Cell phone use in school - evolving, finally?

[mamacatnv]

My daughter lost an entire semester grade in honors English because she used her cell phone in class. Her teacher docked her 100 points and dropped her from an A to a B for the entire semester. I was peeved with everyone involved.

Ohhhhh I'd be furious. If it were high school where the grades do matter, I would have fought that one. Younger years a small fuss but if it were high school no way would I let a teacher get away with that.

 

[mom2rtk]

Ohhhhh I'd be furious. If it were high school where the grades do matter, I would have fought that one. Younger years a small fuss but if it were high school no way would I let a teacher get away with that.

I agree. I try to stay out of most things once they get to high school. I probably would have engaged on that one.

 

[Hikergirl]

I'm well respected and honored in our school. Teachers request my assistance in their classrooms over all other assistants. Glad you can tell my work ethic and abilities by responses on the internet. I am a professional. How I feel about a student's choices does not color how I respond/teach/assist. Every student is treated the same by me. I'm there to help them learn and become responsible, productive young adults. I do agree that there are some kids out there who have not been taught well by their parents to behave appropriately in school. We model appropriate behavior and discourage inappropriate behavior. Would you want your children to be taught by someone who doesn't want them to do their best? Who just lets them sit there and do whatever?



So in your opinion those teachers who aren't like you aren't teachers who want their students to do their best? Who let them sit there and do whatever? You have a very high opinion of yourself, have you ever asked parents what they thought? Personally like a pp I'd rather have a teacher teaching my kid who embraces technology because that is the world we live in today. I'd rather them be a part of teaching my kids how to use their tech responsibly instead having all these preconceived notions about how teens are with their phones.




The 10% is the appropriate time they are using the phone - the other 90% is texting the kid two rows over, etc.

A student wouldn't be expected to leave class to go to the office to use a phone. The student would be expected to wait until an appropriate time. Lunch, between classes, etc. It's that instant gratification that's the issue. What's appropriate or not - the kids don't want to wait. No need to call down from the office - the schedule lists would show when he had lunch, and could get the info then.

The teacher control part - that just made me laugh. They're your kids, parents, they are doing what you taught them (or didn't teach them) to do. I really think some of you would be horrified by what your kid tries to do in school.

If kids in your classroom are using their phones 90% of the time to text then you aren't doing your job in that classroom.



"Embracing Change" - sure, if the change enhances society, but my point is that the instant contact, instant answers, constant connection are not enhancing society at all.

Not everyone agrees with that statement that is for sure. One day who knows that instant contact and instant answers may eliminate the need for assistants in the classroom.

Dumb guidance counselor - She couldn't figure out to leave the info with the teacher? She had to contact you? I'd have given her an earful.

My responses in bold.

Actually the guidance counselor is very smart. She has other things to do than to spend all day tracking students, since phones are allowed in school why not have a parent or themselves just text the student. Yet another way phones can be beneficial in school.

 

[robinb]

Ohhhhh I'd be furious. If it were high school where the grades do matter, I would have fought that one. Younger years a small fuss but if it were high school no way would I let a teacher get away with that.

I did fight it.

The class was last period of the day and teacher had commented to me at the parent/teacher conference that my DD had her phone out and that it wasn't allowed in class. I talked to my DD and I told the teacher that if she had an issue with it again that she should contact me immediately and I would take the phone away. She told the kids at the start of the second semester that using cell phones would effect their grade (although she never told them she would drop it a full grade). She never contacted me. My DD had a solid A in the first semester and had an A in the third quarter until the teacher put the hammer down. She penalized my DD 15% of her total grade that quarter. Not only did she drop my DD from an A to a low-B (nearly a C) in the 3rd quarter, she made it mathematically impossible for her to earn enough in the 4th quarter to bring the grade up to an A. The teacher happily told me that her penalty did exactly what she wanted it to do.

I was peeved at my DD for using her phone in class when she knew she shouldn't have. I was peeved at the teacher for penalizing an otherwise good student so punitively (and yes, drop her GPA). I took it up to the head of the department but got nowhere.

