"No-Cell-Phone" rules for students are out of touch

[busbus]

When I go from school to school and classrooms to classrooms, I'm constantly hearing teachers reminding students of the No Personal Electronics rules. Day in and day out, teachers across the country, I am imagining, try to enforce these rules. It appears that the rules are going into deaf ears. Do the rules mean anything to our students, and, in some cases their parents? Are schools putting teachers in a "no win" situation? I think so!

Trying to enforce these rules causes a great loss of instructional time, and, often puts teachers into compromising situations. So, what are we to do?

A couple of years ago, while helping students who had missed a section or sections of the state's standardized test due to absences, one student's cell phone rang. I had to make a decision right there on the spot. Mind you, this student had to be coerced into taking the test from the get-go. So what was I going to do? To make a long story short, I did nothing except watched and listened. The student fooled me. He answered the phone in a quiet voice, and I heard him say to the person calling, "Hey, I'm taking a test, I'll call you back later." Wasn't that great? A few minutes later, I went over to him and whispered in his ear, "Thank you for letting the person who called you know that you were taking a test and would call back later. Please turn off your phone or put it on vibrate." No problem! He apologized, said that he understood, and then put his phone on vibrate. :D

I was fortunate in this situation. It could have gone another way. I knew that I didn't want to be confrontational because I needed the students to finish the test. The testing window was close to ending and the school needed to have as many students taking and finishing the test as possible.

I've read articles about how students used cell phones to help their friends on the test through text-messaging. And, I've heard students having loud phone conversations during inappropriate times. What are we to do? What are your feelings about the, "No-Cell-Phone" rules?

[Oak Tree]

I went over to him and whispered in his ear, "Thank you for letting the person who called you know that you were taking a test and would call back later. Please turn off your phone or put it on vibrate." No problem! He apologized, said that he understood, and then put his phone on vibrate

If I did that, ten minutes later I would have eight kids making short calls on their cell phones yelling, 'You let him do it!'

[ginger11]

There is a pilicy at the school where I am that no one is allowed to use a cell phone at all. Not even the cafateria workers. I leave my phone on all day. When my students are not in the room I check it and make my personal phone calls. I live 4 hours away from most of my family. I have an 88 year old grandmother...if somethign happens I want to know and I am leaving.

[Oak Tree]

Yeah. We're not supposed to use them either as staff but I use mine as well. I think the students should be able to use them betwen classes and during lunch but I agree with our policy that students who use them during class should face consequences (one day suspension for the first offense).

[Chef Dave]

What are your feelings about the, "No-Cell-Phone" rules?

My district has a no cell phone policy. Students may not use cell phones during the school day. Violation will result in the immediate confiscation of the phone. The phone will be held in the school office for five school days - no exceptions.

When one of my culinary arts students had his phone confiscated, his father blew a gasket. He came to the office and DEMANDED the return of his phone.

The building administrator said no - so the parent withdrew his son from school for five days. The student was given makeup at the father's request - but the kid did no makeup.

He went from an A- to a C in culinary arts for failure to complete five assignments. He later told me that his father wouldn't let him use the kitchen ... but insofar as the father had demanded makeup, there was nothing I could do.

My district is pretty small, so it's relatively easy to enforce a no tolerance policy on cell phones as this policy has the unanimous support of all faculty and administrators.

I can see where this might be a problem in larger school districts where enforcement might not be consistent. Higher population density would also result in more confiscations and a higher frequency of complaints from angry parents.

[Karenrbw]

We have developed a compromise of sorts. We all know that 75% of the students in our classrooms have cell phones on their person at any given time. The policy is that we are not to see cell phones at any time during school. Turn it off and leave it in your purse or in your pocket and we don't have a problem. If I see it during class, I can take it and turn it in to the office. Then, they can go to the office and get it from the principal - which they don't like to do. It probably helps that virtually no one can get a cell phone signal here in the building. If you are really lucky, you can lean out the window and maybe catch a bar, but don't count on it.

[busbus]

If I did that, ten minutes later I would have eight kids making short calls on their cell phones yelling, 'You let him do it!'

Yes, I let him do it! It was a decision that I had to make then and there. You see, he had refused to take the test initially and it had taken prodding and coercion from his Small Learning Community Leader to get him to take it. I had witnessed this on the first day of testing. I gave my decision a shot so that he would finish the test. It worked.!

Fortunately, I was working with a very small group of about five at-risk students. I am certain that if I had been working with a regular class, my decision would have been different because an incident as you described, nine times of of ten, would have erupted.

[busbus]

There is a pilicy at the school where I am that no one is allowed to use a cell phone at all. Not even the cafateria workers. I leave my phone on all day. When my students are not in the room I check it and make my personal phone calls. I live 4 hours away from most of my family. I have an 88 year old grandmother...if somethign happens I want to know and I am leaving.

We have the same policy; but, it means "little or nothing" to students, parents (quite a few) and many staff members!

If I were in your situation, I would do the same! Emergencies do happen and we should be able to know immediately.

[busbus]

Yeah. We're not supposed to use them either as staff but I use mine as well. I think the students should be able to use them betwen classes and during lunch but I agree with our policy that students who use them during class should face consequences (one day suspension for the first offense).

Playing the devil's advocate aren't you breaking the rules by using your phone?

I truly think that most of our students start out trying to follow the rules - use the phone between classes and during lunch. However, friends and sometimes family members calling for the sake of calling create a change in the students' resolve to following the rules. They begin answering the phone because they think that it is an emergency. The emergency is, Hi! Whatcha doing? But, who am I to say what is your emergency? ;)

[Spectre]

We know our people have them. I wear mine on my hip, but always have it set to vibrate and will not take calls during class time unless it is due to emergency.

