[CNN] Student suspended for refusing to hang up on mother, calling from Iraq

I have a feeling that if I was in the same situation as the kid the teacher would have gotten a fist to the face. God bless him and his mother... he showed far more restraint then I ever would have.

 

It's easy for everyone. That's what causes the disruptions. That's why there are the rules.

Calling my "baby" is more important than everything else. Every parent thinks that. Call the office. It's not hard. It's been done for years. Everyone's "baby" phone is ringing etc causing many problems.

Man you proved me wrong.

God bless kids fists to teachers faces (sorry, i meant precious "babies") and the parents that set the examples. Go get 'em Tyler!

 

I agree that cell phones are a big problem in schools, almost ridculously big, and the line had to be drawn, so good for the school.

 

Classic overreacting by administrators.

The simple solution is this - bring the kid to the office and allow him to finish his cell phone call. Once he's done, tell him that school rules strictly forbid the use of cell phones during class hours. However, you (the principal or whomever) agree to overlook this provided the student provide some proof that his mother is indeed in Iraq. If such proof isn't furnished within 2-3 days, the student gets the suspension.

I can appreciation Meowgi's concern with cell phones, and understand the pressure teachers face to ensure that kids are learning (even when the parents contribute zero effort on their end). But being draconian won't do anything except alienate the students.

 

All these cell phone problems are nothing that a little classroom management won't solve.

 

Here is the thing, I bet you that is what the school administrators have done the last 5 years, and the kids took advantage of the situation. Which is why they have the rule in place now. I agree, try to handle it with dignity, but I don't think you understand, the kids are out of control these days. Especially with cell phones. You can let one kid bend the rule and he'll be the one that pulls a gun on you. That is how it is out there.

 

Parents have to cooperate for there to be effective classroom management, it's not all the teacher's responsibility. If parents encourage the kids to break the rules, what do you expect? They are the ones insisting their kids have cell phones in class. If not, they wouldn't even have them at all.

 

Why wouldnt I understand since I have been teaching for the last 8 years at the high school level. I see these kids with cell phones, mpg players, laptops, and the newest multimedia. It is very clear in my class that no electronics are allowed to be used in class. I don't see what the problem is with using these devices on their own time, but that is not the issue. The issue is how the situation was handled.

Now, the kids know that these devices are not allowed, so if a kid chooses to break these rules in my class, I know that there has got to be some sort of extenuating circumstance, which the kids have actually explained to me in a few instances.

 

Fallacy. It helps, but it is not neccessary. How many parents encourage their students to "misbehave" You're reaching on that one.

Of all the parent calls I have made this year...none have been for disrutive behavior.

I have sent out a 2 to 3 students on disciplinary referals.

I'm not the "cool" teacher either, that let's the kids run wild. I am an ex coach, and I know how to get kids to perform.

When you corner a kid and send him to the office for something that can be handled and everyone moves on, you lose the kid.

 

If he laughed he should be disciplined. Meowgi is correct. The mother should have called the school direct.

As a student talking to a parent in Iraq might be worth disobeying a teacher. But if you break the rules then you should be prepared for the punishment. There was a way that the student could have used his lunch to talk to the mother. Neither he nor his mother did that, and the rules are in place. The student was responsible, and should pay the consequences.

 

I blame the school and people like you for being insensitive. What would your emotions be like if you were talking to your mom who was overseas in a freaking war? I think that kids with parents at war should get special privileges and counseling to help them handle it.

And I went to UH - I hate cell phones, they always interupt things but this is a different situation. If he was waiting from a phone call from his mother that could come at any time - the rules need to be bent.

 

Fixed.

 

That's so true!

Ya'll don't get it. The schools just trying to prepare him for life. A life where 'rules' take precedence over reason, logic, common sense and even family.

The schools are just preparing the kids for a life full of idiots and dolts who create, maintain, and enforce these rules w/o exception.

Rules rule!




Disruption during lunch taking a call from your Mom in the armed forces in Iraq? Maybe it's not the kid's problem. Just maybe the 'rule' deserves review.

 

If the district wants parental support, don't make stupid or inappropriately inflexible rules.

 

You don't make rules based on what emotions are like. There would be a calm way to handle this in which the boy would still be able to talk to his mother.

As for classroom management, this wasn't in the classroom. If it was in the classroom things could be handled a number of different ways. This was at lunch. If a student a lunch common area is on the phone, there is no way to determine whether or not he is telling the truth about who he is talking to. What is known is that he is breaking the rules in front of all students, and defied an attempt to correct the broken rule, then he should face consequences. I dont' know if the teachers offered the solution of handling the phone call from the office or not, but the student did break the rules.

 

or make none at all, that's the ticket....

Anyway, someone from another board apparently emailed the school board and received a letter back telling quite a different story than what was reported here. The kid sounds like a punk.... the letter contained things like, the student will be allowed to return to school to take the exams in the classes he has a chance of passing....

And according to the Superintendent's letter the kid was walking up and down the hall talking on the phone and was immediately billigerant when confronted by the staff. Let's all try to be understanding but not stupid on this one.

 

I'm calling bull****. They realized they made a mistake and now they're out to make the kid look like a troublemaker. And don't say that doesn't happen because I saw it happen to a good friend of mine in high school. SOP.

 

Whatever, there is a rule, no talking on the cell phone in school. From the letter, apparently other students have made arrangements to have their parents call the school from Iraq and ARE ALLOWED TO LEAVE CLASS for these calls. Letting this guy talk at his own convienence is not fair to these kids who obey the rules. Furthermore, Mom should have known it was school time and made a better judgment on the situation but then this seems to be one of those families who think the rules don't apply to them.

 

booooooo hoooooooo hooooooooooo

 

Classic Genmay but doesn't work at Clutchfans.