Teachers answering their cell phones during class

[daisyduck123]

There are far greater things to worry about than whether or not the teacher's phone may be occasionally ringing.

As long as your son is happy/learning & you have no other complaints.....I wouldn't get my tinsel in a tangle over this.

1st grade teacher here

 

[HsvTeacher]

Three years ago, my daughter was extremely sick with 103 temperature at school. I did not have my personal cell phone on as per school rules. There were no phones in the classrooms at the time (there are now). The school called the main office. Left a message. Three hours later, dh shows up at my work. Daughter is in the car--he had to leave work even though it was my turn (we take turns when the kids are sick). Turns out my message was taped to my box in the office that my child was sick.

I went to the principal and told him that my cell phone would be on during class time on vibrate and I would let him know if I had to leave.

I, too, am now a district special education supervisor. I am not in charge of 40 people--more like 25. Our policy is cell phones may be on, on vibrate. Personal calls are not to be taken in front of students. With those tules, we have had little to no problems with phone usage. My biggest problem now is when vendors call during school hours trying to sell junk while a teacher is teaching.

The same thing happened to me! Since that day, my cell phone has always been on during the day.

If it is a true emergency, they can call the office and they can come pull you

I feel it is VERY unprofessional to accept phone calls while teaching a class.

As I stated in a previous post, I had an issue a few years ago with not receiving a message from the office. My father had been taken to the hospital, and my mother called the office to have them let me know. At the end of the day, I found the message taped to my office mailbox. Thank goodness he didn't die that day!

As far as it being unprofessional, I can assure you that I am very professional and follow every rule in the book. I do not talk on my cell phone in the classroom, unless it's an emergency. And yes, emergencies can happen when you least expect them.

 

[Hollywoodhaha]

At other schools around me the teens are allowed to text in class, text in the halls, etc..

We aren't supposed to have them on but some do anyway. Teachers leave them on and when they are in the middle of teaching, they get a call from a friend, and stop class to talk to them. Then we sit there and, as teens do, get rambunctious and begin to talk and then the teachers yell at us for it.

 

[Liberty Belle]

If it is a true emergency, they can call the office and they can come pull you

I feel it is VERY unprofessional to accept phone calls while teaching a class.

Which would be even more disruptive. I think emergency phone calls should be allowed on cell phones.

 

[MM27]

In my district we can and will be written up for using a cell phone or texting during student contact times. I have a student teacher that pulled out her phone one day when she was observing me and started texting. I just can't understand why anyone would think that was okay. You are there to learn and think it's a good idea to start texting? Even after telling her what the district policy is for cell phones, she has had it out numerous times and then tried to hide it in her purse and text. Got to the point where I needed to contact her university supervisor.

 

[DeluxePrincess]

Unless the teacher is yacking it up with friends and having a jolly good time while the kids sit idle and waiting for her, I would not worry about it. I never understood the whole, "go tattle to the principal" attitude that runs rampant today. If you are bothered by it, ask the teacher directly about her cell phone usage. When I taught, one of my fellow teachers was a single mom of 3 young girls. She needed her cell phone on hand to take calls from daycare, school nurses, elderly relatives, etc. If these calls went through the office, the teacher would have to LEAVE the room (sometimes with kids left unsupervised). It was much easier for everyone involved for the teacher to answer a quick, but important, question on her cell.

 

[golfgal]

I am surprised at all the teachers that can't have cellphones with them during school hours. At our kids' school part of the emergency plan is for ALL teachers to have a cell phone with them and ON if they need to call or text the teachers in an emergency situation-like a gunman in the school, etc.

I am also SHOCKED that the OP did not check with the teacher first--I hope you didn't get the teacher in major trouble and it ends up being nothing. I am also surprised that you think the principal won't know exactly who you are talking about.

 

[teacherforhi]

I have my phone on vibrate all day. Various service providers travel in from different schools and will text me if they're running late. It makes my day run much smoother because I don't have kids waiting for no reason.