Our policy is "don't ask - don't tell." If we don't see the cell phones, we don't ask about them. Students use them after school, but never during school hours.

[busbus]

We have developed a compromise of sorts. We all know that 75% of the students in our classrooms have cell phones on their person at any given time. The policy is that we are not to see cell phones at any time during school. Turn it off and leave it in your purse or in your pocket and we don't have a problem. If I see it during class, I can take it and turn it in to the office. Then, they can go to the office and get it from the principal...

A decent compromise! I guess every school should analyze its situation and come up with some kind of compromise.

At one of our high schools, which is small, the students turn in their phones in the morning and get a ticket to retrieve it at the close of school. It works, for the most part. However, like at your school, if any staff member sees the student with it during the school day, it is taken and turned in to the office. The only way that the student can get it back is for the parent to come to the school and get it from the principal.

Not only is this a small high school, it is a select high school. The only way that a student can go to this school is by having good grades, test scores, attendance, punctuality, work habits and behavior. Even then, you're selected through a lottery.

[Parker]

Our school has the same policy as Karenbrw - do not let us see or hear the phones. If the teacher does see or hear it, the teacher confiscates the phone and it gets turned into the principle. The parent has to come collect the phone (no exceptions). That the first offense, 2nd is detention and third is ISS.

I can agree with you busbus - you made a judgement call, one that accomplished the highest number of goals for all concerned.

[busbus]

My district has a no cell phone policy. Students may not use cell phones during the school day. Violation will result in the immediate confiscation of the phone. The phone will be held in the school office for five school days - no exceptions.

When one of my culinary arts students... so the parent withdrew his son from school for five days. The student was given makeup at the father's request - but the kid did no makeup.

He went from an A- to a C in culinary arts for failure to complete five assignments. He later told me that his father wouldn't let him use the kitchen ... but insofar as the father had demanded makeup, there was nothing I could do.

I can see where this might be a problem in larger school districts where enforcement might not be consistent. Higher population density would also result in more confiscations and a higher frequency of complaints from angry parents.

I remember reading your post about this young man. Tis sad that the father took the action that he did. What does this say to the child? And, we wonder why some of our students behave as they do!

In a large school district, you will find that each school administrator has his/her own agenda. Too many times teachers follow the policies, just to be torn down by the administrator. I hate it when this happens, especially to our new and young teachers. They can't understand why they are not being supported when their friend at another school was supported. It's hard for them to understand. It's hard for me, too; but, I've been in the system long enough to know that many administrator do not want too many incidents reported from their school. They don't want to put their job into jeopardy!

[Chef Dave]

In a large school district, you will find that each school administrator has his/her own agenda. Too many times teachers follow the policies, just to be torn down by the administrator. I hate it when this happens, especially to our new and young teachers. They can't understand why they are not being supported when their friend at another school was supported. It's hard for them to understand.

Yes - I have seen this happen and have also had it happen to me. As a first year teacher I found it very frustrating that we had teachers who enforced the "please do not run in the halls" rule and teachers who would ignore students racing down the hallway in a mad stampede.

At another school located in an extremely affluent neighborhood, our elementary school was right next to a middle school.

There was a middle school student who routinely cut classes, came onto our campus, AND SMOKED. This kid was a wannabe tough guy which was pretty funny because a real gang member would have eaten this kid alive.

The building administrator told us to ignore this kid because he was "bad news" and he (the administrator) didn't want any trouble.

One day I was walking my classroom through the courtyard to our classroom when the kids pointed out the kid. He was smoking on campus which was against school policy.

Despite the building administrator's warning to leave this kid alone, I felt I had no choice other than to confront the child. After all, we had a school policy against smoking and I wasn't going to back down from enforcing school rules in front of my students.

When I asked the middle school student to please put out the cigarette. The kid sneered at me. "I ain't a student at this school, so F**K off!"

I again politely asked the student to PLEASE put out his cigarette.

"And if I don't? What are you going to do about it?"

I reached over, plucked the cigarette out of the kid's mouth, ground it out on the sidewalk, leaned forward, and politely suggested that the student leave our campus. Although my tone was polite, my body language told the kid that if he wanted to make something of this, I was quite willing to physically subdue him.

The student left.

I was later given a written reprimand by the building administrator. The kid left campus, ran home, and told his mother about the nasty elementary teacher who picked on him "for no reason."

The woman came to campus and screamed at the building administrator. The building administrator came and screamed at me.

The student subsequently destroyed my classroom's vegetable plot. He also broke into my portable and vandalized my classroom. I actually caught the kid doing this on a Saturday and by extreme coincidence, had a Polaroid camera with me. I took a picture and called the building administrator for instructions.

Unable to get in touch with the building administrator, I called the superintendent. The superintendent told me to call the police.

As bad as things were before, the building administrator really hit the roof. I was told that I had "over reacted" and that having the police take this kid away had "emotionally scarred" the child. The parent wanted me fired for child abuse. Nobody even addressed the fact that I had a picture of the kid inside my vandalized classroom.

I was so disheartened that I left the district at year's end.

[Bananas]

Our students are able to have the phones as long as they are not seen nor heard. I keep mine on vibrate in my room and check it during non-student hours. Our administration prefers we use ours instead of the school lines for long-distance personal calls.

My daughter attended the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy her sophomore through senior years of high school. This is a residential high school with the students living in the dorms with poor phone service at the time. It was nothing for me to travel 200-250 miles round trip twice a week after school to catch some of her games at an assortment of schools. The school had a policy of NO cell phones being allowed on campus at all.

That was the one rule that I approved my daughter breaking. She knew that she was to keep it quiet and not to let it interfere with any classes. She was a responsible person. You had to be extremely responsible and self-disciplined and motivated to be accepted and succeed in that environment.

