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Parents freak. The. Fuck. Out. If you touch their kids' phone, these days. You can maybe keep it to the end of the day (and some parents will still complain, "w

Parents freak. The. Fuck. Out. If you touch their kids' phone, these days. You can maybe keep it to the end of the day (and some parents will still complain, "what if I needed to reach them?" Gee, I dunno, maybe call the office, just like all of history since schools got office phones) but past that, phew boy. No. I'm shocked that schools allow phones at all, and that they're not harsher on kids when they find one, but I gather messing with phones is a really good way to have pissed-off parents up your ass, and schools all really hate that, so they give in. Result: constant phone shenanigans.

MisterTea 5y ago
> "what if I needed to reach them?" What parent would call a child in the middle of class, rudely interrupting the entire class? And what would they possibly have to ask their child that so important that warrants interrupting their child's class?
- handrous 5y ago
  It has been known to happen. And not for anything actually urgent. Yes, really. And not a one-off, but one of those "oh yeah, time or two a year that happens" sorts of things. Apparently taking kids out of school to get their nails done or whatever is also A Thing for some folks. I'd never have imagined it, but some parents treat school very differently than the parents I (fortunately) had.
  - Loughla 5y ago
    My spouse has taught for over two decades, I taught for 10 or so years before transitioning to gasp administration. Kids miss school more often today than when we started; our original attendance books prove that, at least for our classrooms. Reasons now range from spa days, to the kid didn't feel like getting up, to, and this is p.e.r.v.a.s.i.v.e., 7-10 day long vacations in September and October. This year, my spouse has not had a full classroom any single day due to family vacations. Pre-covid, it was not better, either. I'm afraid that I come across as a grumpy old man, but this is a problem that did not exist in the past. Education is seen as a burden, and a box to be checked anymore. Take from that sentence whatever you want.
    - handrous 5y ago
      Interesting—my spouse has only been in a little over a decade, and has switched districts enough times that we hadn't put together any kind of pattern of changes over the years. I just know that the frequency with which kids are out for a week to visit family in another state (not even around a holiday!) or out for spa days / nails / haircuts et c., seems totally alien to me. I was only out for, like, funerals, or if I had a fever or was vomiting or was in the hospital. I think there might have been one or two times, in my 13 years of school, when we cut out one day before a break to get a jump on a long drive, but that is the entire extent of "optional" days off I had, for all those years. One or two days, total, in 13 years, and I'm not entirely sure we actually did that ever, or maybe my parents just discussed it but ended up not doing it. I grew up thinking that was the overwhelming norm for attitudes toward schooling. It blows my mind that quite a few parents think nothing of pulling their kid out for a whole day, or taking them out early, just to go hang out! Often several times every year! > This year, my spouse has not had a full classroom any single day due to family vacations. Pre-covid, it was not better, either. I've got some friends saying their schools are hovering around 80% daily attendance this year, between the usual stuff and COVID. And I think some of the more lax parents are using COVID excuses for their usual BS, making things even worse. Plus the too-frequent days when they can't find enough substitutes and just have to stick 3+ classes in the cafeteria or gym for babysitting. Educational outcomes for this ~2.5 years (once this school year's over, it'll have been about that much) are gonna be really bad. Online, in-person, barely matters, it's all bad. :-(
      - Loughla 5y ago
        >Educational outcomes for this ~2.5 years (once this school year's over, it'll have been about that much) are gonna be really bad. And depending on what grade the student is, that 2.5 years could have repercussions for anywhere from 6 months for the older students trying to be competitive in college, to the rest of their lives. I really, really, really am afraid for students who are just learning the fundamentals and are missing so much social/emotional/educational development. My money says this is going to have repercussions for decades.
        5y ago
edgyquant 5y ago
While I agree phones shouldn’t be allowed in school I can understand freaking out if the school takes a very expensive thing like a phone from a kid, especially like you said as it’s a means to reach the kid.
- Wowfunhappy 5y ago
  Why do you need to reach your child while they are in class? Why can’t you call the office?
  - edgyquant 5y ago
    I think a better question is why should parents not be able to directly reach their children when the technology exists. These kids aren’t in prison and parents have every right to decide whether or not their child has a phone on them.
    - Wowfunhappy 5y ago
      Because children are taking them out in class. If a child actually keeps the phone in their bag that's fine, but if they take it out (and it's not a true emergency), the teacher has every right to confiscate it.
      - edgyquant 5y ago
        And I would argue that they don’t have the right just as your employer doesn’t have the right to take your phone. Apparently a lot of parents agree with me which is what spawned this comment chain.
- handrous 5y ago
  Me, I'd be like, "huh, it sure was dumb of me to let my kid take an expensive electronic distraction to school. I probably shouldn't have done that." But I think that puts me in old-man-yells-at-cloud territory, these days.
FearlessNebula 5y ago
I think it’s justified to be angry if the school kept your kids phone past the end of the day. That’s your property and they don’t get to keep that after hours.

