They were supposed to be watching the movie Anne Frank. Instead, they were talking, so I was walking around the room. I caught a boy with his cell phone out on his desk.
"Put it away," I said. (I was being nice. I could have just confiscated the thing.)
He mumbled some excuse and put it in his pocket. He attempted to pull it out again when he thought I wasn't looking. I informed him that if I saw it again, I was going to confiscate it.
"You can't do that!" he informed me. "You're just a sub. You can't take my cell phone."
I can't, can I? I don't have the authority? The office won't accept confiscated cell phones from a lowly sub? Silly boy. I have done this before, and the office is more than happy to take the devices off my hands. And you will give it to me, or I will get security, the principal, or both involved, and then it will get really ugly.
I said none of this. I just thought it. I thought it as I looked at the boy. I must have had a "he didn't just say that, did he?" look on my face, for the boy quickly recanted.
"I was just kidding. You won't see it again. Could I just reply to this text first?"
I didn't see that cell phone again. (I told him to reply to the text after class.)
The school has since changed their cell phone policy. Now instead of confiscating cell phones, we are to send the students to the office to have the office staff and/or principal confiscate the phone. Apparently, the whole issue has gotten ugly of late, so they've found it works better to have the argument happen in the office rather than having it take up class time.
cell phones are getting out of hand. When do little kids need cell phones? If they are driving then a pay as you go is fine otherwise they would not have one so they can text and watch things on youtube and play games..ughhh
ReplyDeleteMy stepdaughter is allowed to have her cell phone on her in school...just can't use it during class. It seems odd to me. She said parents want to be able to reach their children 24/7 and that's why they're allowed to have them. Seems we all survived without OUR parents being able to reach us. When we were in school, all they had to do was call the office if they needed us--and our parents didn't even have that handy little phone thing that notified them if school was let out early or you didn't show up...
ReplyDeleteI know. The whole "my mom is calling me right now" thing is kind of silly. But I actually had a boy tell me that he needed to leave the room to answer his phone because his mom was calling. Where did she think he was?
DeleteI love it that he would use that line that you as a sub couldnt't take away his cell phone, so that would imply you really had no authority. Right. I love the new policy; I think it ultimately takes away a lot of stress on the teachers!
ReplyDeletebetty
You must have some great facial expressions going on Liz :)
ReplyDeleteWell, I like to think it was my expression. I don't know for sure.
DeleteBoy I bet the older teachers really miss the pre-cell phone days.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you can just send the students down now. Subs--actually all teachers--don't need the constant distractions and confrontations over it.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, the policy is only at that one school.
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