We wanted to be able to contact her whenever we wanted to and not be limited the study hours. When she was allowed off campus with friends, she had her phone with in case of an emergency, in a not so safe area. When her away game locations were changed at the last moment, she was able to call me enroute so I could make her game. Before she had the phone, she was frantic when the game was not at the stated school and no word was left as to the correct location. I missed the entire game and I was supposed to bring her home from the game.

While we usually require our children to follow the rules, we overrode IMSA's in this one situation. Cell phones can be done responsibly.

BTW, I just read a blurb in ASCD's SmartBrief talking about NYC's ban on cell phones in schools and how some area merchants, for a small fee, will offer storage for students' phones. There is a pending lawsuit. I would be up-in-arms as a parent in that situation. I would want my child to have a cell phone to call for help if they were in areas with safety concerns.

I can certainly appreciate the concerns about the phones distracting the learners, being used to cheat, etc. I like the idea mentioned about checking them in with tickets. That is a reasonable option. In our area, the kids keep them put away and make the calls during lunch and passing periods without others knowing.

Take a look at adults. Phones go off at yoga classes, during funerals, weddings, sermons, etc. But that is another topic.

[busbus]

Yes, Chef, I hear ya! - And school districts wanna know why our new teachers don't stay! We've lost many new teachers, who truly wanted to teach and had planned on staying, for reasons similar to yours. It just doesn't make sense.

Anything that goes wrong, it seems, the finger is always pointing at us. The powers that be forget that three fingers are always pointing back at them. (ha, ha) Their egos refuse to let them look, therefore, they do not see!

If nothing else could have been proven, YOU HAD THE PROOF THAT THE KID WAS TRESPASSING!

You said,

"The building administrator told us to ignore this kid because he was "bad news" and he (the administrator) didn't want any trouble."

I think that here lies many of the problems that we have with some of our students ---- we ignore too much!

New and season teachers have been threatened by students and are afraid to call the police if they have no other recourse, just because of the principal's attitude -

"I was told that I had "over reacted" and that having the police take this kid away had "emotionally scarred" the child."

Well, the kid would just have to be emotionally scarred, not because of something trivial, but something serious and detrimental, especially to me or my property.

[wordseater]

Well, it seems that this question on cell phones inside classrooms is not only a problem here in Portugal!
As a matter of fact I don't, ususlly, have my cell phone on when inside the classroom. I think it's very unpolite when we are trying to concentrate and the phone rings!! Even when we are in a meeting and it rings... don't you think it's not polite?
But... almost nobody respects the rules, at least here in Portugal :(

[Robinflamingo]

Some of our students are texting as many as 100 messages a day during school. Our policy is a "don't see 'em, no problem" policy, too, but it is a constant battle.

Interestingly enough, the three times this year a phone has gone off in class, it's been the kid's MOM. Um...hello? Your kid is here at a school where YOU are paying big bucks...why are you calling during school hours?

[upnorthteacher]

Our district's policy is no cell phones/personal electronics. If we don't see or hear them, we don't worry about it. If we do see them, they are to be confiscated and taken to the office. This also goes for mp3 players, GameBoys, psps, etc.

[Aziz]

My school's phone policy is "no cell phones during class." We are allowed to use the cell phones anywhere in the building, even right before or right after class. However, both students and teachers use cell phones in class if needed. We don't really have any problems. There are some teachers that have their own policies where they may confiscate a student's cell phone, but students know not to use their cell phones in those classes. In general, my school has the most laid back policy for everything and at the same time allows teachers that prefer a tighter policy to reinforce it in their classes (for instance food/drink and dress code.)

[busbus]

My school's phone policy is "no cell phones during class." We are allowed to use the cell phones anywhere in the building, even right before or right after class. However, both students and teachers use cell phones in class if needed. We don't really have any problems. There are some teachers that have their own policies where they may confiscate a student's cell phone, but students know not to use their cell phones in those classes. In general, my school has the most laid back policy for everything and at the same time allows teachers that prefer a tighter policy to reinforce it in their classes (for instance food/drink and dress code.)

Sounds like you are really in a "laid back" school. Do you think that, "We don't really have any problems." results from being so laid back?

My school district has a school uniform policy. Schools can decide on the uniform colors. Most of the schools have opted for khaki bottoms and a basic color for the tops. The uniform policy must be enforced. Oftentimes, if a student is out of uniform, the home is called for someone to bring the entire uniform or missing part to the school for the student to change into. In these cases, unfortunately, students do miss time out of class because they can't go to class without being dressed in uniform. Is this laxed in some schools? I would imagine; however, for the most part, it is enforced whether a teacher is strict about the policy or not.

Many of our teachers allow their students to bring bottled water to class. Here, we had a problem with lead pipes, so students nor staff could drink the water. Most of these pipes have been replaced. However, teachers still allow students to bring their bottled water.

I don't know about the food. I would be strict about that. Not eating in class is one of the policies in the Student Code of Conduct. However, when I had a self-contained class, to stop the sneak-eating of the junk food, as a class, my students could earn one break time per day for eating... I would allow them about 10 to 15 minutes in the afternoon. This worked for my students. They looked forward to that break. And, if one or more classmates caused them to lose it, they were upset. Believe me, they worked hard for the break.

[Aziz]

busbus,

Yes, I do. I think that for my school, the reason we have few discipline problems is because we are so laid back. I realize that our system probably wouldn't work in a school where there are 600 kids per grade. However, since our school is such a tight-knit community, there is a mutual trust between all staff and students.

