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Old 08-10-2009, 09:00 AM
 
10,629 posts, read 26,650,244 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Old Gringo View Post
School isn't the place for cell phones. Kids have a short enough attention span as it is.
I don't think this particular debate is about whether or not kids should have cell phones in the classroom; it's more about whether or not cell phones should be totally banned from school property (unless kept in cars of those students who drive).

I think cell phones do not belong in the classroom. I do think students should be allowed to bring them with them to school so that they can have access to them as they go to and from school.
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Old 08-11-2009, 03:19 AM
 
Location: Central CT, sometimes FL and NH.
4,500 posts, read 6,744,916 times
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If the phone rings in the classroom it gets confiscated and sent to the office. In a class of 30 with limited time to teach important concepts there is no time for phone calls.

If it's an emergency, call the office. They will certainly respond immediately for true emergencies or convey important messages.
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Old 08-12-2009, 02:29 PM
 
Location: Midwest
9,268 posts, read 11,017,917 times
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Default Students Banned from Having Cell Phones at School

Good!!
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Old 08-12-2009, 08:14 PM
 
Location: in my mind
2,743 posts, read 14,264,601 times
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I would have agreed in general with many of these posts until I experienced problems first hand with my children's SCHOOL not relaying messages.

That and the fact that they (office staff) are out the door and the office is locked long before my 17 year old was even dismissed, since HS was dismissed last... so there was no PHONE for him to use when he got out.

On a few rare occasions, I needed him to retrieve his younger brother and take the bus home (city bus, not school bus, since there isn't one)...

Once or twice I had some genuine issue and couldn't get there on time. Car dead, etc. Calling the office would have gotten me NOWHERE.

So yes, when the school tried to ban cell phones entirely, I told them to answer their own phones and be responsible about delivering messages and at that point I would agree. My son never got in trouble for using his phone inappropriately. I spoke with EACH of his teachers about this, to explain why he had the phone, and they all assured me he was not one of the "offenders".

So in my case, the phone was necessary and he knew to only turn it on after dismissal... and it was not an issue. I tire of the generalizations about teens.... they aren't ALL liars, sneaks, and delinquents!

I agree with the person who said that at some point they need to learn to function with the temptation of the phone right there, and learn to LEAVE it alone when working, whether that's at school or in a job. I am a college student (obviously a "non-traditional", i.e. older one!) and I've come across more 20-somethings in classes I've taken who need a cell phone ban more than my teenage son ever did. Texting, cheating, phones ringing during lectures, surfing the 'net on laptops while pretending to "take notes"... ugh!
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Old 08-12-2009, 10:36 PM
 
1,367 posts, read 5,723,524 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fierce_flawless View Post
I would have agreed in general with many of these posts until I experienced problems first hand with my children's SCHOOL not relaying messages.

That and the fact that they (office staff) are out the door and the office is locked long before my 17 year old was even dismissed, since HS was dismissed last... so there was no PHONE for him to use when he got out.

On a few rare occasions, I needed him to retrieve his younger brother and take the bus home (city bus, not school bus, since there isn't one)...

Once or twice I had some genuine issue and couldn't get there on time. Car dead, etc. Calling the office would have gotten me NOWHERE.

So yes, when the school tried to ban cell phones entirely, I told them to answer their own phones and be responsible about delivering messages and at that point I would agree. My son never got in trouble for using his phone inappropriately. I spoke with EACH of his teachers about this, to explain why he had the phone, and they all assured me he was not one of the "offenders".

So in my case, the phone was necessary and he knew to only turn it on after dismissal... and it was not an issue. I tire of the generalizations about teens.... they aren't ALL liars, sneaks, and delinquents!

I agree with the person who said that at some point they need to learn to function with the temptation of the phone right there, and learn to LEAVE it alone when working, whether that's at school or in a job. I am a college student (obviously a "non-traditional", i.e. older one!) and I've come across more 20-somethings in classes I've taken who need a cell phone ban more than my teenage son ever did. Texting, cheating, phones ringing during lectures, surfing the 'net on laptops while pretending to "take notes"... ugh!
I completely agree about 20-somethings sometimes being less responsible than teenagers... even some ADULT students I teach don't know or practice proper etiquette!

Hey, this discussion gave me an idea... highschools should have a class dedicated to manners, responsibility and appropriate use of 21st century technology! Seriously, a short course to review how to make sure cellphones aren't distracting from work/school, Facebook pages aren't ruining potential job prospects, how to use tech for networking not just socializing, etc. Also how to communicate appropriately via email/text (i.e. don't send emails to profs/TAs starting with "wut up, i missed class, lol!"). Sounds trivial but could really do a world of good!

