I am sure I am jealous, but I never got to carry around a phone when I was a child. Sure, it would have been a bit clunky, and I wouldn’t be able to go too far because of the cord and all, but it would have been fun. Well, no, wait. No, it wouldn’t. It was too much fun hearing my mother yelling for me in the neighborhood to come home for dinner. What fun would it be to just hear my phone ringing? Or I’d get a text, “Dinner time.”
I actually feel sorry for the children who have to carry a cell phone. I got away with so much stuff when I was little. My mom had to hunt me down almost every day during the summer. That meant an extra 30 minutes of play. Kids today have their parents attached to their hip, literally. Just one text or ring and it will be over.
I teach fourth grade and I really don’t mind if a child has a cell phone in their back pack. I understand the county policy of no cell phones in the classroom, but if a parent writes a note explaining why their child has a cell phone on a particular day, I don’t mind at all. If the phone mistakenly goes off during class, I give the child a lazer shooting out of my eyes look, and quietly put a mark on their MonkeyShines behavior chart.
Some educators say that a cell phone is disruptive. I’d rather have a cell phone go off any day than the stuff that goes on in my classroom each day.
(The following names have been changed to protect their goofiness….and so I don’t get fired just yet.)
“Ms. Mendenhall, Mark is telling everyone out on the playground that I play with monkey titties.”
“Ms. Mendenhall, take a look at this and tell me if it is lice.”
“Ms. Mendenhall, John won’t quit looking at me.” (That means you are looking at him, Goofy.)
I’ve got a fake burper, a pencil breaker, a farter who will not quit farting, one who lives on Pluto, one who keeps knocking over her water bottle and tries to wipe it up with a Kleenex, and 10 who have no idea what I just said.
Yeah, they can have cell phones in my classroom.
Posted by Stephanie Davis Bell on January 19, 2012 at 10:33 pm
Where. Were. You. When. My. Children. Went. Through. The. Fourth. Grade?! I care not about cell phones, and they are all good students, but to have a good fourth grade teacher with a sense of humor… Priceless. (Oh, and for two out of three of them you were across the hall.
LoL)
Posted by Jumping in Mud Puddles on January 19, 2012 at 11:22 pm
Posted by backonmyown on January 17, 2012 at 12:31 pm
Your teacher humor is intact.
Posted by Jumping in Mud Puddles on January 19, 2012 at 11:28 pm
Thank you. Teachers must have a sense of humor. They keep buying clothes from CJ Banks…lol
Posted by mooselicker on January 16, 2012 at 8:07 pm
I recently wrote something about how I think cell phones are probably killing us. After reading this, I’m wrong. They’re making 4th graders more dumb.
What does a 10 year old really need a cell phone for? I used to go summers without seeing my best friends. It let us grow apart and become individuals. I know, I sound so old and bitter. My bad.
Posted by Jumping in Mud Puddles on January 17, 2012 at 2:28 pm
I know they are killing me. I told my class that if they see me dragging my right leg while I walk across the classroom to run to the office. I will have a stroke..lol
Posted by Melissa on January 15, 2012 at 10:49 pm
We got our daughter a cell phone so she could have a little more freedom to hang out with her friends after school.
You are so right though, I got away with so much growing up before the age of cell phones. If I was running late, there was no way for me to call, and no way for them to find me! Now, my daughter has no excuse not to check in every time she changes locations.
Not that I make her do that.
The chip I implanted in the back of her neck let’s me know where she is, always. *twitch*
Posted by Jumping in Mud Puddles on January 15, 2012 at 11:27 pm
LOL..Too funny!
Posted by Jo Bryant on January 15, 2012 at 6:35 pm
I love this post – a teacher with a sense of humour – where were you when I was growing up ???
Posted by Jumping in Mud Puddles on January 15, 2012 at 7:38 pm
Aww, thank you. I do try to make them laugh every day…lol
Posted by kdevries on January 15, 2012 at 11:24 am
As a teacher in my former life (before budget cuts), I LOVE this! I mean, really, cell phones are the least of the possible disruptions. And, like you said, I found that the laser eye works wonders…
Now if they could ban multiple announcements over the PA system, that would be helpful!
Posted by Jumping in Mud Puddles on January 15, 2012 at 12:31 pm
The problem with the announcements is that my kids don’t understand that they need to be quiet so I can hear them. So, I yell out “Salame!” when we first hear that click. That means…Stop And Look At Me….and they have to freeze in their places. I don’t know why this works, but it does..lol