Our dress code requires us to have our feet covered at all times. I looked that up when I noticed some people walking around in socks today. Teachers are free to enforce a more specific dress code in their classes (for example, in Chemistry during labs). If a student doesn't wear close-toed shoes during a lab, for instance, s/he has to either find some close-toed shoes or skip the lab.

As for our eating and drinking policy, students and staff are allowed to drink or eat anytime. Teachers are allowed to enforce their own eating/drinking policy. For example, most foreign language teachers don't allow gum in their classes, so that students can have their mouths free to pronounce the foreign language as correctly as possible. In that case, if a student doesn't follow the rule, it's just a matter of throwing the gum away.

Whatever the rule, it usually has a reason behind it so obvious that students have no problem following it. We don't have any consequences like detention. If a student misbehaves constantly, the general understanding is to talk to the student first (to see if anything is going on) and if no obvious reasons arise, then to the parents.

Teachers run all over the spectrum in terms of their policies and students have no problem understanding that. While one teacher might not allowed food or drink of any kind, another teacher might bring their class out to lunch. It all about what works best for the class atmosphere.

I realize my school is very unusual, so if you have any other questions, you can send me a message on AIM at AzizMoalemi.

-Aziz

[busbus]

Aziz,

Thanks for the input. Your school seems like a nice place to work. Your description reminds me of one of the private schools in my area.

Thanks, again.

busbus

[Aziz]

busbus,

I work at a private school so I guess that explains it. It's actually the same school I went to for middle and high school. I loved it so much I decided to go back.

Do you think it could be possible for public schools to be more laid back, or do you think that there would be too many students that need a more structured system?

I visited a few public schools and I remember thinking that the teachers were a bit too strict for the students they were teaching. Then again, I never saw what the kids were like when the teachers didn't enforce every single rule. So I'm wondering if public schools could learn from a school like mine, or if it would just end up being disastrous. What do you think?

-Aziz

[busbus]

Aziz,




Do you think it could be possible for public schools to be more laid back, or do you think that there would be too many students that need a more structured system?

-Aziz

My school district has been restructuring it's schools through a process of dividing individual schools into Small Learning Communities. This doesn't change the number of students in the school; but, grouping students into SLCs helps to create "schools within a school."

In this arrangement, teachers work together as a team with their given number of students. They get to know their students and the students know their teachers. Ideally, closer relationships are developed between students and teachers. The rapport and respect between them, supposedly, are enhanced.

Through this arrangement, it is very possible for a SLC to be laid back in some ways. It all depends on how the SLC functions. Are the teachers truly working as a team? Are they clear and consistent with their expectations? Are students made to feel that they are an integral and valued part of the community? Are parents invited to participate in the community as valued members?

As you know, there are many variables that affect the workings of a school community. Unfortunately, in my school district, there are too many principals who micro-manage and question each and everything that teachers do or want to try. We also have a problem of retaining teachers. It is especially bad when teachers leave mid-stream and students are inundated with sub after sub. Therefore, I do believe that large public schools need structure.

:)As an aside, when I was a classroom teacher, my style was laid back. I could afford to be this way because my principal treated me as a professional. Before Small Learning Communities came on the scene, my classroom was one. This was when I truly enjoyed teaching. I didn't have to fight with students because of misbehavior. My parents knew that they were members of the community. I didn't have to fight with administration. We worked together! Sadly, many of todays' students, parents and school administrators make things difficult for teachers. And, don't forget the bureaucracy within the school district.

[MsCoffeeLover]

I think it also has to do with the audience and the parent involvement. I hate to say this, but inner city, rural, and suburban kids and parents are different. That is not to be said generically, but through experience as I have been shuffled around different schools in the last few years. Also, each administrator for each school expects different things. That was a very hard lesson learned. Now at my fourth school, I would love for this school to be my home, but at this very point, each administrator was different, and it is almost as if you have to learn to speak each one's language.

Some teachers are more laid back in their practices, some counties are organized, some counties definitely need restructuring or more organization, and some have no tolerance. Right now, I left a really disorganized county and switched to a county where it is very procedurally organized. There is a process, and everyone follows that process. To this very day, I am amazed at how it actually works. It is not perfect, but I have never seen so many people doing what it says we should be doing.

I don't know if this is all cases, but I firmly believe each teacher always has a little conference and a few warnings before they have to follow school policy. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. It also depends on the parents you meet. The needs of children are different in all areas. My school seems to be predominately working class America. It is not all inclusive, but these parents are different than inner city and well to do parents. That could be another topic entirely, and I won't go on about now. The parents in this county, for the most part, are involved and take education very seriously. School is a job, and their children must take the job very seriously.

When I discipline, I follow the school policy, but I also use a number of different methods. It offers a positive environment, and it works with the kids, but it took work to do this. I don't think I am "laid back" but I do think I am more reasonable and more lenient in certain areas as most teachers are.

These are the many preventative measures I take:

1. Parent and teacher communication surveys. Gives me a host of information on interests, special needs, and discipline. It also gets a great deal of contact information. Turning both of these forms in at the beginning of the school year automatically starts the student off with a 100 for a quiz grade.

2. Parent email address: I take all of the email addresses of the parents and put them in an address book. Then I email periodic announcements. This is a little overwhelming in the beginning, but it makes the job a little easier. The response to this is amazing, and you find out which parents can be contacted relatively quickly.

3. Sending home positive emails and notes. At the beginning of the year, I do my very best to send home as many positive emails as possible stating a unique and special thing about their child. It establishes a relationship with the parent and teacher, and when the child didn't follow one of the rules. The parents are usually pretty accommodating. Sometimes we have student of the week where the kids vote on a student for each class. Then I call the parent and tell the parent, first, that their child is not in trouble, and then I say all kinds of nice things.

