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[elmono311]

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I'd call the cops and tell them the school stole my property. There's absolutely no reason why the school needs to keep the phones outside of school hours.

[disnut8]

Already had this "discussion" with elmono.

Yes, I know it's a cell phone, yes, I know it costs money, yes, I know it's a very critical part of today's society for communication.

But Little Johnny has a cell phone and uses it to get answers to a test.  Teacher sees the cheating and takes the cell phone.  Johnny gets the phone back after class.  The parents are actually responsible ones and get a call from the school or a note.  They punish Johnny as they see fit.  Johnny returns to school the next day and uses the cell phone again to get answers.  The pattern continues.

In these times, kids need cell phones.  It's a great invention for communicating.  However, when in school or at work, it should only be used in emergencies.  They should be put on vibrate or, on my phone in meeting mode.  The minute the kid walks through the front doors to the school.  Check messages in between classes.  If the emergency is that important, the school has, I don't know, a land line that can be called.

From a person who walked a mile to junior high and almost two miles to high school (no it wasn't uphill both ways and it didn't always snow).  We didn't have cell phones.  Our parents had no way of contacting us (except by calling the school or showing up in person) from the minute we walked out of the door in the morning until the minute we walked back in.  Hell, there was even a race riot (a bad one) that closed down our high school.  We had no way of contacting our parents.  We are so dependant on those phones.

And I really can understand the cheating part.  At our trivia sessions, we have people who just "have to take a call".  Yeah right.  We'd be raking it in if we could call our friends and relatives and ask for the answer.

It's so bad that Disney World is now saying "please refrain from eating, drinking, smoking, flash photography, and cell phone use during this presentation".  Go without the damn thing for eight hours.  The world will still be revolving.

[elmono311]

The cheating thing comes from camera phones. Students have been taking pictures of tests and sending them to their friends so they know what's on the test.

My main point is a phone should not be kept after school hours. It's not the school's right to keep property like that unless it's absolutely harmful like a gun or whatnot.

[Supermercado]

I don't think they need the cells even for emergencies. It was just 6 or 7 years ago that several of us here were finishing high school and I don't think any of us had cells. I didn't have one until I was a sophomore at Clemson. I think we did just fine. If there's an emergency, parents or family should know that a high school-aged kid is in school between 8 and 3 and call the damn school if there's an emergency. Surely every school has office aides to run messages to classes if need be. I know West did. My opinion is that cell phones have no place whatsoever in school.

[Zorchenhimer]

I got my cell when i got my drivers license. Then it broke just before i got to college and I didn't feel like fixing it.

But what really ticks me off is the little 5 year olds with cell phones.

[disnut8]

My main point is a phone should not be kept after school hours. It's not the school's right to keep property like that unless it's absolutely harmful like a gun or whatnot.

And then I go back to what you and I discussed this afternoon.  In my example, the parents were responsible.  The school was able to contact them and they responded.

Little Susie (didn't want the guys to think they were getting a bad rap) gets her cell phone taken away during the day. She gets it back at the end of the day.  She goes home.  Her parents aren't home from work yet.  There's a message from the school on the machine so she just erases it.  Or there's a note from the school and she either throws it away or signs the parent's name.  She goes back into school the next day.  The pattern continues.

You brought up calling the parents on their cell phones.  Hopefully, the parents don't have them on at work to disrupt their co-workers.  Maybe (and this is a big maybe) they have the school's number programmed in there and it pops up that it's the school.  The message says "Please call the Eva Braun school.  There was a problem with Little Susie today."  The parent wants to get Little Susie's side of it so they go home to talk to Little Susie.  Who says that there was an altercation in the girl's room and she accidently shoved a girl down.  Little Susie goes into school the next day with the cell phone.  The pattern continues.

Let's go back to "the day".  If you were reading a comic book in class, that thing was history.  Put in the bottom left hand teacher's desk and maybe you would get it back at the end of the school year.  Bring in a fake frog to scare the girl in front of you?  Gone.

And if you look at the article, the kids are getting lots of warnings and even with the most harsh one, they still get their phone back.

This isn't theft.  This is a measure to stop the classroom from becoming a coffee house.  A cell phone is a priviledge, not a right.  I wish the damn things cost $1000.  Wait, what am I saying?  Then ONLY the kids would have them.

[elmono311]

No, 6 or 7 years ago we put up with it. When the telephone was invented, people didn't go and say, "Hey, why do we need telephones? We have telegraphs. They work well enough."

BTW, I had a cell phone in high school. I left it in my locker or car.

[LostArtofRolando]

I think they should have a check-in.  You can take the cell phones to school, but have to leave it with someone.  Then when all's said and done each day you can go get it.

As a teacher, I cannot tell you how pissed off i used to get with kids and their damn phones.  There is no reason why in the middle of my class I need to hear some girl go "oh my god" because she got dumped via text message or compare prom dresses with the girl in a class in another room.  Cell phones have no place at school for kids.  Leave em at home or in a locker.  You get caught with it, too damn bad if it gets taken away.