MisterTea 5y ago

> "what if I needed to reach them?" What parent would call a child in the middle of class, rudely interrupting the entire class? And what would they possibly have to ask their child that so important that warrants interrupting their child's class?

handrous 5y ago
It has been known to happen. And not for anything actually urgent. Yes, really. And not a one-off, but one of those "oh yeah, time or two a year that happens" sorts of things. Apparently taking kids out of school to get their nails done or whatever is also A Thing for some folks. I'd never have imagined it, but some parents treat school very differently than the parents I (fortunately) had.
- Loughla 5y ago
  My spouse has taught for over two decades, I taught for 10 or so years before transitioning to gasp administration. Kids miss school more often today than when we started; our original attendance books prove that, at least for our classrooms. Reasons now range from spa days, to the kid didn't feel like getting up, to, and this is p.e.r.v.a.s.i.v.e., 7-10 day long vacations in September and October. This year, my spouse has not had a full classroom any single day due to family vacations. Pre-covid, it was not better, either. I'm afraid that I come across as a grumpy old man, but this is a problem that did not exist in the past. Education is seen as a burden, and a box to be checked anymore. Take from that sentence whatever you want.
  - handrous 5y ago
    Interesting—my spouse has only been in a little over a decade, and has switched districts enough times that we hadn't put together any kind of pattern of changes over the years. I just know that the frequency with which kids are out for a week to visit family in another state (not even around a holiday!) or out for spa days / nails / haircuts et c., seems totally alien to me. I was only out for, like, funerals, or if I had a fever or was vomiting or was in the hospital. I think there might have been one or two times, in my 13 years of school, when we cut out one day before a break to get a jump on a long drive, but that is the entire extent of "optional" days off I had, for all those years. One or two days, total, in 13 years, and I'm not entirely sure we actually did that ever, or maybe my parents just discussed it but ended up not doing it. I grew up thinking that was the overwhelming norm for attitudes toward schooling. It blows my mind that quite a few parents think nothing of pulling their kid out for a whole day, or taking them out early, just to go hang out! Often several times every year! > This year, my spouse has not had a full classroom any single day due to family vacations. Pre-covid, it was not better, either. I've got some friends saying their schools are hovering around 80% daily attendance this year, between the usual stuff and COVID. And I think some of the more lax parents are using COVID excuses for their usual BS, making things even worse. Plus the too-frequent days when they can't find enough substitutes and just have to stick 3+ classes in the cafeteria or gym for babysitting. Educational outcomes for this ~2.5 years (once this school year's over, it'll have been about that much) are gonna be really bad. Online, in-person, barely matters, it's all bad. :-(
    - Loughla 5y ago
      >Educational outcomes for this ~2.5 years (once this school year's over, it'll have been about that much) are gonna be really bad. And depending on what grade the student is, that 2.5 years could have repercussions for anywhere from 6 months for the older students trying to be competitive in college, to the rest of their lives. I really, really, really am afraid for students who are just learning the fundamentals and are missing so much social/emotional/educational development. My money says this is going to have repercussions for decades.
      - 5y ago

edgyquant 5y ago

While I agree phones shouldn’t be allowed in school I can understand freaking out if the school takes a very expensive thing like a phone from a kid, especially like you said as it’s a means to reach the kid.

Wowfunhappy 5y ago
Why do you need to reach your child while they are in class? Why can’t you call the office?
- edgyquant 5y ago
  I think a better question is why should parents not be able to directly reach their children when the technology exists. These kids aren’t in prison and parents have every right to decide whether or not their child has a phone on them.
  - Wowfunhappy 5y ago
    Because children are taking them out in class. If a child actually keeps the phone in their bag that's fine, but if they take it out (and it's not a true emergency), the teacher has every right to confiscate it.
    - edgyquant 5y ago
      And I would argue that they don’t have the right just as your employer doesn’t have the right to take your phone. Apparently a lot of parents agree with me which is what spawned this comment chain.
handrous 5y ago
Me, I'd be like, "huh, it sure was dumb of me to let my kid take an expensive electronic distraction to school. I probably shouldn't have done that." But I think that puts me in old-man-yells-at-cloud territory, these days.

FearlessNebula 5y ago

I think it’s justified to be angry if the school kept your kids phone past the end of the day. That’s your property and they don’t get to keep that after hours.