4. I conference with every student, and most students are pretty straight forward and have no problem with admitting to specific behaviors. They are more reasonable than given credit for.

There are times when you have to enforce a consequence. If a student is late to class, you talk to them about it and give them a warning. If they are late again, they get a detention. Sometimes you have to follow the policy because there have to be consequences. It would be great if we could sit down and talk to every child, but every child doesn't care for what you have to say. Some children are going to try to see what they can get away with. I am a middle school teacher, and those jokers are crafty. It may be totally different at the lower levels.

Policies and consequences need to exist because apparently there was some kind of chaos before hand. Who was it who said "Without rules there would be chaos?" Emile Durkheim?

Now, I use a lot of positive tactics, but it is still work. It may make the environment seem more "laid back" but I certainly don't feel "laid back." Having such things in place makes things less stressful for me.

There are also severity clauses. Some things can not be overlooked and need to be brought to an administrators attention. Fights happen, kids smoke in the bathrooms, drugs apparently make it on campus, people steal and vandalize and harass are just plain disrespectful. I have never witnessed it, but I have heard about it. Rules and consequences need to exist just for that purpose. A line has to be drawn.

[Camelle2173]

Wow. So interesting to read what is done in other schools.

Our cell phone/personal electronic policy is that it must be off during class time. Students can talk on their phones, have their ear buds in, etc, during passing periods, before/after school, and at lunch.

1st offense it is taken away. And students can pick it up in the security office after school that day.

2nd offense it is take away, and the parent must come pick it up, and sign a form that says they realize if it is taken again, it will be held until the end of the semester.

3rd offense. It is held in the security office until the end of the semester.

So far, it works. Kids follow the rule, about 95% of the time.

[kingrichie]

No means no. Figure it out, or you won't have a phone anymore. Life gives you choices, choices have consequences.

[sgaestel]

My school district put in a new cell phone policy that got a lot of backlash in the beginning of the year, but it has made a world of difference.
If a student takes out their phone (off or on) it is taken. The first offense the school keeps the phone for thirty days.
Second offense the school keeps the phone for sixty days.
If a student refuses to turn over the phone, they are suspended for ten days.
Needless to say, phones haven't been a problem this year!
I also set the example in my classroom, when I am at school, my phone is turned off and in my purse locked up in the cabinet. The policy works because there is little to no hipocracy in the teachers using their phones when the students can't.
It sounds strict...but it really works!

[Bananas]

Parents in New York City are taking on legal action for their children to be able to bring cell phones to school for their safety. Offices could collect phones for the day, but that would be a daily hassle.

[sgaestel]

I wouldn't have any issue with students having their phones, even keeping them on silent in school, if they could handle doing that. College students, for the most part, know not to have their phones go off in class. I fear if we were to allow students to have their phones available during the school day, it would creep into the classroom and seriously disrupt their education.

[Bananas]

My daughter told me of how one of her math students was texting during class. I teased her that if she knew her student's cel number, she could have texted the student to just go to the office without interrupting class for anyone else. :)

[Flipp]

I can understand parents wanting their kids to have phones, I mean we didn't have them when I was a kid, my parents had to call the office, and they'd send a message to the classroom, and we all managed to somehow survive the the dark ages.
But I understand.
Or I would, if phones were just phones. But they're not just phones, they're instant messengers, and internet browsers, and game platforms and video cameras.
Go to YouTube. Search "teacher" and find the teachers videotaped without their knowledge and placed online without their consent.
I don't think the "No Cell Phone" rules are out of touch, and I don't think we should abandon control of our classrooms because it's a hassle to enforce that control.

Ok now that I'm done ranting, the originator of this thread is dealing with a small class of at-risk kids. Sometimes you do have to bend/break/change the rules to get what's really important.

[Boxcar]

I'm so lucky that cell phones are completely inappropriate for preschoolers. I don't have to make a complex ruling on the subject.

i think for an average class of students I wouldn't allow cell phones. Expections to this blanket ban would be decided on an individual basis. I would chose to keep one phone locked in my desk for emergency purposes.

[theteacherchron]

I can understand parents wanting their kids to have phones, I mean we didn't have them when I was a kid, my parents had to call the office, and they'd send a message to the classroom, and we all managed to somehow survive the the dark ages.
But I understand.
Or I would, if phones were just phones. But they're not just phones, they're instant messengers, and internet browsers, and game platforms and video cameras.
Go to YouTube. Search "teacher" and find the teachers videotaped without their knowledge and placed online without their consent.
I don't think the "No Cell Phone" rules are out of touch, and I don't think we should abandon control of our classrooms because it's a hassle to enforce that control.

Ok now that I'm done ranting, the originator of this thread is dealing with a small class of at-risk kids. Sometimes you do have to bend/break/change the rules to get what's really important.

The students that need the most structure at the at-risk kids. You never bend the rules. Ever. When you do, you can never regain control of the situation. There are never any special circumstances for a cell phone. My old mother never had a cell phone way back then and still managed.

If there is a no electronics policy in schools, it should be enforced. What happened to the people in authority doing their jobs and not caving to threatening students and parents. We have a no electronics policy and students still bring them to school. When they enter my room, I guess they vanish into thin air or into lockers because I have never had a student's phone ring or be used in class. Students do what you allow them to do.

When students walked into my room, they knew that I was about business and I did not tolerate disruptions. When they know who is in charge, and it isn't them, they follow the rules and regulations set forth in the code of conduct.

[jsfowler]

I do not think the cell phone rules are out of touch. During school hours, our students cannot have electronic communication devices, MP3 players, etc. They must be kept in their lockers until after school. We do realize that students in extracurricular activities need to call home. We do not have a problem because our principal sticks to his guns. If we see it...we take it. Parents have to come and get it. No exceptions!