I don't take personal calls and I will let my assistant know if I'm expecting a call from a doctor's office, so that he will know that I may need to step out.

 

[MM27]

I am surprised at all the teachers that can't have cellphones with them during school hours. At our kids' school part of the emergency plan is for ALL teachers to have a cell phone with them and ON if they need to call or text the teachers in an emergency situation-like a gunman in the school, etc.

I am also SHOCKED that the OP did not check with the teacher first--I hope you didn't get the teacher in major trouble and it ends up being nothing. I am also surprised that you think the principal won't know exactly who you are talking about.

In my district they ask teachers to have a cell phone available for emergency procedures, but that doesn't mean they are to be on during the regular school day. We have code messages that are said over the intercom if there is a problem. We also don't have phones in the classroom. We have an intercom only. I do use my cell phone when I have preps if I need to call parents or if I need to take care of personal business.

 

[aprilgail2]

I've never been on any job where using your cell phone is okay. I would think that in a school the "no cell phone" rules would apply to everyone, not just students..

I have an issue with teachers keeping their cell phones on in clas and asnwering them.
My daughter attends a private HS, and there are no phones ion the room and the teachers are expected to follow the same cell phone rules as the kids. (off during school hours, can be on before and after). If you don't want to follow their policy, you don't have to teach there.

Julia

I agree- the no cell phone rule should apply not only to students but to teachers as well!! My daughters 3rd grade teacher would call his friends on the phone and then pass the phone around the classroom for hte kids to say hi or wish them a happy birthday!! Sorry but my taxes pay you to teach, not to yak on the phone during class time.

 

[gaelic grace]

There are legitimate reasons for teachers to have cell phones. As some earlier posts have discussed, safety is one of those. Cell phones are handy for emergency situations, photographing fights or other problems but they can also be used in an instructional manner. My husband is a school administrator and also an Instructional Technologist. Many of his teachers text the parents and the parents text them during the day. The teachers can update parents as to what has happened in the classroom that day. Parents have loved it because instead of saying "What did you do in class today?" they can say " So what did you think about that demonstration of the solar system on the Promethian Board?" among other things. Teachers encourage the parents by telling them what there children did well or need improvement on. "You might want to work on fractions- Susie seemed to have a little trouble today." These are quick communications with the parents, take alot less time than a phone call and many people can multi-task and do something else at the same time so they can still be teaching while doing it. Parents feel comfortable asking the teacher quick questions or can ask questions or let the teacher know the same kinds of things. This does not excuse abuse of the phone for personal non-emergency calls or mean that just because the teacher is talking to a parent that they can be doing it the entire day but there are reasons for its use. That said my husband had to block social networking sites because they had a few (only a few but one is a problem) updating their status throughout the day. As with any profession you are going to have a few bad apples but until you are sure they deserve the benefit of the doubt.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I understand emergencies and safety--but answering a phone daily, several times a day?

If one has that many emergencies, perhaps they should take the day off to deal with them.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

I have mine on me , but only very rarely will I take a call. All of my parents have my cell number. I have several that are hard to get ahold of, so if one of them calls I will excuse myself. For example: I have been trying for over a week to reach one to schedule a meeting that is required by law. I left her my cell number so that she can call me even if I'm not in the room. I will answer that one because if I don't, I don't I may never be able to get ahold of her. The other person I excuse myself for is my process coordinator. She travels between schools and will once in awhile call to tell me that she is going to be late for a meeting, or like today, called to tell me that instead of driving together I would meet her somewhere. I think I have had to excuse myself all of three times during the semester when somebody called. I also use my cell to call parents when one of my students is having trouble, but again, I excuse myself whenever possible. It's basically the same thing as somebody calling me on my classroom phone, but I can step out into the hallway so I'm not disrupting the kids and allow one of my paras to take over.

The other times I have it out is when I need a function on my Blackberry. I'll enter in tasks to remind myself as things come up in the lesson and I have a whole to do list for my classroom in the tasks section. It is also my calendar. However, I try not to pull out during a lesson unless I need to enter a note about a student.