FWIW, I did sympathize with the teacher ... cell phone use can be annoying and she did warn the kids. However, as a parent of a sophomore, I expected to be contacted if my DD had a behavioral problem. My DD was not off the hook for her part in all this. I did take her phone away from her, as promised, for an entire month.

 

[Lilacs4Me]

Is this a private school or a public school? Because expecting kids to all have $1200 laptops seems over-the-top to me. There is a huge chasm between "qualifies for reduced lunch" (and hence gets a free loaner laptop) and "I can afford to buy my kid a $1200 computer" especially for families with multiple kids.

My kids' school is public, but I pay about $1000 total in fees every year. Every kid is given a chromebook freshman year, and the cost passed down to the parents to the tune of about $200. Better than $1200, but it doesn't surprise me in the least that schools can (and do) mandate that all students have a laptop or tablet.

Free/reducced lunch kids get all fees waived. And I pay close to $1000. Not too far off from the $1200 the PP pays.

 

[Allons-y!]

I'm well respected and honored in our school. Teachers request my assistance in their classrooms over all other assistants. Glad you can tell my work ethic and abilities by responses on the internet. I am a professional. How I feel about a student's choices does not color how I respond/teach/assist. Every student is treated the same by me. I'm there to help them learn and become responsible, productive young adults. I do agree that there are some kids out there who have not been taught well by their parents to behave appropriately in school. We model appropriate behavior and discourage inappropriate behavior. Would you want your children to be taught by someone who doesn't want them to do their best? Who just lets them sit there and do whatever?

The 10% is the appropriate time they are using the phone - the other 90% is texting the kid two rows over, etc.

A student wouldn't be expected to leave class to go to the office to use a phone. The student would be expected to wait until an appropriate time. Lunch, between classes, etc. It's that instant gratification that's the issue. What's appropriate or not - the kids don't want to wait. No need to call down from the office - the schedule lists would show when he had lunch, and could get the info then.

The teacher control part - that just made me laugh. They're your kids, parents, they are doing what you taught them (or didn't teach them) to do. I really think some of you would be horrified by what your kid tries to do in school.

"Embracing Change" - sure, if the change enhances society, but my point is that the instant contact, instant answers, constant connection are not enhancing society at all.

Dumb guidance counselor - She couldn't figure out to leave the info with the teacher? She had to contact you? I'd have given her an earful.

The more you post, the more I am convinced that my initial reaction was correct. Your misguided assumptions about students and their parents is quite telling.

 

[tvguy]

My kids' school is public, but I pay about $1000 total in fees every year. Every kid is given a chromebook freshman year, and the cost passed down to the parents to the tune of about $200. Better than $1200, but it doesn't surprise me in the least that schools can (and do) mandate that all students have a laptop or tablet.

Free/reducced lunch kids get all fees waived. And I pay close to $1000. Not too far off from the $1200 the PP pays.

The public school district I live in has done a good job getting grants for things like computers, and these days, tablets/i-Pads. They have 20 full time people doing nothing but writing applications for grants, and they get millions more than there salaries every year. Between U.S. Department of Education, and private foundations, there is a lot of money out there for the taking.

The next district over is very aggressive is signing kids up for free and reduced breakfast/lunches because the reimbursement is more than the cost of providing the meals. Amazingly, according to their stats, only half the eligible kids are signed up. Given that they made $500,000 on free lunches last year, I can see why they are being aggressive. They even found grant money to provide free lunches to kids over the summer.

 

[cabanafrau]

The public school district I live in has done a good job getting grants for things like computers, and these days, tablets/i-Pads. They have 20 full time people doing nothing but writing applications for grants, and they get millions more than there salaries every year. Between U.S. Department of Education, and private foundations, there is a lot of money out there for the taking.

The next district over is very aggressive is signing kids up for free and reduced breakfast/lunches because the reimbursement is more than the cost of providing the meals. Amazingly, according to their stats, only half the eligible kids are signed up. Given that they made $500,000 on free lunches last year, I can see why they are being aggressive. They even found grant money to provide free lunches to kids over the summer.

One school district employs 20 people, full-time, to write up grant applications?

