OT: Question for the teachers

[Deepster]

My sister is a high school teacher and constantly complains that the kids in her class are addicted to their phones and constantly use them during class to text, play games and surf the internet.

My obvious response is: Don't let them use their phones.

She says that she tells them first thing to turn the phones off and put them away in a pocket or backpack. But, they don't listen or sneak them out as class goes on.

My obvious response is: Put a basket on your desk and make them drop their phone in there as they enter.

She says they won't do it and would have their parents call to complain.

At the end of the discussion, my stance is always "You don't have control over the kids. If you want them to do something like this, make it happen or stop complaining" and her stance is always "You don't teach teenage kids for a living and you don't understand."

So, what don't I understand here? If the kid won't listen, send them to the Principal. If the parent complains, tell them that's your classroom rule and if they need to get in touch with during your class time, they can call the front office number. What am I missing?

 

[Leebo]

If she's catching them do it, are they not getting detentions when that happens?

 

[temery]

My sister is a high school teacher and constantly complains that the kids in her class are addicted to their phones and constantly use them during class to text, play games and surf the internet.

My obvious response is: Don't let them use their phones.

She says that she tells them first thing to turn the phones off and put them away in a pocket or backpack. But, they don't listen or sneak them out as class goes on.

My obvious response is: Put a basket on your desk and make them drop their phone in there as they enter.

She says they won't do it and would have their parents call to complain.

At the end of the discussion, my stance is always "You don't have control over the kids. If you want them to do something like this, make it happen or stop complaining" and her stance is always "You don't teach teenage kids for a living and you don't understand."

So, what don't I understand here? If the kid won't listen, send them to the Principal. If the parent complains, tell them that's your classroom rule and if they need to get in touch with during your class time, they can call the front office number. What am I missing?

If I see a phone, I take it, and text "mom" in their contact list, saying, "I love you, mom. What can I do tonight to make your life easier? Mow the lawn? Cook? Name it!"

My school has an off and away policy. I seriously do this, but it would be worthless without a school policy.

 

[mets1090]

I went to high school right around the time every teenager began having phones. First offense was generally just "Put the phone away." After that it was having it taken away. After that it escalated to any number of things like detention, grade deductions for poor participation, additional assignments, etc.

At the end of the day, what the teacher says goes. No one is getting in trouble with the administration because they took a kids phone away during class after a warning. Then again, my classmates were generally not asshats as far as high school students go.

Edit: Another one I just remembered - For the cases of a student who just wouldn't care about detention and that kind of stuff, one of my teachers would let the rest of class do something fun for the last 10 minutes of class while that kid had to continue working on whatever. For some kids, those 10 minutes could be more annoying than an hour of detention.

 

[CL82]

My kids high school gave up, opened up WiFi to students and incorporated smart phone, laptop, tablet use into the curriculum. I agree with Deepster's world view, however. Though I'm not a teacher, I have worked with teens in larger groups and longer time periods than a classroom setting and instituted a no cellphone policy that was embraced after the expected blow back. I acknowledge that that's an apples to oranges comparison, however, as attendance wasn't compulsory.

 

[Dove]

Your sister has to start next year as the windshield, not the bug.

Won't be easy but when kids see others get disiplined then they hopefully follow the rules.

 

[Rico444]

Ruling with an iron fist is great and all, but that style of discipline just will not work in every district.

 

[Kitaman]

Is it time to put cameras in classrooms so the parents can view their kids? I go to resturants and see parents and kids on their phones and not talking to each other. I see parents driving their kids to school and both are on their phones.

The phone is like an extension of a person nowadays equal to one's eyes, hands, voice, etc..

Lastly I see kids (and adults) texting and flying through stop signs and red lights, its messed up out here.

Sorry didn't mean to railroad this, end of rant.

 

[temery]

I should add - in my school, a phone is taken away and a parent has to retrieve the phone after school hours. This is after one warning. Parents care more when they are inconvenienced.

 

[Deepster]

Ruling with an iron fist is great and all, but that style of discipline just will not work in every district.

Is that really ruling with an iron fist? Asking that you pay attention to the teacher and not texting your friends?

What if a kid is using bomb every 3rd word? Are you ruling with an iron fist to say that's unacceptable too? Schools have a structure and rules to follow. No?

 

[Fishy]

I should add - in my school, a phone is taken away and a parent has to retrieve the phone after school hours. This is after one warning. Parents care more when they are inconvenienced.

That...is the answer.

Of course, my kid goes to Catholic school where we got a letter home when the swoosh on our 10-year old's Nikes was too colorful and violated the "white sneaker" rule.

 

[BearJWS]

Imagine if we weren't allowed on The Boneyard while working. What should our bosses do as punishment???

