The class was called Introduction to Health Care Careers. The students were grouped into partners, and each group had their own station. Each station explored a different health care career such as optometry, dentistry, nursing, veterinary, and a few others that I can't recall off the top of my head.
They were working on one of their activities. I walked the room, made sure most were on task, and then I took a seat at the teacher's desk. And repeated several times during class.
The two girls right behind me claimed that they had finished this activity already, so they were watching something on YouTube. Not ideal, but these were the kinds of students I trusted, so I didn't give them a hard time, just taking a look at what they were looking at before moving on.
I was in my seat when I heard the crash behind me. Both girls had fallen out of their chairs.
So, they weren't on task, but now it was clear that they weren't peacefully entertaining themselves. Now they had my undivided attention.
(From what I could gather, whatever they had been watching on one of their phones shocked them so badly they backed away quickly and... Of course, they found this very, very funny. So, not sure if it was something funny that made them fall or something scary.)
They did not like this one bit. I was staring. And they were "uncomfortable". Well, yeah. Them falling out of their chairs makes me uncomfortable.
They protested loudly that I was now watching them. One picked up her phone to "film" me. "You don't like that, do you?" No, not really, but I'll put up with it to make sure you don't hurt yourself.
I waited for them to settle into whatever it was they were going to do before turning my attention away. But my attention on them made them keep their attention on me. And they were angry.
And I needed their names. Because the station they were at did not have students assigned. Naturally, one girl called the other by her name. (If I had asked their names, they would have lied. But if I don't tell them I'm looking for names so I can write them down, someone will let a name slip.)
Girls falling out of their chairs definitely need a mention in the note.
Yeah! Because you don't want to get in trouble for them injuring themselves in class. Sheesh.
ReplyDeleteReally? They started filming you because you were watching them? Because it's not like it's your job to keep an eye on them or anything.
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing that whatever shocked them so much was definitely not something they were supposed to be looking at. That might also be why they got so defensive.
Once again I just offer you my praise. I do not know how you do it!
ReplyDeleteSome days I have a great sense of humor about it. That helps.
DeleteThey were angry at you? Why? I'm sure the whole class was staring at that point. They were the clumsy ones.
ReplyDeleteTeenage girls are.....no words. LOL And the fact that teens just film anything nowadays is ridiculous. I was annoyed just by reading that they filmed you for watching them when you were only trying to see what the heck they were doing.
ReplyDeleteI doubt they were really filming. Because that would be a boring video. Of me looking at them. And doing nothing.
DeleteEven good girls can turn on a dime when the hormones start rushing... I had not considered that the kids now film everything! And so now my mind is whirring with thoughts about image ownership and copyright. Really the Law is so far behind the reality isn't it.
ReplyDeleteIf it came to that (and I doubt they were really filming me), I could always call for an administrator to force them to delete anything they had recorded.
DeleteGosh, are all of these students, even the supposedly trustworthy ones, that rude? Is this the norm? I hope not!
ReplyDeleteI'd love to know what Youtube video surprised them enough to make them fall over. :)
ReplyDeleteI know. That's a good question.
DeleteIt's really a good thing I decided NOT to go into teaching. I clearly don't have the patience for it.
ReplyDeleteWow. I'm dying to know what they were looking at. And the filming thing -- sheesh. There are situations going on today where people need to be filmed, but this is not one of them.
ReplyDeleteYeah, well, they thought it was.
DeleteThey definitely were guilty, otherwise they wouldn't have gotten so angry at you for watching them. They probably wanted to go back and re-watch that video!
ReplyDeletebetty
Probably.
DeleteThat is dreadful behaviour. Horrible girls. I can't believe they started filming you! The cheek!
ReplyDeleteI don't think they were actually filming. Because boring.
DeleteWow. How bratty people are these days. That they even have phones is ridiculous to me.
ReplyDeleteOh you made them uncomfortable-Hahahaa-I love it. I would be staring at them big time
ReplyDeleteOnce again, you make me so glad I'm not a teacher. Why are they even allowed to have phones in class?!?
ReplyDeleteThe phone thing... Sigh... You try getting cell phones out of a teen's hands. It's not going to happen.
DeleteBut seriously, they have their good uses. More teachers are incorporating them into their lesson plans (students hate looking up words in dictionaries, but looking them up on their phones...). And there's nothing quite as good to get them to shut up and focus on their assignment than when they have those earbuds in with music drowning out their surroundings.
Cell phones aren't going away. They're becoming more and more a part of our everyday lives. Why shouldn't we embrace them and try to teach the teens the proper way to handle them in a group setting?