Cell Phones in School

Originally posted by dexterium
I can guarantee you that if some teacher decides to take my phone, they can have it for that class, and I will get it back at the end of class or else.

Or else what? I agree that it's pretty crappy for a teacher or school admin to take a valuable piece of electronics permanantly, but to what lengths are you willing to go to get the phone back? Will you physically take the phone back?

We're all people, and you respect me, and I'll respect you.

True respect can't be given, you've got to earn it. If you've shown you're worthy of respect, a good teacher will treat you with respect. You have to remember, though, that it's a two-way street, you also have to respect the teacher.

Originally posted by SWAT
Whiskey Jack I respect you in the fact you actually didnt just get all bent out of shape,

Thanks. I think we can all agree that life's far too short to spend time getting unduly upset about stuff on an internet message board

it was funny how even after all the personal attacks on my worth and grammer i never was that mad but after reading a single post nygden and spliff were already going off the deepend on how i was stuck on myself

By your text, you do seem to take the conflicting opinions here a little personally. Most of the folks here, though they come off a bit harsh, aren't saying that you, personally, are without worth, simply that you might want to re-evaluate your opinions. It's easy to be misunderstood, when you're writing, when you don't have things like posture and other body language to give clues to meaning.

and how anyone who has a cell with them in school should have it taken away, which is infact rediculous if they arent even being used.

The posts in the thread have been mostly saying that we understand why the policies prohibiting cell phones in schools are there, not that they should automatically be taken away just because. It's a subtle difference, but an important one.

i have never used my phone in class, but i have friends who work on a farm and such and sometimes during harvest or planting season they are needed in the field which is the one job that ive been thinking of but most of you would laugh at that anyway so...

Nah, I'm in Iowa so I know how things can be. Still, a better course for your friends would be to make arrangements with the school so their folks have a way to get ahold of them when necessary. That way their obligations to their job can be met, but their obligation to their education can also be met.

as i stated later in a reply whiskey jack i worded my original post poorly and tried to correct it. then my spelling was attacked, which is ludacris beucase this is a forum of discussion not english class,

A couple resources I find very helpful when posting on online fora, both here and else where are Dictionary.com and Wikipedia.

Dictionary.com is really useful for checking my spelling when I'm not sure of it, and for double-checking the meaning of words. As you've probably noticed, I'm a bit verbose when posting, and have an affection for long words, so it's saved my ass a couple times

Wikipedia is a free, online encyclopedia. The material's contributed by the users, so it's probably not something you'd be able to cite for an academic paper, but for a casual online discussion it's really helpful when you need to catch up on the basics of some subject.\

Also, if you're going to be doing any kind of career that involves writing, I'd really highly suggest picking up a book on grammar and rhetoric. Most of them are pretty dry reading, but the information in them can really help you get your point across in the manner you intend. Whether you use those skills here, or in your future job, they will pay off.

i plan on going to college and for some reason i should drop out beucase i posted this according to some people...

In your first couple posts you seemed to suggest that you found high school, or at least your Junior and Senior years there, valueless. I get the impression, now, that that's not the case but it's hard to overcome a first impression.

but i will agree with dex... i can respect that, dex seems to understand what im saying, but they want to take your phone away and not give them back, and i simply would refuse to give them my phone...

How far are you willing to go to keep your phone? Seriously, before you start making, or even implying, threats you need to know how much is bluff and how much is real. Would you drop out of school, maybe pursuing a GED, if it came to it?

earlier .. probably spliff or whatever said something to my "theyve never tried to take my phone but id like to see them try" meant nothing more than that, they can try, but im not going to give my cell phone to some power hungry school official who is mad because they make as much as a manager at walmart in a year.

The funny thing is for every bitter educator or administrator, there are two that honestly love what they're doing. They have to be tough bastards, some times, because their job isn't to be your friends, but to get you ready to be an adult. Honestly, more frustration on the part of teachers comes from the fact that they can't touch the shoulder of a student who's just lost a family member, because of the potential for sexual misconduct charges, than comes from the below-average salary and respect.

i posted this just for some discussion, never meant to cause all the angry posts which turned into attacks on my spelling and my personal worth,

Unfortunately, that's the nature of the Internet. The best thing to do, I've found, is to ignore the trolls. Failing that, get good at your rhetoric (the writing skills, not the "repeated-verbatim-argument" type) and take their posts apart point by point.

thank you whiskey jack for actually taking the time to post a reasonable reply, but though i havent changed my opinion id be willing to go to something like dex said...

