Ok... so I usually let Heather do the blogging. The blog is as much for my benefit as it is for yours, seeing as that I am not around the kids as much as I'd like.
Anyway - I wanted to share a smooth maneuver that I pulled today at work. Our story begins yesterday at the end of my children's choir class, 50 students in grades 4-7. A young girl named Ella in about 5th grade comes up to me just as the bell is ringing to let students out of class, telling me that she has had her cell phone stolen. I asked her if she was sure that she had it in my room. She showed me her bookbag, which had an outside pocket with no zipper, button, or closure of any kind on it. She said that the phone had almost fallen out and she remembers pushing it back in the pocket and putting her bookbag under her chair. When she went to leave, the phone was gone.
Ella checked with me later to see if I had found it - unfortunately, no. Ella's mom emailed me later and asked about having me make an announcement. I told her my plan for the next day...
During class today, things were seemingly normal until I went over to Ella in the 1st row and asked her to "make the call." She got up and went to my desk. Suddenly, with a panicked look in her eye, the 7th grade girl that sits next to Ella asked to use the restroom. DENIED! Ella picked up my phone and called her cell number. I reached down to the floor under the 7th grader's chair and picked up her purse, which just happened to be vibrating in groups of three at the time... hmmm..... I told the girl that she needed to hand it over. She pulled out a camera and said that that was what I had felt. Uh, no, I felt a cell phone vibrating. She handed me the cell phone, but said that she had found it on the playground. It was Ella's.
I immediately marched the 7th grader down the hall to the Asst Principal's office and relayed the whole deal. When I came back without the 7th grader, everyone in my class had their jaw on the floor as if they had just seen a drug bust out of nowhere. "How did you know?" many asked. :) Did I happen to mention that the 7th grader has a list of discipline referrals longer than anyone else I know, that she constantly talks in class, and does not sing well on singing tests? Did I also mention that she got suspended for 3 days for this incident? (not long enough in my book!) Did I mention that we have a concert tomorrow (for a grade) and that you cannot perform when suspended? :) :) :)
The only problem is that I will not be able to duplicate this maneuver next year since my room in our new building is in the basement and has no cell service? Oh well... I may not be able to duplicate this - but at least the kids will not be able to text in my room! :) :) :)
Thursday, May 6, 2010
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hahaha, good job Rick! I have to say though, the girl who lost her phone should keep it in a more discreet location. And do most of your young students really have cell phones?!! I had a laugh at the "does not sing well on singing tests". I never sang well on the singing tests either in music theory, but I didn't have anything else on that long list. Good luck next year figuring something out if the same thing happens again.
ReplyDeleteI agree that an open pocket is not the best place for a cell phone...
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I should say that at least half of my 4th-7th grade students have cell phones. Half the time the students are trying to text each other (today's version of passing notes in class, except it can be across the city) - the other half of the time they are receiving texts FROM THEIR PARENTS! I have had students say, "My mom is outside right now, can I go see her?" or someone starts crying profusely out of the blue because they were just texted from Mom that Grandma died. Parents thse days want a direct link to their children and do not care about the policies that are set by the adults who are in charge of their children for 7 hours or more a day! Unbelieveable!