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AjarnRick · 12th March 2007, 16:28

My simple and effective classroom rule:

I hear your phone, I see your phone, I take your phone.

The first time, I take it and the student gets it back after class.

The second time, I take it and the student gets it back from the Director, if and when she is in the office. Student must write a contract with the Director promising not to use the phone in class again. Consequences of a third infraction is loss of the phone till the end of the term and being expelled from the course.

I've had fairly effective success using this rule. Recently, I had a student think he was exempt from this because he was calling China (an exchange student) and texting his friend there. I took the phone and after his anger subsided and his throwing a fit, I simply walking away from him, with the phone. He knew the consequences, but chose to ignore them or perhaps believed I was just blowing smoke.

Anyway, the phone went into the Director's office and she was away for the next 10 days. The student was without his phone for the duration. He got politely reamed upon her return, made his apology to me, to the Director and wrote out his contract in his own handwriting and signature.

A hard lesson learned, but I can tell you--phones are no longer an issue in my classroom.

12th March 2007, 16:28	#100 (permalink)
AjarnRick AjarnRick is..... Established User Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 122 vCash: 500 Rep Power: 20	Re: Do you answer the phone while in class? My simple and effective classroom rule: I hear your phone, I see your phone, I take your phone. The first time, I take it and the student gets it back after class. The second time, I take it and the student gets it back from the Director, if and when she is in the office. Student must write a contract with the Director promising not to use the phone in class again. Consequences of a third infraction is loss of the phone till the end of the term and being expelled from the course. I've had fairly effective success using this rule. Recently, I had a student think he was exempt from this because he was calling China (an exchange student) and texting his friend there. I took the phone and after his anger subsided and his throwing a fit, I simply walking away from him, with the phone. He knew the consequences, but chose to ignore them or perhaps believed I was just blowing smoke. Anyway, the phone went into the Director's office and she was away for the next 10 days. The student was without his phone for the duration. He got politely reamed upon her return, made his apology to me, to the Director and wrote out his contract in his own handwriting and signature. A hard lesson learned, but I can tell you--phones are no longer an issue in my classroom.