I'm not arguin with them having phones, but you know the rules, if you can't follow 'em, you pay the consequences.

[Supermercado]

I'd be in favor of the zero tolerance. I was telling Chris earlier today that I'd make a fantastic dictator.

[disnut8]

Here's another one to throw out for discussion and debate.  How, as a parent, or if you were a parent, would you have felt in Columbine if your child wasn't one that came out of the school and you couldn't find them?  Your son or daughter is in the cafeteria under a table.  They don't have their cell phone with them because it's in some room somewhere until they leave the school.  They can't text you or call you and say "I'm OK".  How would you feel?

I've thought a lot about this.  My position is to let the kids have cell phones in school during the day.  But TURN THEM OFF during class.  Not on vibrate.  OFF.  They can check for messages in between classes or at lunch.  That's, what?  An hour without coverage?  I think a teenager should be able to handle that.  It's the real world, wake up and stop being spoiled.

[LostArtofRolando]

The school can't prepare for every eventuality.  It's like saying, hey kids should carry their own guns just in case Columbine happens at their school.  I concede that is definitely a good time to have a cell phone in school, but still don't change my position on it. 

[elmono311]

The original fear of cell phones in school was because school officials believed if you had a cell phone or pager, you were making drug deals. Granted, this was back in the mid-90s when cell phones were more expensive

[disnut8]

The original fear of cell phones in school was because school officials believed if you had a cell phone or pager, you were making drug deals. Granted, this was back in the mid-90s when cell phones were more expensive

Then the schools should get their heads out of their asses and realize that just about EVERYONE has a cell phone these days.  It's practically a necessity here in Atlanta.  The problem that I see is just like with almost everything in America.  We are so freaking spoiled.  And then we abuse the spoils we have.  And then we actually whine about not being spoiled enough.

These kids know the rules of cell phone use in their school.  They just don't give a s***.  The challenge here is to have them give a s***.

[LostArtofRolando]

Haha, and remarkably that's all teaching really is, except theyre not worried about cell phones, they're worried about getting students to give a S*** about their future or learning.  It's a lot harder than it seems.

[disnut8]

Oh, I don't think the teachers should be the only ones to get the kids to give a s***.  That should be the parents responsibility, primarily.  You can have the best teacher in the world give all the motivation he/she can but if that kid goes home and gets ignored by his/her parent(s), it's not going to stick.  Schools are not eight hours of free babysitting.  If a parent treats it like that, of course the kid isn't going to give a s***.

[Vengeance]

I agree with Rolando for the most part. I like the check in idea, but mostly for classes where tests are going to be taken.

As for the rest of it? I would say that if it's something like a girl getting a msg from a friend about a breakup or a sale at the mall then they should have a very strong punishment. A week's detention with Rolando when he's NOT your friend? Yeah, that would scare the shit out of anyone.

But I do want them to have their cell phones just in case, on some level.

Here's another thought for those who mentioned kids having them in case of a Columbine incident.

They're terrified. What if they set their phone down on something or they forget to turn it to silent? What if the reason your kid gets killed is because the shooter heard their phone and found them? It's a really dangerous line, but thinking about it...if I had to choose to wait all day to find out my kid is alive as opposed to getting my kid killed because I wanted to see if she was okay or a friend txtd her...I'll take my kid alive any day.

The only thing I like cells for in schools (and teachers can do this) is if something does happen, it's a great tool for the media. Some cells can record a good amount of video and that's what shows up on the news a lot of the time.

[jitspoe]

Vengeance has a point.  In the extremely rare event that something like the Columbine incident happens, either your kid is going to be OK or not.  Calling him/her on the cell phone isn't going to change that.

I think cell phones should just be delt with like this:

http://www.shoutfile.com/v/wZU3QruZ/Angry_Professor_vs._Cell_Phone

[LostArtofRolando]

Suh-weet! I wish I had done that when I was a teacher.

[Vengeance]

I agree that something needed to be done, but I would have been in jail for assault if he'd have done that to me. Cuz I'd have kicked his scrawny ass.

BUT what type of idiot sits and just talks on a cell during class? I mean if you have an emergency situation, get up and get out and deal with it!

So for being a moron, that kid sucks.

Me? I'd just be in his face screaming at him to get the f*ck out of my class.

Or I'd take the phone and talk to the person on the other end and tell them off, too.

I hate stupid people. I really really hate them.

[jitspoe]

I hate stupid people. I really really hate them.

You're living on the wrong planet, then.

[elmono311]

And in the wrong profession

[disnut8]

Funny story (sorry, it does have to do with Disney World).  Cruela de Vil was entertaining a nice size crowd (my sister witnessed this).  A guy was talking on his cell phone the whole time.  Cruela took the phone out of his hand and said "who are you and why are you bothering me?" in that classic Cruela voice.  And then she turned off the phone, gave it back to the guy and sauntered away as only she can do.  Sandy said the guy's chin was on the ground.

[Vengeance]

And in the wrong profession

Journalism? Nah, at least I didn't keep up with social work.