arise, rather than fight the system all day long.

The same logic seems to apply to AirPods. Stopping a lesson to ask a student to remove an earbud can be disruptive. And many students simply put it back in a few minutes later anyway.

Another complication is that AirPods are harder to track than phones. Nearly every student has a phone, so it’s harder to lie about not owning one. If needed, a teacher can verify with a parent. But not every student has AirPods. If teachers were to track them like phones, students could easily lie, and asking parents might not even help—many wouldn’t know if their child owns a pair.

Unfortunately for teachers, the only real option is to catch students in the act. There’s no simple or efficient way to monitor wireless earbuds.

That’s why many teachers are choosing to ignore it altogether. After all, no one can force a student to care about their education. If they choose to tune out with an AirPod in, that’s their decision—and ultimately, it’s their future on the line.