 

[Lilacs4Me]

The public school district I live in has done a good job getting grants for things like computers, and these days, tablets/i-Pads. They have 20 full time people doing nothing but writing applications for grants, and they get millions more than there salaries every year. Between U.S. Department of Education, and private foundations, there is a lot of money out there for the taking.

The next district over is very aggressive is signing kids up for free and reduced breakfast/lunches because the reimbursement is more than the cost of providing the meals. Amazingly, according to their stats, only half the eligible kids are signed up. Given that they made $500,000 on free lunches last year, I can see why they are being aggressive. They even found grant money to provide free lunches to kids over the summer.

You must not live in IL - I'm pretty sure if our school district employed 20 people to write grants so that our kids could get a free Chromebook, we would be charged an administration fee in our registration packet to cover wages for their services.

 

[mamacatnv]

I did fight it.

The class was last period of the day and teacher had commented to me at the parent/teacher conference that my DD had her phone out and that it wasn't allowed in class. I talked to my DD and I told the teacher that if she had an issue with it again that she should contact me immediately and I would take the phone away. She told the kids at the start of the second semester that using cell phones would effect their grade (although she never told them she would drop it a full grade). She never contacted me. My DD had a solid A in the first semester and had an A in the third quarter until the teacher put the hammer down. She penalized my DD 15% of her total grade that quarter. Not only did she drop my DD from an A to a low-B (nearly a C) in the 3rd quarter, she made it mathematically impossible for her to earn enough in the 4th quarter to bring the grade up to an A. The teacher happily told me that her penalty did exactly what she wanted it to do.

I was peeved at my DD for using her phone in class when she knew she shouldn't have. I was peeved at the teacher for penalizing an otherwise good student so punitively (and yes, drop her GPA). I took it up to the head of the department but got nowhere.

FWIW, I did sympathize with the teacher ... cell phone use can be annoying and she did warn the kids. However, as a parent of a sophomore, I expected to be contacted if my DD had a behavioral problem. My DD was not off the hook for her part in all this. I did take her phone away from her, as promised, for an entire month.

So this was a high school grade? A grade on a transcript that will affect college applications? Is this a public school? The teacher IMO was WAY out of line. I am surprised that the dept. head let this stand.
I hear you, your DD was warned BUT dropping a grade IMO is not an acceptable form of punishment for breaking a teachers in class rule.

 

[PollyannaMom]

...If anything, phones have made the kids around here MORE social - they are using their phones as TOOLS to enhance their social experiences, not to replace them. These kids have never known a world without a cell phone, but that doesn't mean they have stopped being kids. Every generation has new technology that makes their lives and social experiences different from what their parents/grandparents/etc experienced. I get that the older generation who can remember a time without cell phones think that the world as *they* knew it is ending, but kids under the age of 18 these days - it's the only thing they *do* know, and they have learned to live with and adapt to it just like the first generation of tv-viewers and 4-door sedan drivers. (and indoor plumbing users and home electricity users, too.....)

This is a really good point. We often expect kids to appreciate things we didn't have, but they really don't know anything different.

And I know cell phones would have made me, personally, more social. I was rarely one to pick up the land line and call someone, but I'm much more comfortable texting. I think I would have "talked" to my schoolmates a lot more if we'd had them back then.

 

[robinb]

So this was a high school grade? A grade on a transcript that will affect college applications? Is this a public school? The teacher IMO was WAY out of line. I am surprised that the dept. head let this stand.
I hear you, your DD was warned BUT dropping a grade IMO is not an acceptable form of punishment for breaking a teachers in class rule.

Yup, I felt the same way.

The teacher added an "assignment" called "Cell Phone Use" to the calculations at the last minute (literally after the quarter ended and right before the end of the grading window) worth 100 points. So, the possible score for "summative score" went from about 550 to 650. Most of the students were given a bonus of 100 points while my DD received a 0. I know of one other child who was given 50 points instead of 100 but the teacher contacted her mother part way through the quarter and she straightened up and flew right and only lost half of the bonus. So, different kids doing the same thing were handled differently. *sigh* What's funny is that this all happened just about a year ago as 3rd quarter just ended.