I can see where once in a blue moon she might need to take a call, but every day multiple times a day is too much. And whenever possible she should excuse herself. I would just mention to her what your son is saying and ask her what is going on. We have a saying, "I'll believe half of what they say about you if you believe half of what they say about us."

 

[a1tinkfans]

So I'm wondering if I'm just being a fuddy duddy or if this is the new norm.

My son's 1st grade teacher is taking calls on her cell while class is going on. From what he tells me it happens during lessons. It doesn't happen every day but it happens enough to where he knows her ring tone ( a Christmas song ).

I understand the importance of cell phones, I can't live without mine! However when I am at work, it is silent and I'll deal with any calls after work. If there truly is an emergency, those that need me know how to get me.

A teacher I am personal friends with in the school has told me that he does not use his phone during his class time or when any kids are present. He does use it on his breaks and such which I agree with.

So, am I being weird about this? Should I say anything b/c honestly i feel it is distracting.

Unacceptable (barring an emergency call) , unprofessional and disruptive, sets a BAD example....and I would drop HER a note and if it did not stop, I'd DROP the Principal a note!

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

My DH is a professor and he turns his off when he is holding class.

 

[torinsmom]

I have my cell phone in my pocket at all times. I am a single mom and need to be available if DS's school calls. That being said, the reception in our classroom is iffy AND most everyone who ever calls me knows that I am in the classroom from 8:20-3:20 and would not call UNLESS it was an emergency. Usually, my phone won't ring, but I will get a little voice mail alert sometimes.

As far as the office letting you know of an emergency via the main school number---that requires someone to answer the phone, or check messages very often AND to pass the call on to you. I called one of my parents a few weeks ago when her child fell and hit her head hard on the floor. She is also a teacher and the office person said they would put a note in her box. I told her she needed to let he know now so she could make a decision about whether to take her to the doctor. She refused. I called the dad, and emailed that teacher telling her she should talk to the office and let them know to interrupt her when it is an emergency!

There is a teacher and an assistant team at our school that uses their phones to text back and forth about things while one is on the playground and one is in the classroom. I think that looks very unprofessional, even if it relates to class. Parents just watching wouldn't stop and ask what they were doing. They would run right to the principal.

Marsha

 

[AliceinHalloweentown]

It shouldn't be a frequent occurence, but I'm in high school, and yes, occasionally (extremely rare), a teacher's cell phone will ring, and they'll answer.

They apologize profusely, take the call, tell the person they're teaching, talk for maybe a minute, and continue teaching.

One time, my teacher was getting calls from his optometrist because of some surgery he had- and that was fine.

In 1st grade and an often occurence is a little odd though.

 

[Sparx]

i had a 5th grade teacher who would get on the school phone and chat with another teacher (across the hall) 5-6 times a day for 10+ minutes each time, and it disrupted lessons. that was unacceptable.

now, in college, i've had teachers phone's ring, they'll answer and say that they're busy and call them back later, and hang up, and it didn't phase me.

i do agree that going over the teachers head was unacceptable. i'm leaning towards that the teacher in question is getting more calls close to my second example than my first, but even if she wasn't, she should have been the first person you went to.

and it only takes once to recognize a song.

 

[Becky2005]

and it only takes once to recognize a song.

And it was a Christmas song, so probably a common one that most recognize instantly. Especially if it were say Jingle Bells, Frosty, Rudolph, etc...

 

[golfgal]

I understand emergencies and safety--but answering a phone daily, several times a day?

If one has that many emergencies, perhaps they should take the day off to deal with them.

See, this is the whole point of the thread, we don't know if she takes several calls or if this was a one time deal because the OP never questioned what her little darling said. If the OP had spent a little more time asking questions she may not have had to post this. It is easy to ask "how many times did her phone ring" and the little boy could have said "one time during math but she didn't answer it. I like that her phone rings jingle bells". Problem solved. OR the little boy could say, she talks on the phone when she is trying to help us all the time--then there is a problem.