[MissTeach]

I do not think the cell phone rules are out of touch. During school hours, our students cannot have electronic communication devices, MP3 players, etc. They must be kept in their lockers until after school. We do realize that students in extracurricular activities need to call home. We do not have a problem because our principal sticks to his guns. If we see it...we take it. Parents have to come and get it. No exceptions!



Our policy is like yours. Students can keep phones in their backpacks as long as they are off. If they are caught using them during school hours, then the teacher takes it to the office and parents have to come and pick it up.

[Chef Dave]

When I go from school to school and classrooms to classrooms, I'm constantly hearing teachers reminding students of the No Personal Electronics rules. Day in and day out, teachers across the country, I am imagining, try to enforce these rules. It appears that the rules are going into deaf ears. Do the rules mean anything to our students, and, in some cases their parents? Are schools putting teachers in a "no win" situation? I think so!

I don't agree.

Use of cell phones is the new equivalent of passing notes in class. Just as passing notes was not acceptable when I was in school back in the 70's, use of cell phones at school is not acceptable today.

Enforcement is easy as long as you have teachers and administrators with backbones who are willing to enforce school and district policy.

At our school, we confiscate phones and hold them for five school days. There is no discussion about this. Parents have complained to the building administrator and district superintendent without avail. Our attitude is that rules are rules. Use the cell phones on school property during school hours and you lose the cell phone for five days. No exceptions.

When this rule was first implemented, there were a lot of confiscations and a lot of upset students and parents. With consistent enforcement of this policy, the number of confiscations and complaints has dropped over the years.

Students need to learn the important life skills lesson that there are consequences to the choices they make.

[MissTeach]

I agree. I also think that it should be a rule that teachers are not using their cell phones during the school day, except for school business. A couple of our teachers leave their phones on all day and stop in the middle of class and visit for 20 minutes. I really wish administration would put a stop to that!

[dangercat]

When my Grams was dying I carried a pager to school every day because I had her medical history and the daily medications she was taking memorized. In the event something happened to her it was so someone could get a hold of me or she could if she forgot what pills she was supposed to be taking that day. It was something that she had worked out with the school.

Today I carry my cell everywhere. My fiance jokes I would be lost without it. I have had students and teachers have theirs go off in classes without meaning to. I've never had anyone actually answer it unless they could tell it was an emergancy. I've seen teachers go off on students over their cell phones. It doesn't seem to work to yell at the students over something that is to them an every day piece of their lives.

I often use my laptop in my classes and have even recieved werid looks for that. I do think that some teachers and administrations are really behind the times in where we are technologically.

I can understand not wanting students talking on them in class though or texting, but I also have to point out with so many students now having them how much of the day are we as teachers willing to spend trying to monitor something that really is beyond our control?

[Miss T]

I always have my phone in my bag, but it's on silent. I never use it in front of my students because I know they are not aloud to use theirs. When I was in grammar school, my teachers would eat and drink in front of the class and I remember thinking how rude and unfair it was.

I also abide by the don't ask don't tell policy...if I don't see it, I assume that students don't have it. If I do see it, it is taken away. The first time, the students can get it at the end of the day from the principal. The second time, the students' parent must come and get the phone.

[Chef Dave]

There is a pilicy at the school where I am that no one is allowed to use a cell phone at all. Not even the cafateria workers. I leave my phone on all day. When my students are not in the room I check it and make my personal phone calls. I live 4 hours away from most of my family. I have an 88 year old grandmother...if somethign happens I want to know and I am leaving.

How can we expect to enforce policy if teachers don't follow and support the rules?

Your school presumably has an office that is staffed throughout the school day. If an emergency were to occur, the appropriate procedure given your school policy would be for the emergency call to go to your office. A message could then be relayed to you or if you have a phone in your room, a call could be forwarded to you.

There is no reason to sneak looks at your cell phone. By doing this you are probably in violation of your contract as your contract most likely stipulates that teachers are expected to support/enforce school and district policy.

[Bananas]

We are encouraged to use our cell phones, when students are not present. Our district would rather we use our cell phones for our personal calls. Then we do not need to pay the office for the personal expense of the phone. Put on silence or turned off, incoming phone calls to not tie up the school's phone system or use the staff's time. Our cell's just pick up the messages for our perusal during passing periods, prep or lunch time. Also, it helps to cut down on the distractions with our room phone ringing while instruction is going on. We have had several occasions when cell phones were most helpful in an emergency when our phones were tied up. Discretion and common sense comes in handy in our district.

[dangercat]

We are encouraged to use our cell phones, when students are not present. Our district would rather we use our cell phones for our personal calls. Then we do not need to pay the office for the personal expense of the phone. Put on silence or turned off, incoming phone calls to not tie up the school's phone system or use the staff's time. Our cell's just pick up the messages for our perusal during passing periods, prep or lunch time. Also, it helps to cut down on the distractions with our room phone ringing while instruction is going on. We have had several occasions when cell phones were most helpful in an emergency when our phones were tied up. Discretion and common sense comes in handy in our district.

I could see why a school district would accept this as a policy. I have worked for a teacher who seems to get a lot of calls routed to her from the office. She told me one day I could use my cell if I needed to. I told her I didn't feel comfortable using it in class so I went to the lounge to use it.

Common sense to me really is the best rule when it comes to the cell phones.

[Aziz]

I'd say common sense is the best rule when it comes to making any rules. People are more likely to follow rules that make sense.

-Aziz

[MissTeach]

Our school policy does not allow for teachers to have personal calls and messages unless they are emergencies. The idea is that any other messages can wait until the teacher is not at school. I use my cell phone during my prep and lunch but I do not use it at any other time.

