Posted by ParksideParent, a resident of the Parkside neighborhood, on Jan 29, 2009 at 8:18 pm

Crumudgeon,

Responsible use of cell phones is certainly a concern, and I would expect teachers to use as much, if not more, discretion than the rest of us when it comes to their use. That being said, for safety reasons, I would rather that teachers have cell phones than not. Bear in mind that not all classroom phones work all the time and that teachers do not have long distance access from these phones. If there were an emergency with your child and you worked within an area code outside of the district, wouldn't you be grateful to a teacher who contacted you from their cell phone and on their own dime?

Posted by John Adams, a member of the Amador Valley High School community, on Feb 2, 2009 at 8:40 am

ParksideParent, I think we are talking about teachers making personal calls during class (not ok), not about teachers HAVING cell phones for emergency use (ok). Curmudgeon did not suggest that the district confiscate teachers' phones.

I favor students HAVING cell phones for emergency use as well, and I think the majority do.

I hope most teachers act responsibly and set a good example. I also hope they choose a cell provider who doesn't charge them for long distance calls.

Posted by Parent, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Feb 2, 2009 at 8:46 am

I know this is about cell phones but how about teachers who are on the internet planning their weddings etc. during class hours..i remember when I went to school the teachers actually taught now a days I see a lot of teachers just sit there have kids read etc. Dont get me wrong I know a lot of teachers that are still very into helping kids learn but this new breed of teachers are driving me crazy...i think these teachers need to take the full class hour to be available to their students not surf the internet for wedding stuff/travel plans etc.

Posted by bel, a resident of the Val Vista neighborhood, on Feb 2, 2009 at 10:23 am

I don't think cellphones should be banned from teachers. While I don't agree with them making phone calls and doing things of personal nature cutting into teaching time but I can understand how a schedule/organizer/calender programs on one could help a teacher, also its very good for emergency use.

Posted by John Adams, a member of the Amador Valley High School community, on Feb 3, 2009 at 9:14 am

I asked my daughter about this last night and she rolled her eyes, like duuh, of course teachers use their cell phones in class. Actually they leave their phones on in case of personal emergency, then receive calls (which of course they answer, and which of course are not usually really emergencies). I did not get the impression that teachers are dialing away while their class runs wild.

Posted by Dan Faraday, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Feb 3, 2009 at 2:26 pm

I don't see the point of this thread. Don't YOU leave your phone on throughout your work day? Which can't teachers do the same?

Posted by Google, a resident of the Avila neighborhood, on Feb 3, 2009 at 11:13 pm

Yes, some teachers are unprofessional. Wow. That's amazing news. I am sure nobody at your work is unprofessional. Also, we must remember that a lot of our information comes from the mouths of babes. I sure hope my kids teacher does not believe everything my kid says about me! :)

Posted by Katie, a member of the Amador Valley High School community, on Feb 5, 2009 at 7:32 pm

I think call phones are good and bad. Good- because if you are in a emergency of some sort of issue, you can contact who you need to. But bad because students dont know when to stop using them!! Texting in class is annoying, I do NOT like the sound it makes, (sorry thats just me), and they arent paying attention to the teacher talking. I think it is rude, more than anything. Some people need to mature, and realize why they are failing the class.

BUT, I dont have any teachers using cell phones in class, and if they do they let it ring, and not answer it. It is the computer use that bothers me the most. They won't leave that thing!

Posted by concerned, a member of the Foothill High School community, on Feb 8, 2009 at 8:05 pm

Teachers are using cell phones and the internet on a regular basis and it isn't necessarily school related. One of my children (and several classmates) had a teacher that was using the computer all period long - several periods per day to conduct a personal business online. He handed out work sheets to be done by kids everyday. This has happened several times with different teachers....wedding planning, internet shopping, designing personal websites, etc.... My question is whatever happened to the days that teachers were lecturing and teaching all period long. Now kids do homework during class or help each other to try to figure out the answers to worksheet problems. Isn't it more productive to actually teach/lecture. Then perhaps there would be no time to use cell phones and the internet and it would be less likely that kids would be able to disrupt the rest of the class. Use your cell phone and internet during your prep period which you have everyday.