But all dex did was to make a vague threat to anyone who wanted to keep his cell phone longer than one class period, and demand he be given respect. He didn't propose any solutions.

One thing you'll find in life is that if you have a problem with something, your complaints are usually better received if you can also suggest a way to fix the problem. Even then, it usually takes several revisions to get something that's acceptable to all parties. It's more work than simply being pissed off about something, but it's also more likely to fix the problem in the end.

I have a question," How would you feel if you were talking to someone and instead of listening to you they were chating on the phone.I don't know about you but it would not make me very happy,it's also very disrespectful.

Originally posted by SWAT
the school I attend and several schools around here are now finding it a good way of abusing their power to either tell students if they have cell phones on in school they will be confiscated or they will be punished... one school has actually kicked a student out for having a cell phone go off in class, im talking about students in 11th and 12th grade (im in 12th)... it is very legit to say that by the time your 17 or 18 or 19 in those grades your personal finance or english class might be the least of your concerns as you may have a job or other obligations, so is it just me or for a school to say that they can take your phone away for having it on or using it during school legitimate? i certainly think not, especially if its on silent, i can see where if you let it ring during a class itd be annoying but everyone makes mistakes and its possible to forget to put your phone on silent... not sure what everyone else thinks, but i thought the last couple years in high school were to help you prepare for the real world, and the last time i checked you wont get your phone confiscated at work or at home for using it, heck most jobs people are on the phone with someone all the time... apparently the whole preparing for the real world is out the window... this is just how i feel (by the way, theyve never tried to take my phone, but id like to see em try )

[edit on 28-2-2005 by John bull 1]

I think that cell phones going off during class is extremely rude. You might as well just stand up during a lecture and start yelling, "look at me, look at me!!" You are there to learn, not to socialize during class time. Use your lunch breaks, between periods, and after school to talk. How did we ever get by without cell phones?!? Christ!

I go to college and Im paying for my education. I don't think Im getting the most out of class if we have someone's phone ringing or distrubing the class every 5-10mins. Wait until after class to answer your phone! People must be in need of attention in order to be stuck on the phone that much.

Bottom line: Cell phones are a great invention but people are abusing it. Its rude.

and i agree with your statement about it being rude Anubis... but there is a difference between a college kid whos phone rings two or three times during a class period and they never bother to turn it on silent on turn it off... one of the two original statements i either made or corrected so it said what i meant was that i felt it was a bit extreme to kick someone out of school for accidentally having their phone go off... it wasnt like they were intentionally rebelling against any rule that may have been in place... also thank you for noticing my reply whiskey jack but i have never considered dropping out, that would be stupid, what kind of job can you get dropping out, not a very good one im willing to bet, also as to agreeing with dex, i meant i could see the teacher taking it away for a class period just if they wanted to be on the safe side or whatever, but im not sure what he means by "or else"...

[edit on 5-3-2005 by SWAT]

I was told back in highschool that if I didn't get my hair cut (I'm not a stoner, but I have shoulder-length hair simply because I like it) I shouldn't bother coming back the next day. Also, if you have any razor stubble (e.g. you skipped shaving your face that morning) you're likewise given just a warning before being kicked out. Like some have mentioned, it's like prep for the real world... If I showed up to the board room meeting with shoulder-length hair, a 5 o'clock shadow, or my phone rang I wouldn't expect people to be happy (I'd definately punish one of my underlings if they did it!) Best to learn it when you're young and it doesn't matter (so my phone gets taken away in high school - better than losing a high-powered 6 or 7 figure job!) I know, senior year is kinda "screw it" if you're done right your last three years, but believe it or not everyone is not so lucky and some of those poor suckers actually need to up their gpa in that personal finance course b/c they were jerking around in the years before.

[edit on 5-3-2005 by AlphaHumana]