I don't think teachers or students should be receiving calls on their cell phone during school hours. School is a professional environment.

[sgaestel]

I keep my phone off during school hours. After the final bell, I turn it on. I have my phone on during play rehearsal, and I allow my students to do the same. However, they know not to have it with them on stage, and to have it on silent during rehearsal. If they are not in a particular scene we are running, I don't mind if they excuse themselves to use their phone.
Having the phones with them has helped out tremendously in getting their rides there on time!

[jsfowler]

Every teacher has a phone in their room so we do not need our cell. The office staff is wonderful about giving us messages. Some teachers like them to send all calls to their rooms, some do not. I, personally, ask for family related calls that are not emergencies to wait. I get enough phone calls from the office about little Johnny forgetting his lunch money and Suzie needing to ride the bus home. I do take my cell phone to school but it is turned off.

[Chef Dave]

I think the bottom line is this.

Schools should not have rules that they are unprepared to enforce. I don't care whether it's a rule about no cell phone usage or a rule that says that students shouldn't be in the hallways during class time without a hall pass.

Rules are rules.

When rules aren't enforced, several things happen. The first is that a precedent has now been established. A child or parent on the receiving end of a consequence could easily say with some justification, "But when Mary did this, nothing happened."

Lack of consistent enforcement among ALL teachers is professionally unacceptable and may even be demoralizing to the faculty. Most teacher contracts include a statement about supporting district and school policy. It does not matter what your personal feeling is towards a cell phone policy. Teachers DO NOT have the luxury of deciding which rules they will or will not support. Teacher contracts OBLIGATE THEM to support policy regardless of their personal feelings.

I think any teacher found in violation of policy should be written up by the building administrator.

How can we possibly hold students up to standards that we are unwilling to apply to ourselves? What sort of role models do we become when we not only fail to uphold school policy but even flout the rules ourselves?

[jsfowler]

Dangercat, you wrote...

"When my Grams was dying I carried a pager to school every day because I had her medical history and the daily medications she was taking memorized. In the event something happened to her it was so someone could get a hold of me or she could if she forgot what pills she was supposed to be taking that day. It was something that she had worked out with the school.

Today I carry my cell everywhere. My fiance jokes I would be lost without it. I have had students and teachers have theirs go off in classes without meaning to. I've never had anyone actually answer it unless they could tell it was an emergancy. I've seen teachers go off on students over their cell phones. It doesn't seem to work to yell at the students over something that is to them an every day piece of their lives.

I often use my laptop in my classes and have even recieved werid looks for that. I do think that some teachers and administrations are really behind the times in where we are technologically.

I can understand not wanting students talking on them in class though or texting, but I also have to point out with so many students now having them how much of the day are we as teachers willing to spend trying to monitor something that really is beyond our control?

I have worked for a teacher who seems to get a lot of calls routed to her from the office. She told me one day I could use my cell if I needed to. I told her I didn't feel comfortable using it in class so I went to the lounge to use it."

You are complaining about this teacher who took a call about her grandmother's funeral when you, yourself, admit to carrying a pager to school so that you can be contacted by your grandmother, taking your cell phone everywhere with you and you even talk about people answering them in case of emergency, working on your laptop DURING class and if you are getting weird looks then I assume it in not instructional use, and you even admit to LEAVING the classroom to make a personal call.

???????

[Aziz]

We use laptops in class at my school all the time, for instructional purposes. Sometimes I'll make a power presentation on a certain grammar point and that way I can post it online for students to reread later. The Physics teachers have their students do Physics problems online. The program they use grades each student's work immediately and also forces them to do the problems. (It's easy to look like you're doing work on paper when you're not really doing work, whereas the online website grades your work and shows the teacher exactly how much you've done.)

-Aziz

[KyTeacher1954]

If I did that, ten minutes later I would have eight kids making short calls on their cell phones yelling, 'You let him do it!'

Exactly....then it would progress into texting which is another problem in our school.

[sgaestel]

Exactly....then it would progress into texting which is another problem in our school.

I can say, students have gotten very good at texting on the sly. They can text IN THEIR POCKETS! So they still have their phones on, are still using them on silent, and it is virtually impossible to catch them!

I know because I have heard my students talking about receiving texts during school hours. Unbelievable!:confused:
I can barely text with my phone in front of my face!

[MrU82]

I think its kind of a dumb rule as well. I think teachers should be able to use their own judgement as far as electronics. If its time for independent classwork and a student is listening to his/her IPod and DOING the work and generally does their work...then more power to him/her. I know music helps me concentrate so I understand some kids just work that way.

On the other hand if Im lecturing, dont have your cell phone out and start texting or else it becomes my new phone. The first couple weeks of school though Im a pretty big "jerk" and meanie and the kids dont try anything. But I give a little as the year goes on and find that the kids are uber-respectful (it almost seems fake sometimes) and are rarely out of line. I also let them know if they have important phone calls to just let me know, especially if they have some crazy drama going on. I understand that life happens...it happens to us as teachers, so obviously it happens to students as well.

Just be reasonable with kids and they will be reasonable with you. I wouldnt want any of my students to think so black and white when they get older.

On the other hand, the students should still understand that rules are rules.

[emilyb]

I'm on the reasonable end too. Mine know not to have them out, especially during a test. Sometimes I send a kid to the "bathroom" to call mom to see if student can stay after school.

I used mine today during my planning period, but while I was having to cover someone else's class (not enough subs), to call a teacher in the other building who does not have a computer. I needed information relating to OUR work, and my only means to communicate with her today was a cell in a classroom. This was a reasonable exception to me.

I was also the meanest teacher alive the first month of school. I honestly didn't see a cell phone come out until our schedules became so intense with tutoring/state testing/after school activities.

