Kids need them after school, to call their parents to pick them up from after-school activities, from friends houses, etc. Parents would certainly want to be able to reach their children, even track them, when they aren't in school. The problem isn't the phones in school, it is the kids using them.

So long as they are turned off, there should be no problem with a kid having a phone in school.

I don't really see what the uproar is. Especially about fining parents. If a child is distracting the class, the teacher should be doing something about it. If the child isn't paying attention, the same.

IMHO, if a teacher has to tell a child more than once to put a phone away, she didn't do her job the first time.

Then they fail. If something is so hard to notice that the teacher misses it, I doubt it is bothering the other kids much. If the kids want to waste their time, let them.

I don't see being draconian about things like that. The teacher's job is to put the material out there, and make sure the classroom is a good learning environment. I think we've gone way to far trying to mandate success.

It isn't possible, and kids won't learn the skills they need that way. If they fek off, they fail, no different than in college or in their future jobs. If they are taught at an early age there will be someone snapping their fingers at them to make sure they are paying attention, then life will be unfair to them from now on.

I'll give you a good example of when cell phones did prove to be useful at school:

We had a storm back in September, with bad winds and rain, during school hours. Power and phone service was knocked out.
There were throngs of parents coming to pick up their kids (which really didn't make sense, since it was more dangerous to take them out during the storm, but I digress).

The kids who didn't have parents picking them up were scared and wanted to talk to their parents...and the only way they were able to do this was by borrowing the teachers' cell phones.

Again, as long as a child (or teacher) is following the school rules of cell phone use, there should be no problem. If they aren't following the rules, every district should have disciplinary steps in their handbook sto deal with it.

The answer to both your questions is - no.
Kids shouldn't have 'em in school and neither should the teachers.
As for getting in touch following after school activities, well that's just utter rubbish - parent, find out what time it finishes and then make sure you're there to pick them up, simple really.

IMHO, if a teacher has to tell a child more than once to put a phone away, she didn't do her job the first time.

If you instruct your child, and she/he fails to follow your directions, what do you personally do? Would you allow the teacher the same?

I see no problem with them as long as they follow the rules with them, such as having them off during class time.

Agreed

Do you spend any time in schools? I'm there about every day when it is in session. If a child misbehaves they are removed to the hall, or the office, or home. If the child won't go, they call the counselor, principle, etc., to have the child removed.

I don't know what the situation you are talking about wherein teachers can't take phones that are being abused, remove kids from class, etc. Maybe if you had examples.

"I agree, but do kids need to call their parents for rides during classtime? "

Who said they did? Again, if kids are talking on the phone during class then the teacher isn't paying enough attention. If they are caught, they should have no opportunity to distract again.

"Im confused here. Are you saying that a child needs no disaplin/"finger snapping"? If so, how does this help later on in life? "

No, I don't believe it is the teacher's job to discipline a child. Every minute they spend doing so is a minute taking away from instruction. Kids that distract should be removed and let administration or parents deal with them, and if that doesn't work they should be expelled.

Again, I'd need to see what you are upset about, really. Do you have a child in school? Are you a teacher? What exactly is the root of your complaint?

"As for getting in touch following after school activities, well that's just utter rubbish - parent, find out what time it finishes and then make sure you're there to pick them up, simple really."

And aren't you glad all those parents that you disagree with aren't there to tell you what YOU "make sure" you should do. I wouldn't imagine everything is as clear and reasonable as you make it out to be.

I don't know what the situation you are talking about wherein teachers can't take phones that are being abused, remove kids from class, etc. Maybe if you had examples.

Yeah, my ex had a fit when the teacher took my daughters phone from her. I dont see that as being reasonable. Thats a 2 for one answer.

Who said they did?

The thesis is "cells in the classroom". You mentioned kids using a teachers phone. I figured you were speaking in context of the articles thesis. Perhaps I erred.

No, I don't believe it is the teacher's job to discipline a child.

You are contradicting yourself here Baker, or so it seems to me:

Kids that distract should be removed and let administration or parents deal with them, and if that doesn't work they should be expelled.

I assume the teacher is sending these distracting children out to the hall or whatever. Isnt that a disiplinary action?3

Do you have a child in school?

Yes, I do.

Are you a teacher?

While I do have a teaching credential, I am not a teacher. Are you?

I'm there about every day when it is in session.

Are you in a classroom that is in session almost every day? If you are, and are not instructing, wouldnt that be a distraction as well?

What exactly is the root of your complaint?

HHmmm, I believe I have mentioned more than once the cause of my complaint, though no complaint was implied in the article itself: The classroom is for teaching and learning, not to be wasted on students or teachers using a cell phone. To me its simply a waste of tax dollars, and deters from any progressive education (as any distraction would be).

Nope, that's removing a distraction. When you toss a bum out of a bar are you "disciplining" them?

I'm sorry, I cant connect an adult (bum in a bar) to a child (being kicked out of a class), but, yes, I do see a child being sent from the classroom for disrupting the class, a form of disaplin. It seems the same to me as a parent sending their kid to their room for disrupting normal family affairs.

I don't believe the government has any role in teaching kids to "behave" anyway, and if they do they'll just screw it up like they screw up everything else.

The fact is that the government does in fact have a role indisaplining all of america, and does.

Yeah, what I was wondering was what gave you the idea that this is a huge problem.

Gottcha. I'm not all that certain that its a huge issue, but one worth mentioning. Im staying at a buddies house over the holidays, and one of their older kids showed me this new ringtone that children can hear, but we adults cannot. I was a bit more disturbed when I saw the nature of the text messages she had saved from in the classroom: Messages concerning partying, sexual connotation, answeres to a quiz etc. This to me is more than a slight disruption.

To frame it in the same way as gun control, phones don't distract people, their owners do by misusing them.

And we do not allow guns in the classrom either, as far as I know

thats interesting - the ring tones Xythe. Just goes to show where there is a will there is a way, they will use their phones if they have them on them.

I taught for a bit, and the cell phones were a complete pain in the fundament.

The school's solution was, if they had their cell phone out in class or it went off, it was confiscated and they had to go to the office and pay 15 bucks to get it back. For multiple offenses, the school could also hang on to it for lengthening periods of time.

It didn't stop them from bringing them, but man was it nice to see some of the disrespectful assclowns faces when you took their phones away. Not to say that they were all rude and disrespectful, but it sure as hell wasn't the polite ones playing with their phones in class.

Actually what usually worked best was the drill sergeant approach. Start out on total lock down, when you began working with a class, then back off by degrees. Send the worst offenders straight to the principal's office at the outset. Whenever you started out by being overly nice, they'd walk all over you. You might as well have had "Welcome" printed on your forehead.

If you want kids treated like criminals, by all means, institutionalize them and teach them that the government is in control of their lives.

No, just keep their cell phones out of the classroom. Thats all.

Besides, you seem to have no problem equating cell phones, the topic of this article with gun control and bums in bars.

But seriously now folks.