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Would a policy of telling everyone to shut them off during class time and confiscating cell phones (well, at least until the end of the class etc.) if they're caught ringing or if students are talking on them, not work or be impractical?
I mean some things probably changed since I went to high school even just around the start/early part of this millennium, such as the rise of texting versus just talking, as well as more subtle or quiet ring tones/vibrating instead of ringing etc. so that could be a complicating factor.
It would be an every day occurance. The problem is, there's no real penalty for using a cell phone in class. If I enforce the school rule, I take the cell phone, which I can only do if I catch them red handed and that's hard given I have to walk to where they are and look under the desk to see what they're doing and that gives them time to put it away unless they're so engrossed in their text they don't notice me walking towards them or their friends trying to warn them I'm walking towards them. Taking the cell phone just means they don't have it to use in school which is what they were supposed to do in the first place. So, if they get caught, they get made to follow the rule because I take the phone. If they dont' get caught, or can put it away before I can get to where they are and actually see them texting (they lie and say things like they were twiddling their thumbs or cleaning their nails) they get the reward of texting during school.
I rarely hear phones go off and when I do it's not a student who tends to use them in class as they don't think to turn their ringers off because they don't use their phones during the day. It will be in a purse or pocked and I'll just tell them if I hear it again, it's mine. The kids to text and post on line during class know to turn off the ringer.
This is a no win for me. I do see kids texting and I'll walk over to where they are, if my lecture permits it, and they put the phone away and that's that until I turn my back again. Unfortunately, I have to actually SEE it. If you've read my other posts, I had a student cheat on my last test. She has wrong set ups that by some miracle have the right answers???? Because I didn't actually SEE her cheat, I was told to offer her a retake on the test or accept what she turned in. The problem is desks aren't transparent. I have to walk across the room to see what they're doing and that gives them plenty of warning to put it way before I see it. Then they just lie and say they were just playing with their pencil or something and I look like an idiot. Seriously, they know the odds are in their favor and even if they get caught, the only penalty is the rule gets enforced.
It would be an every day occurance. The problem is, there's no real penalty for using a cell phone in class. If I enforce the school rule, I take the cell phone, which I can only do if I catch them red handed and that's hard given I have to walk to where they are and look under the desk to see what they're doing and that gives them time to put it away unless they're so engrossed in their text they don't notice me walking towards them or their friends trying to warn them I'm walking towards them. Taking the cell phone just means they don't have it to use in school which is what they were supposed to do in the first place. So, if they get caught, they get made to follow the rule because I take the phone. If they dont' get caught, or can put it away before I can get to where they are and actually see them texting (they lie and say things like they were twiddling their thumbs or cleaning their nails) they get the reward of texting during school.
I rarely hear phones go off and when I do it's not a student who tends to use them in class as they don't think to turn their ringers off because they don't use their phones during the day. It will be in a purse or pocked and I'll just tell them if I hear it again, it's mine. The kids to text and post on line during class know to turn off the ringer.
This is a no win for me. I do see kids texting and I'll walk over to where they are, if my lecture permits it, and they put the phone away and that's that until I turn my back again. Unfortunately, I have to actually SEE it. If you've read my other posts, I had a student cheat on my last test. She has wrong set ups that by some miracle have the right answers???? Because I didn't actually SEE her cheat, I was told to offer her a retake on the test or accept what she turned in. The problem is desks aren't transparent. I have to walk across the room to see what they're doing and that gives them plenty of warning to put it way before I see it. Then they just lie and say they were just playing with their pencil or something and I look like an idiot. Seriously, they know the odds are in their favor and even if they get caught, the only penalty is the rule gets enforced.
Why is there no other penalty? Why can't there be a detention of some sort? Trust me if the policy is enforced it will work. All the reasons you keep giving exist because it's not enforced.
So why don't you have her retake the test? I don't see the problem here. They are right that if you don't have proof you can't treat it as if you do. That would not work in a court of law. Students should have the right to some sort of due process. But if you were sure she cheated then why not administer the new test?
Why is there no other penalty? Why can't there be a detention of some sort? Trust me if the policy is enforced it will work. All the reasons you keep giving exist because it's not enforced.
So why don't you have her retake the test? I don't see the problem here. They are right that if you don't have proof you can't treat it as if you do. That would not work in a court of law. Students should have the right to some sort of due process. But if you were sure she cheated then why not administer the new test?
Because parents balk. Cell phones are taken to the office. I think they have to be either picked up by a parent or a parent has to call and release the phone after about the 3rd offense. However, that's not really the problem. I have to catch them red handed. I can know they are texting under the table but if I don't see thumbs on phones, I can't do anything and they pocket the phone before I can walk to a position that allows me to see what they are doing then lie about what they were doing.
I'm supposed to let a girl I know cheated retake a test after having, now, two more weeks to study and she's seen the test material? I don't think so. While you're correct I can't zing her for cheating, I don't have to accept answers where the set ups and answers don't match. Especially when there are multiple such problems on the test. On the day she was supposed to come after school to finish the written portion I told her she was going to have to show me how she got those answers or I wasn't giving her credit for them. She decided to go home sick before my class that day and missed the other half of the test. So, she didn't finish the first half, she didn't come in to show me how she got those answers so she could get some credit for them and she didn't take the second half of the test. That was 2 weeks ago. School policy is you get one day for every day you're absent to make up work. She's 9 days late....and the office gave me the option of grading what she turned in so that's what I did. The fact her parents haven't called screaming yet tells all there is to tell. She either told them she cheated or doesn't want them to talk to me because I'm going to show them that test and let them decide. You're right that I can't do anything but I'd love for her parents to call on this one. I don't even have to say she cheated. I just have to point out that I don't accept answers that appear to come from thin air on tests. That's in my syllabus.