It also rubbed me the wrong way that the teacher was so happy that she got my DD's attention with the punishment. The teacher promised to "work" with my DD and if she did everything perfect in the 4th quarter she would get an "A" but that didn't happen. She did stay off her cell phone, LOL.

 

[mamacatnv]

Yup, I felt the same way.

The teacher added an "assignment" called "Cell Phone Use" to the calculations at the last minute (literally after the quarter ended and right before the end of the grading window) worth 100 points. So, the possible score for "summative score" went from about 550 to 650. Most of the students were given a bonus of 100 points while my DD received a 0. I know of one other child who was given 50 points instead of 100 but the teacher contacted her mother part way through the quarter and she straightened up and flew right and only lost half of the bonus. So, different kids doing the same thing were handled differently. *sigh* What's funny is that this all happened just about a year ago as 3rd quarter just ended.

It also rubbed me the wrong way that the teacher was so happy that she got my DD's attention with the punishment. The teacher promised to "work" with my DD and if she did everything perfect in the 4th quarter she would get an "A" but that didn't happen. She did stay off her cell phone, LOL.

Oh heck to the no! That really is an abuse of power - I'm with you, your DD learned her lesson but the teacher and her glee were just wrong

 

[clori]

My kids go to public school. The high school has about 1800-1900 kids. All the kids have a free chromebook which was donated from a company - I paid $25 for insurance.

When I was school it was way before cell phones and laptops etc but a high school punishment for something like getting caught passing notes (after warnings) would have been after school detention and eventually Saturday detention.

 

[Aliceacc]

The administration in my school would hand me my head if I gave an academic penalty for a behavioral issue.

Grades correspond to the information you've learned, and your ability to show how much you've learned. They're based on test grades, quiz grades, homework performance, projects, and other academic criteria.

Having your cell phone out in class is a discipline issue. Discipline issues carry penalties along the lines of detention or phone calls home or a referral or whatever.

When my son was in 7th grade, I got a phone call from his Home and Careers teacher. (Nope, not an elective. They had to take it.) He was in danger of failing the class because he (and apparently a number of the boys in the class) were not being attentive to her lessons on how to sew a pillow in the shape of a shark. His pillow was no better or worse than anyone else's, but his behavior had him in danger of failing.

I called the guidance counselor in no time flat. I went to Power School and pointed out his grades on all the projects listed there. The shark pillow wasn't yet due, so he couldn't possibly have failed Shark Pillows. How, then, could he possibly be in danger of failing??? I said that if his behavior was a problem, she could give him detention every day until he graduated from college and I would support her, but exactly what academic criteria was she using to give my son a failing grade??

She said she would speak to the teacher. I got a phone call about an hour later with some pretty serious backpeddling on the part of the teacher. And he passed Home and Careers. And will never ever again make a Shark Pillow-- I guess that's for preteen boys who anticipate a career in the upholstery field?

 

[mamacatnv]

Yup, I felt the same way.

The teacher added an "assignment" called "Cell Phone Use" to the calculations at the last minute (literally after the quarter ended and right before the end of the grading window) worth 100 points. So, the possible score for "summative score" went from about 550 to 650. Most of the students were given a bonus of 100 points while my DD received a 0. I know of one other child who was given 50 points instead of 100 but the teacher contacted her mother part way through the quarter and she straightened up and flew right and only lost half of the bonus. So, different kids doing the same thing were handled differently. *sigh* What's funny is that this all happened just about a year ago as 3rd quarter just ended.

It also rubbed me the wrong way that the teacher was so happy that she got my DD's attention with the punishment. The teacher promised to "work" with my DD and if she did everything perfect in the 4th quarter she would get an "A" but that didn't happen. She did stay off her cell phone, LOL.

I'm still curious - Public or Private school???

 

[mamacatnv]

The administration in my school would hand me my head if I gave an academic penalty for a behavioral issue.

Grades correspond to the information you've learned, and your ability to show how much you've learned. They're based on test grades, quiz grades, homework performance, projects, and other academic criteria.