 

[Kitaman]

Imagine if we weren't allowed on The Boneyard while working. What should our bosses do as punishment???

Shhhhh. . . . . . . . . . . . . . don't wake up the kids.

 

[Rico444]

Is that really ruling with an iron fist? Asking that you pay attention to the teacher and not texting your friends?

What if a kid is using bomb every 3rd word? Are you ruling with an iron fist to say that's unacceptable too? Schools have a structure and rules to follow. No?

In a perfect world, you're absolutely right that would be great. I'm just it's not as simple as "My way or the highway!" because half the school (or more) would get suspended.

 

[mets1090]

In a perfect world, you're absolutely right that would be great. I'm just it's not as simple as "My way or the highway!" because half the school (or more) would get suspended.

You don't need to suspend them, you just need to figure out what punishments (or reinforcements) will actually get them to listen. "Because I said so" will obviously fall on deaf ears most of the time.

 

[Rico444]

You don't need to suspend them, you just need to figure out what punishments (or reinforcements) will actually get them to listen. "Because I said so" will obviously fall on deaf ears most of the time.

There aren't enough resources in the school to implement a system where you're actively challenging a kid every time they act up in the slightest. You have to let stuff go if you want to have any chance of teaching the other kids anything, otherwise you just turn into a babysitter.

I'm not talking about every district, just some.

 

[husky99]

My school has interesting approach.
1st is a teacher warning
2nd time teacher takes it to the end of class
3rd time it goes to the office and a parent has to pick it up

It works well

 

[temery]

That...is the answer.

Of course, my kid goes to Catholic school where we got a letter home when the swoosh on our 10-year old's Nikes was too colorful and violated the "white sneaker" rule.

White sneakers. Just Do It!


Sincerely,

Sister Agnes

 

[mauconnfan]

Another teacher-type question:

Where are all these hot teachers coming from who are banging their students? I didn't have any of those this needs to stop, kids need to be smarter!

 

[uconnfan68]

My sister is a high school teacher and constantly complains that the kids in her class are addicted to their phones and constantly use them during class to text, play games and surf the internet.

My obvious response is: Don't let them use their phones.

She says that she tells them first thing to turn the phones off and put them away in a pocket or backpack. But, they don't listen or sneak them out as class goes on.

My obvious response is: Put a basket on your desk and make them drop their phone in there as they enter.

She says they won't do it and would have their parents call to complain.

At the end of the discussion, my stance is always "You don't have control over the kids. If you want them to do something like this, make it happen or stop complaining" and her stance is always "You don't teach teenage kids for a living and you don't understand."

So, what don't I understand here? If the kid won't listen, send them to the Principal. If the parent complains, tell them that's your classroom rule and if they need to get in touch with during your class time, they can call the front office number. What am I missing?

I can answer this... she doesn't want your solutions... she just wants your sympathy. At least that's what I have learned the hard way in 35 years of marriage.

 

[8893]

My kids high school gave up, opened up WiFi to students and incorporated smart phone, laptop, tablet use into the curriculum. I agree with Deepster's world view, however. Though I'm not a teacher, I have worked with teens in larger groups and longer time periods than a classroom setting and instituted a no cellphone policy that was embraced after the expected blow back. I acknowledge that that's an apples to oranges comparison, however, as attendance wasn't compulsory.

Our entire school system gave up two years ago and did the same and I don't like it either. As a result, our 14-year old is far more addicted to it than our 16-year old is, as the older one went longer in school before the policy change.

I fought for the Catholic school option and was rejected. Hoping that perhaps I may prevail with our youngest when we see how the public school turns out with her older sisters.

 

[temery]

Is it time to put cameras in classrooms so the parents can view their kids? I go to resturants and see parents and kids on their phones and not talking to each other. I see parents driving their kids to school and both are on their phones.

The phone is like an extension of a person nowadays equal to one's eyes, hands, voice, etc..

Lastly I see kids (and adults) texting and flying through stop signs and red lights, its messed up out here.

Sorry didn't mean to railroad this, end of rant.

Most teachers don't want cameras in the classroom any more than the students.

 

[Jim]

Kids are feeling peer pressure to look at/use their phones, so the teacher needs to apply peer pressure to get kids to stop. The teacher should have a policy where if anyone gets caught using a phone during class, the class stops for a pop quiz which will count towards final grades. One of two things will occur: kids will stop using their phones if classmates keep failing quizzes, or all the kids will be studying harder and not failing when someone else breaks the rule.

 

[temery]

Ruling with an iron fist is great and all, but that style of discipline just will not work in every district.

It works in every district, just not in every situation.

 

[RichZ]

I

Most teachers don't want cameras in the classroom any more than the students.

I read that as the teachers not wanting cameras OR students in their classroom. "I'd like this job a lot better without all these damned kids in here breaking my concentration."