For the Love of Cell Phones
I will be the first to admit it--I love my cell phone. LOVE it. Like can't leave the house without, check it religiously for TM's from L or VM's from the rest of the world who may have called. Love taking pics with it, love getting frequent updates from L (also addicted in a serious way, to the point of a TextAmerica photoblog), love having accessories and love having assorted ringtones. LOVE it. But I am, however, aware that it is not a Dr.'s pager, a Policeperson's dispatch radio, nor is it the Fire Chef's main lifeline. I.E, there are times and places for appropriate usage. Apparently, this ettiquitte is lost on most of the modern world. Let me be more blunt: A preschool classroom and parent teacher conferences are not places for usage.
How would this even come up? You ask...
Three scenarios that came up just last week, indicating that
a) we live a tactless society
b) it was really time for Spring Break
Scenario one:
An aunt of a student comes at the wrong time to pick up said student at a completely bad time, i.e. the child is in the middle of lunch. Come before lunch starts, come once he's done eating, don't come while he's eating yogurt. Can't really pack it up to go, can't encourage him to just throw it away and move on, so we invite said aunt to come in and join us (28 goslings, me, and an assistant) in lunch time fun. She comes in, wearing a lovely black t-shirt which reads "STATE PRISON" on the front, which would be OK except that many of my goslings can read. And then I notice, growing out of her ear, is a very conspicuos headpiece for her cellphone. Now she's not talking to anyone, apparently she's just wearing it "just in case". Maybe OK in your car, maybe OK if you're out and about, not really in once place or operating heavy equipment, but hanging out with your nephew? Thankfully, the State Prison didn't call looking for her while she was in the classroom. Although tacky, non-disruptive. Which leads me to:
Scenario two:
Parent teacher conferences. About 1 in 4 conferences (there are 4 per hour, for well, a total of seven hours) had a miscellenous electronic device sound off in the middle of me telling them how great little Johnny is doing. Most were extremely apologetic and immediately hit whatever button it took to silence the damn thing, and moved on to continuing our discussion. A few glanced to see who was calling. ONE PERSON ACTUALLY TOOK THE FREAKING PHONE CALL. Yes, in the middle of a discussion with me, the revered teacher that I am, she stopped listening and had a conversation for several minutes.
And they blame me for lack of parent/teacher communication.
Scenario three:
In my little schoolhouse, parents and esteemed guests are welcome to observe the goslings in the classroom. The general deal is that they are welcome to sit quietly and watch the worker bees go to it. They aren't supposed to interact w/ the kiddos too much or draw attention to themselves, but they are welcome to move to wherever their student is working and check out what's going on. People are generally pretty good about this. Haven't had anyone be too disruptive. Til last week. All 28 kids are actually productively working on assorted things, there's a buzz of activity, but no actual crying, yelling, honking off (as goslings are learning to do this) or carousing. Then our observer's (a grandparent) cell phone, set on loud, starts off in a stunning rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game". And of course, it takes a few seconds for the music to stop. To their credit, the kiddos were unphased. I was annoyed, but thinking, eh, it happens. Then Grandpa starts talking--loudly. In the middle of the classroom. On the phone. And I think, "hmm, this is a new one. Surely it will be a short conversation. I'll have to motion to him to leave if it goes on too long." Thankfully, it was a short conversation and I was glad that confrontation was avoided. Then he starts dialing and talking loudly again!! So I then motion him, ever so politely as to not interrupt his conversation, to get the hell out of my classroom.
When did this become acceptable behavior?!?!? When did the person calling you become more important than the person you're actually speaking to in person or the activity you are participating in?? Makes me crazy, abosultely crazy.
How would this even come up? You ask...
Three scenarios that came up just last week, indicating that
a) we live a tactless society
b) it was really time for Spring Break
Scenario one:
An aunt of a student comes at the wrong time to pick up said student at a completely bad time, i.e. the child is in the middle of lunch. Come before lunch starts, come once he's done eating, don't come while he's eating yogurt. Can't really pack it up to go, can't encourage him to just throw it away and move on, so we invite said aunt to come in and join us (28 goslings, me, and an assistant) in lunch time fun. She comes in, wearing a lovely black t-shirt which reads "STATE PRISON" on the front, which would be OK except that many of my goslings can read. And then I notice, growing out of her ear, is a very conspicuos headpiece for her cellphone. Now she's not talking to anyone, apparently she's just wearing it "just in case". Maybe OK in your car, maybe OK if you're out and about, not really in once place or operating heavy equipment, but hanging out with your nephew? Thankfully, the State Prison didn't call looking for her while she was in the classroom. Although tacky, non-disruptive. Which leads me to:
Scenario two:
Parent teacher conferences. About 1 in 4 conferences (there are 4 per hour, for well, a total of seven hours) had a miscellenous electronic device sound off in the middle of me telling them how great little Johnny is doing. Most were extremely apologetic and immediately hit whatever button it took to silence the damn thing, and moved on to continuing our discussion. A few glanced to see who was calling. ONE PERSON ACTUALLY TOOK THE FREAKING PHONE CALL. Yes, in the middle of a discussion with me, the revered teacher that I am, she stopped listening and had a conversation for several minutes.
And they blame me for lack of parent/teacher communication.
Scenario three:
In my little schoolhouse, parents and esteemed guests are welcome to observe the goslings in the classroom. The general deal is that they are welcome to sit quietly and watch the worker bees go to it. They aren't supposed to interact w/ the kiddos too much or draw attention to themselves, but they are welcome to move to wherever their student is working and check out what's going on. People are generally pretty good about this. Haven't had anyone be too disruptive. Til last week. All 28 kids are actually productively working on assorted things, there's a buzz of activity, but no actual crying, yelling, honking off (as goslings are learning to do this) or carousing. Then our observer's (a grandparent) cell phone, set on loud, starts off in a stunning rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game". And of course, it takes a few seconds for the music to stop. To their credit, the kiddos were unphased. I was annoyed, but thinking, eh, it happens. Then Grandpa starts talking--loudly. In the middle of the classroom. On the phone. And I think, "hmm, this is a new one. Surely it will be a short conversation. I'll have to motion to him to leave if it goes on too long." Thankfully, it was a short conversation and I was glad that confrontation was avoided. Then he starts dialing and talking loudly again!! So I then motion him, ever so politely as to not interrupt his conversation, to get the hell out of my classroom.
When did this become acceptable behavior?!?!? When did the person calling you become more important than the person you're actually speaking to in person or the activity you are participating in?? Makes me crazy, abosultely crazy.
posted by Mich @ 3:35 AM
1 Comments:
At 11:35 AM ,
Unknown said...
Seriously, some people are so rude about it. When I was an unpaid tagalong at K&K, everytime I got in the car to go somewhere with J., he would spend half the ride on his cell phone. He kinda got the message when I started playing games on mine instead of talking to him ;)
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