Oh, and for the rest of the year, she will get a different version of my test and, again, if answers don't match set ups...no credit.
Last edited by Ivorytickler; 03-16-2012 at 08:41 PM..
Oh jeez, not the mommy wars again. Next you're going to use the snowflake analogy again.
I for one, think that using a cell phone when ANYONE is talking to you is rude and it's not just kids that do it. I'm 50 and when we go out with our friends, we can't get through one dinner without someone checking their phone for messages or sending texts. Nothing to do with "mommy wars", it's just technology overload. I'm as guilty as the next person, but there's is a line to be drawn as far as students go.
The simplest thing to do is assume that all kids have cell phones and have them put them face down on their desks at the beginning of every class.
This works fine in my school.
There is no theft. I am not even sure how there could be.
Phone is on the desk, students are in their seats. How can someone steal a phone without every single person in the class seeing it?
There is no theft. I am not even sure how there could be.
Phone is on the desk, students are in their seats. How can someone steal a phone without every single person in the class seeing it?
Easy, you wait until someone is looking the othe direction and take the phone or take the phone of someone who forgot to pick it up.
I do make my students put their phones on their desk during tests and I've had several forget them there. It would be easy enough to pocket a phone. In my school, the only danger of that is if one student doesn't like another student. They don't steal to get the phones. They steal to make sure the person who owns the phone doesn't have the phone.
How can someone steal something without being seen? I've had lots of things stolen from me during classes. Some kids like to steal just to steal.
Easy, you wait until someone is looking the othe direction and take the phone or take the phone of someone who forgot to pick it up.
I do make my students put their phones on their desk during tests and I've had several forget them there. It would be easy enough to pocket a phone. In my school, the only danger of that is if one student doesn't like another student. They don't steal to get the phones. They steal to make sure the person who owns the phone doesn't have the phone.
How can someone steal something without being seen? I've had lots of things stolen from me during classes. Some kids like to steal just to steal.
My daughter says her math teacher makes the kids put their phones on HIS desk, and grab them once they're done. Why don't you do that?
My daughter says her math teacher makes the kids put their phones on HIS desk, and grab them once they're done. Why don't you do that?
Because there is nothing to stop someone else from grabbing someon elses phone and then I'm buying a new phone for someone. They don't pay me enough to do that. And besides, all they have to do is lie and say they don't have their phone with them. You're relying on their honesty to turn the phone in. The ones I'm having the problems with won't. On test days, when I tell them to put them on their desks, only about half do. The half I didn't have to worry about in the first place. The rest tell me it's in their locker. I'm not allowed to search them and I don't have a cell phone detecting wand in my bag of tricks. If they tell me they don't have their phone with them, I have to accept that.
I'm sorry but if you supply a phone for your child and your child plays on it instead of listens in my class, that's his choice. My job is to teach. I'm going to teach the kids who want to learn. Perhaps the lesson the one texting instead of listening needs to learn is to listen instead of text.
Towards the end of last year, I was reviewing for a test (something I rarely do). One girl who, constantly, was on her phone in my class demanded "WHEN did you teach us that?". Before I could answer, half the class answered "When you were texting.". It was hard to keep a straight face. This girl complained that I can't teach all year long when the problem was she didn't listen.
Seriously, if I put the phones on my desk, I wouldn't get them all because some kids would lie about having them and all it would take is one student mad at me stealing another phone so I get the bill. I'm not going there. The problem with taking phones is one of liability and I really don't think it would be effective because the ones most likely to use theirs during the hour aren't the ones turning them in. What I need is the legal right to block cell phones in my room.
Last edited by Ivorytickler; 03-17-2012 at 05:10 AM..
I'm telling you ... faraday cage.
If you do two walls, you will probably cut off almost all signal in the room. Even if you do one wall, you will create dead spots; and you can sit students based on the dead spots.
I'm telling you ... faraday cage.
If you do two walls, you will probably cut off almost all signal in the room. Even if you do one wall, you will create dead spots; and you can sit students based on the dead spots.
I see a lot of wire in next year's supply order...
The really sad part is we're just teaching our kids to lie here. If you ask them to put their phone on the desk, they just lie and say they don't have one. If you think they're texting under the table, they lie and say they were picking at their cuticles or twiddling their thumbs. The most effective thing I've found for dealing with this is the good old pop quiz but that also zings the kids who just take a while to digest new concepts.
I see a lot of wire in next year's supply order...
The really sad part is we're just teaching our kids to lie here. If you ask them to put their phone on the desk, they just lie and say they don't have one. If you think they're texting under the table, they lie and say they were picking at their cuticles or twiddling their thumbs. The most effective thing I've found for dealing with this is the good old pop quiz but that also zings the kids who just take a while to digest new concepts.
I just don't see why having a policy that is communicated at the beginning of the year, by the teachers and administrators that says simply "Electronic devices are not allowed to be turned on when on campus. If a teacher sees a student using the device, or hears the device go off, the teacher will take the device from the student. In addition to the device being confiscated the student will also receive the appropriate consequence".
The appropriate consequence is whatever the school would normally give for offenses that don't require suspension. A detention might be in order, or cleaning the cafeteria after lunch. The point is that if a culture is set up schoolwide at the beginning of the year there will not be a major issue. Will some students get away with it? Sure they will. But it won't be a rampant, obvious, issue.
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