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Old 08-14-2009, 11:34 AM
 
Location: New Orleans, LA
239 posts, read 610,706 times
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I loathe the use of cell phones in school. At the end of the school year, our students were using them to send mass texts and IMs to plan assaults on specific kids and senior pranks (which are actually just riots and involve the entire student body). When the school decided to ban them, a lot of parents flipped. Some even stopped sending their kids to school for those last few days (though I think the safety issues also had a part in this).
Also, if you youtube subjects such as 'crazy teacher' or 'substitute flips out' you will see what some kids are using those video camera features for.
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Old 08-15-2009, 12:29 AM
 
Location: in my mind
2,743 posts, read 14,264,601 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MegDrew View Post
I loathe the use of cell phones in school. At the end of the school year, our students were using them to send mass texts and IMs to plan assaults on specific kids and senior pranks (which are actually just riots and involve the entire student body). When the school decided to ban them, a lot of parents flipped. Some even stopped sending their kids to school for those last few days (though I think the safety issues also had a part in this).
Also, if you youtube subjects such as 'crazy teacher' or 'substitute flips out' you will see what some kids are using those video camera features for.
I still think that there's no problem with banning their use during school hours or in class (that's just common sense), but that's different from banning them entirely.

I, for one, am rather tired of some other person's brat causing consequences for MY kids who behave excellently. Really. If you look across the board at many school rules, most of the most extreme are in place because of crappy parents and their lack of involvement, discipline, etc. The good kids get punished and it's just not right. It's like the spiral notebook thing. Can't have spirals anymore because some kid(s) dismantled them and used the wire as a weapon? Jeezus. Pretty soon we won't know if we're in an airport security line or our local Jr. High. LOL. So sad. Wish I could homeschool or go private again.
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Old 08-15-2009, 09:22 AM
 
Location: The Big D
14,862 posts, read 42,722,234 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fierce_flawless View Post
If you look across the board at many school rules, most of the most extreme are in place because of crappy parents and their lack of involvement, discipline, etc. The good kids get punished and it's just not right.


It's like the spiral notebook thing. Can't have spirals anymore because some kid(s) dismantled them and used the wire as a weapon? Jeezus. Pretty soon we won't know if we're in an airport security line or our local Jr. High. LOL. So sad. Wish I could homeschool or go private again.
It is the good kids AND the good parents that get punished. The parents are to blame for a lot of this. Like I said earlier, if you gotta call your kid even twice a week to ask them to do something DURING SCHOOL HOURS and you want to instantly get ahold of them........ the PARENT is the one that is the **** poor planner. I'd NEVER dream to call my child AT SCHOOL to ask them to stop at the store and pick up something. Yet there are parents that even on here have said they want to do that. I've even heard parents at church and other places, "oh, I want to call him to see if he can........" (insert: pick up his brother/sister, stop at the store, etc). What happened to the parents making sure this stuff got done WITHOUT having to interupt the classroom.


Your kidding, right? No spiral notebooks? OH HEAVENS!!! At least we didn't have that ban. Are they going to ban #2 pencils as well since they too can become a weapon if used improperly. Loose leaf paper could be dangerous as well. I know I've gotten a many of a paper cut and those things hurt like the dickens. I'd say there needed to be a call before the school board if a ban like that needs to even be brought up. Remove the desks too as a kid could pick one up and hit another student with it.
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Old 08-15-2009, 03:44 PM
 
Location: in my mind
2,743 posts, read 14,264,601 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by momof2dfw View Post
It is the good kids AND the good parents that get punished. The parents are to blame for a lot of this. Like I said earlier, if you gotta call your kid even twice a week to ask them to do something DURING SCHOOL HOURS and you want to instantly get ahold of them........ the PARENT is the one that is the **** poor planner. I'd NEVER dream to call my child AT SCHOOL to ask them to stop at the store and pick up something. Yet there are parents that even on here have said they want to do that. I've even heard parents at church and other places, "oh, I want to call him to see if he can........" (insert: pick up his brother/sister, stop at the store, etc). What happened to the parents making sure this stuff got done WITHOUT having to interupt the classroom.


Your kidding, right? No spiral notebooks? OH HEAVENS!!! At least we didn't have that ban. Are they going to ban #2 pencils as well since they too can become a weapon if used improperly. Loose leaf paper could be dangerous as well. I know I've gotten a many of a paper cut and those things hurt like the dickens. I'd say there needed to be a call before the school board if a ban like that needs to even be brought up. Remove the desks too as a kid could pick one up and hit another student with it.
LOL, yes, my mom (born in 1942) had a pencil lead IN her hand, under the skin, for years, because another kid stabbed her with a pencil in grade school!

Here we have bans on spirals, requirements for mesh or see through backpacks.... no metal detectors (yet) but I wouldn't be surprised!

What's funny (and not to veer TOO far off topic) to me is the uniform policies in some of the inner city schools here, to deal with gang problems. Well guess what, now, in my mind, the uniform for THOSE schools has become equated with little gang bangers. So many thug types at those schools, that when you see that particular uniform it's the first thing that pops in your head, because you know what school they came from... and especially because as soon as school lets out they (the boys anyway) let the pants sag and remove their shirts (so they just have an undershirt on).... it didn't really solve anything! If the district with the problems had chosen colors that were the same as other districts across town maybe it would have had a different effect... but many of the other districts don't have uniform policies so it immediately marks kids as coming from inner-city schools!
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Old 08-15-2009, 03:57 PM
 
Location: Pa
42,763 posts, read 52,717,738 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Robhu View Post
I agree with this ban.
You go to school to learn. Not to be pre-occupied about who you will talk to or text next.
They should be banned at schools, and the work place if it interrupts you doing your job.
you know where else it should be banned the amusement park workers. On the news some kid was texting when the ride was faulty..someone screamed for him to turn the machine off...but he was too busy texting.
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