school confiscates cell phone, lawyer dad is mad?

[Golden_Rhino]

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It doesn't make it acceptable to disrupt a class. I don't understand why making a phone call on your lunch break is unacceptable.

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Allowing cell phones at lunch time in and of itself is not bad, but teenagers like to push the envelope. You might catch one talking, and he'll give you the old "but sir, I was just checking a message", or "I was just putting it away". Instituting a rule that says no cell phones under any circumstances removes any ambiguity.


FWIW, I agree with you that arguing that cell phones weren't around before is a bit silly.

[Golden_Rhino]

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Yeah I'm a HS senior now. I'd estimate 90% of the students in my school have a cell phone and carry it on them all day. Of course there are a few kids who sit in class and send 100 texts a day, so what? When they are texting they aren't talking to the people around them which makes texting LESS distracting than the kid in the back of the class who constantly talks to everyone around him. If the kid doesn't want to listen to the teacher and learn something while in class that's their choice. They'll either scrape by and actually learn very little and regret it later, fail and take the class over again, or else they are the kids who can get good marks doing nothing. If the teacher finds cell phones distracting then they can ask the student to put it away. If they don't, take the phone give it to them at the end of class.

Of course taking calls in class is a little different since the student is then making noise and disrupting the class. I've had teachers have their cell phones go off in class though and usually it's quite funny.

I really don't understand why this thread has gotten so big. Should students be using their phones during class, absolutely not. Is it really THAT big of a deal, nope.

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How would you like it if you were trying to teach someone something and they were totally ignoring you and sending a text message? Is it a huge deal, no. Bottom line though is that it's very rude.

[mflip]

It's different in an individual setting than in a room with 30 people where 2 or 3 are texting. If there weren't any phones in the classroom those same 2 or 3 would be doing something else instead of texting anyways and still not paying attention.

[Golden_Rhino]

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It's different in an individual setting than in a room with 30 people where 2 or 3 are texting. If there weren't any phones in the classroom those same 2 or 3 would be doing something else instead of texting anyways and still not paying attention.

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I see your point, but the position of the teacher is that if they don't want to be in class, they should just leave.

The "they would just do something disruptive instead" is kind of weak because we're not talking about 5 year olds, these are 17 or 18 year olds.

[mflip]

You clearly haven't been in a HS classroom recently lol. There will always be someone doing something disruptive no matter what age they are. "Disruptive" would usually comprise of making stupid/funny remarks etc.

I have no problem with a teacher kicking out a student if they have been asked to put the phone away and don't.

[Teetster]

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My mom's been a teacher and principal for a long time and you would not BELIEVE some of the stories she tells me about these douchebag kids and their parents.

Sometimes Mommy and Daddy refuse to believe little Timmy can do any wrong and they will get pissed at the school for enforcing any rules, no matter how reasonable.

And I would laugh in this lawyer's face for talking about [censored] due process for confiscation of a cell phone. "See you in court, Mr. Douchebagg."

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Reasonable is a judgement call.

I can identify the non-parents by their replies in this thread.

My kid is 3. If he was 13, he would have a cell phone on him every minute he was not with me. Kids need to be able to communicate with parents. Removing that ability is a safety risk.

And don't give me the "just call the school" bs. Good luck calling a school with 400 or 4000 students and actually getting through to someone who can find your kid.

Stupid rules like this are why my kids going to private school where they teach kids things, not try to enforce rediculous rules for teacher convienience.

[Golden_Rhino]

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You clearly haven't been in a HS classroom recently lol. There will always be someone doing something disruptive no matter what age they are. "Disruptive" would usually comprise of making stupid/funny remarks etc.

I have no problem with a teacher kicking out a student if they have been asked to put the phone away and don't.

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I was in a classroom yesterday, and you're right, disruptive stuff happens all the time, but it doesn't mean it should. 18 year olds are almost as bad as 13 year olds. I was just saying that they **should** know better. I assume that they do know better, but just don't really care.

[Miyogi]

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My mom's been a teacher and principal for a long time and you would not BELIEVE some of the stories she tells me about these douchebag kids and their parents.

Sometimes Mommy and Daddy refuse to believe little Timmy can do any wrong and they will get pissed at the school for enforcing any rules, no matter how reasonable.

And I would laugh in this lawyer's face for talking about [censored] due process for confiscation of a cell phone. "See you in court, Mr. Douchebagg."

[/ QUOTE ]

Reasonable is a judgement call.

I can identify the non-parents by their replies in this thread.

My kid is 3. If he was 13, he would have a cell phone on him every minute he was not with me. Kids need to be able to communicate with parents. Removing that ability is a safety risk.

And don't give me the "just call the school" bs. Good luck calling a school with 400 or 4000 students and actually getting through to someone who can find your kid.

Stupid rules like this are why my kids going to private school where they teach kids things, not try to enforce rediculous rules for teacher convienience.

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First of all. LOL at no cellphones being for teacher convenience. While it is true that if your kid is on lunch and you desperately need to get ahold of them a cellphone is probably the best way, if the kid is in class then phoning the office is by far more effective and less disruptive. Talk to the secretary who will use the intercom to inform the teacher and have the kid waiting for you in the office to be picked up or have whatever needs to be done.

[runner4life7]

i think most people in this thread are forgetting what high school was like, that or you all were the perfect kids that sat with their hands folded and mouth shut all day. I'm not saying phones should be allowed just to realize how you sound.

[Howard Treesong]

What failure of due process exists when the teacher clearly articulates a rule against cell phones, then a student violates that clear rule? So long as the rule is clearly articulated so that everyone knew about it, there would not be a due process violation if the teacher crushed the phone into little tiny bits.