And if I had a death in the family, I would absolutely have my cell phone on vibrate in a reachable area. And I would stop class to take the call to get funeral info. I know in the old days, we could wait for messages, but I also think in the old days our schedules had more time to handle things like returning personal phone calls from the staff room. I haven't seen the staff room in weeks :P

[emilyb]

I can say, students have gotten very good at texting on the sly. They can text IN THEIR POCKETS! So they still have their phones on, are still using them on silent, and it is virtually impossible to catch them!

I know because I have heard my students talking about receiving texts during school hours. Unbelievable!:confused:
I can barely text with my phone in front of my face!

And as an aside to this, I so wish I had that skill! Last night we were at a community forum/town hall meeting, and my co-workers husband was on the panel. Somehow he could text her messages without anyone in the audience seeing. Message like "Do we need to call mom about the kids?" and then "Is this over yet? I still have paperwork at home!"

I was AMAZED.

[anyalee]

Wow..I wasn't thinking about that before, but having the cells phones in student's pockets really compromises the test security. What if they take pics of the test or something? I realize they don't care enough about the tests to do such a thing...but it could happen.

[Chef Dave]

I was just at a CTE conference for culinary arts teachers and found ringing cell phones from the teachers in the audience to be quite distracting. Most of the teachers who received calls had the graciousness to either turn their phones off or to leave the room before taking a call.

Granted - we were all off campus and free of whatever cell phone policies our respective schools had ... but still ... this was a statewide conference. Common courtesy should have dictated that all cell phones be turned off.

[hot_teacher]

I constantly have kids trying to talk on their cell phones. It makes me crazy!!

[emilyb]

Wow..I wasn't thinking about that before, but having the cells phones in student's pockets really compromises the test security. What if they take pics of the test or something? I realize they don't care enough about the tests to do such a thing...but it could happen.


During our state testing, our kids go through detectors for cell phones. Then a hand held detector also.

It does compromise security. I always look for them during tests and they know I'll take them to the district (where parent has to pick them up) for that.

I took one today because he was just being stupid with it. He came after school to get it back, and I called his mom and told him I was taking it for the night. She said GOOD.

[MrU82]

Wow..I wasn't thinking about that before, but having the cells phones in student's pockets really compromises the test security. What if they take pics of the test or something? I realize they don't care enough about the tests to do such a thing...but it could happen.

The "sad" thing is they really wouldnt care to use their cell phones for an academic advantage. The first time I gave a test I told the kids to put their cell phones away and one of the kids asked why teachers do that...and argued that he needed to look at the time (forget the fact that their is a clock on the wall...oh wait they cant read analog anymore...HA!), etc etc. So I explained in a half joking manner that they could take pictures of the test with their cell phone and show friends in another period. They were dumbfounded and looked at me like I was some genius. I think I even saw some drool. They dont even think having an "edge" (fair or unfair) in academics is worth getting in trouble for. I always watch for students cheating and when I catch them with a cell phone out during a test I find that they have been texting some kind of stupid joke to a friend/bf/gf, etc. Its ridiculous.

If you're going to be stupid enough to risk using your cell phone in class, at least make it worthwhile academically. I have yet to catch a crafty cheater.

LOL I know its kind of twisted of me but I "wish" there were more cheaters because it would at least show me that the kids "care" about their academics. :p:rolleyes:

[kathy813]

I guess I am in the minority here but I think there are some things that teachers can do that students cannot do and there is nothing wrong with that. After all, I do not have to ask permission to use the restroom and they do. I also drink a cup of coffee during first period and my students have never complained that they should get to drink coffee, too.

We do not have phones in our classrooms so our teachers can and do use their cell phones at school. The teachers are treated as professionals with the expectation that their cell phone use will not intefere with instruction. Our county policy about using cell phones during the school day only applies to students. The students are allowed to carry cell phones but they are supposed to be turned off during the school day. That is a change from just a few years ago when they were banned completely.

Of course, students do use them during the day. It hardly ever happens in my classroom but I do occasionally hear one ring or vibrate. I usually say something like "It must be my imagination but I could have sworn I heard a cell phone." The class then assures me that it is indeed my imagination and the offending student quickly silences the phone and we continue with instruction.

Maybe it is because I have raised two teenagers of my own that I believe there are battles worth fighting and whether my students have a cellphone is just not one of them.

[wtrafton]

I had a frustrating experience a couple of years ago. A boy used the camera on his cell phone to take a picture looking up my daughters skirt while she was reaching over a table. This made both of us very angry, BUT it did not convince me that cell phones should not be allowed in school. She gave him an earful and I was very proud of how she stood up for herself. We talked about her responsibility in being aware of her surroundings, to make sure not to give that opportunity again. Don't get me wrong-I made sure she knew I wasn't saying it was her fault or that she had done anything wrong, just that she needed to protect herself.

I have found that a vast majority of our students are very responsible about their cell phones. They don't want to lose the right to have and use them. My daughter has one and so do I. Does she call and text her friends during breaks? You bet she does. It was previously stated that we don't all have access to phones in our rooms, and I will tell you that I have had to make quick calls between classes and am thankful to be able to use my cell phone to do it rather than have class time impacted by going to the nearest land line. I am also thankful because I can get voice mails or texts that I can check during those breaks and don't have to have the school secretary handling calls and taking messages that I might not get. She is very busy with other more important things.

There are way too many instances where everyone gets punished for what 1 person does wrong. We have an email system in our district and the first time someone emailed another student inappropriately the email was turned off for everyone!!! We don't do that anymore. The person who is inappropriate is the one that loses the email.

Thank goodness we don't all lose the right to drive our cars because someone speeds or runs a red light!!