Having your cell phone out in class is a discipline issue. Discipline issues carry penalties along the lines of detention or phone calls home or a referral or whatever.

When my son was in 7th grade, I got a phone call from his Home and Careers teacher. (Nope, not an elective. They had to take it.) He was in danger of failing the class because he (and apparently a number of the boys in the class) were not being attentive to her lessons on how to sew a pillow in the shape of a shark. His pillow was no better or worse than anyone else's, but his behavior had him in danger of failing.

I called the guidance counselor in no time flat. I went to Power School and pointed out his grades on all the projects listed there. The shark pillow wasn't yet due, so he couldn't possibly have failed Shark Pillows. How, then, could he possibly be in danger of failing??? I said that if his behavior was a problem, she could give him detention every day until he graduated from college and I would support her, but exactly what academic criteria was she using to give my son a failing grade??

She said she would speak to the teacher. I got a phone call about an hour later with some pretty serious backpeddling on the part of the teacher. And he passed Home and Careers. And will never ever again make a Shark Pillow-- I guess that's for preteen boys who anticipate a career in the upholstery field?

Excellent points in the difference between the academic achievement and the behavior issues - one cannot cross into the other IMO

 

[robinb]

I'm still curious - Public or Private school???

Public school. Now I'm kicking myself for not making a bigger stink . I originally brought it up to my DD's counselor and she passed it onto the department head. I was on the phone for more than 45 minutes with her. I was thinking about this yesterday ... I think I might have reached out to the principal if it had happened this year. I have a relationship with the our new principal who has gone out of his way to meet parents. He attended one of my DD's swim meets and I have met him numerous times at school related events. I would feel more comfortable talking to him about something like than the previous principal. Oh well. She wouldn't have a perfect GPA anyway .

 

[Hikergirl]

A student's grade should reflect th

The administration in my school would hand me my head if I gave an academic penalty for a behavioral issue.

Grades correspond to the information you've learned, and your ability to show how much you've learned. They're based on test grades, quiz grades, homework performance, projects, and other academic criteria.

Having your cell phone out in class is a discipline issue. Discipline issues carry penalties along the lines of detention or phone calls home or a referral or whatever.

When my son was in 7th grade, I got a phone call from his Home and Careers teacher. (Nope, not an elective. They had to take it.) He was in danger of failing the class because he (and apparently a number of the boys in the class) were not being attentive to her lessons on how to sew a pillow in the shape of a shark. His pillow was no better or worse than anyone else's, but his behavior had him in danger of failing.

I called the guidance counselor in no time flat. I went to Power School and pointed out his grades on all the projects listed there. The shark pillow wasn't yet due, so he couldn't possibly have failed Shark Pillows. How, then, could he possibly be in danger of failing??? I said that if his behavior was a problem, she could give him detention every day until he graduated from college and I would support her, but exactly what academic criteria was she using to give my son a failing grade??

She said she would speak to the teacher. I got a phone call about an hour later with some pretty serious backpeddling on the part of the teacher. And he passed Home and Careers. And will never ever again make a Shark Pillow-- I guess that's for preteen boys who anticipate a career in the upholstery field?

To the bolded, you are so absolutely right.

My kids have to take a clothing class in 7th grade, when it came time to make the pillow case, my youngest opted to write the essay.

 

[mamacatnv]

Public school. Now I'm kicking myself for not making a bigger stink . I originally brought it up to my DD's counselor and she passed it onto the department head. I was on the phone for more than 45 minutes with her. I was thinking about this yesterday ... I think I might have reached out to the principal if it had happened this year. I have a relationship with the our new principal who has gone out of his way to meet parents. He attended one of my DD's swim meets and I have met him numerous times at school related events. I would feel more comfortable talking to him about something like than the previous principal. Oh well. She wouldn't have a perfect GPA anyway .

Did it end up making a letter grade difference for a scoring period (Semester)? If it affected her overall grade and dropped a letter I'd still bring it up, she is still at the same school and her transcripts are all there - they can still "fix" it and make sure the teacher doing this does not continue to do this to other students.