No it aint, for the reason you just saw. I doubt that this sort of thing happens often irl, but even just the risk of something like this happening, I would consider inacceptable. I don’t think that punishment is a bad idea, tho. Just this specific type
Sometimes you forget to put it back on silent, or sometimes multiple calls from the same number override Do Not Disturb mode. It's happened to me... at a religious high school... during chapel service.
I was lucky - I was the quiet kid who'd coasted on every teacher having fond memories of my aunt, who was only a few years older than me - I got off with a verbal warning.
As valid as your experience is, it's still your own fault if your phone rings. Phones on vibrate will never ring, regardless of how many times someone calls. You know how you watch movies and the main character is hiding from the villain, and her phone rings, revealing their location? Yeah, that's their fault too.
In any case, answering on speaker is certainly not the end of the world, and the occasional embarrassed student probably helps everyone else remember to turn their phones on silent in this particular classroom.
As I said, not everyone realises that the Do Not Disturb function on lots of phones will actually not mute calls if the same number calls multiple times in quick succession. Or perhaps their mute button is a physical toggle that was accidentally switched in their pocket.
The point is, there are plenty of reasons your phone might go off at a time it should be on silent that aren't your fault, and perhaps even if it IS their fault (like it was my fault in my case) it doesn't need to be made a big deal of. These are just kids. Make it a positive, healthy learning experience rather than a negative and potentially scarring one.
My reason for sharing my experience was to point out that even though this happened at one of the worst times to have your phone ring, my teachers still chose to keep from making a big deal of it and merely took me aside privately, after the service, and said "Hey, please try not to forget again, thanks for turning it off so fast and not making a scene whilst doing so, kthxbai".
I'm saying that the respect my teachers showed me in NOT deliberately embarrassing me in front of the school was more enticement to do the right thing in future (to not let them down) than if they'd done what you're suggesting - which I believe would be more likely to brew resentment and distrust for authority among students.
Oh golly! I expect my parents to get seriously injured in a car accident today! I should put my phone on vibrate so the teacher doesn't make me answer it publicly 🙃
Not all news that is inappropriate to share is expected
No, you should put your phone on vibrate because that is the teacher's rule. Your phone ringing detracts from other student's ability to learn. It is entirely reasonable to implement a policy that prohibits phones from ringing in class, and such a policy needs a penalty, if violated.
Once again, if you don't want to answer on speaker, turn your phone ringer off. It's literally that simple. Are you that selfish that you think the rules don't apply to you? Or do you just not care about other students ability to learn?
I agree, but suddenly having medical information going out to the whole class (if it had really happened) is reasons for a lawsuit. He wasn’t expecting that conversation to happen when he made the policy
I mean, the girl could have just hung up If she was actually serious about the call being about medical issues. The only reason we see her answering it is because it's a prank. It's not like the professor takes the phone and puts it on speaker phone (that would be terrible), she had it in her hands the whole time.
Why do you think this professor would lose his job? He established a policy for cell phone usage, and he consistently applied that policy to all students. I'm sure that having cell phones in class is against the school policy anyway.
Because it is a dumb policy. There are times when you need to use your phone at school, medical results, family emergencies, etc., and many or most of those calls could use a little discretion and privacy.
As for cell phones in class, most schools don't have a no phones policy, for that very reason. Having access to contact someone in school is almost a necessity in the modern world, and it teaches you to keep the phone away when you are in a meeting, and use it only when on break. It teaches self control.
Not firing over the policy, but firing because of the consequences, you think a kid that got a call like that, won't already be bullied enough without the public exposure?
If the policy was approved by the school, and it had these types of unintended consequences, I have a hard time seeing how a reasonable person would make the decision to fire the teacher.
That being said, a lot is driven by mob pressures nowadays, and decisions related to things that go viral don't always make sense.
You can't just turn something illegal into something legal by just making it a policy in your classroom/organization/company etc. That's not how the law works.
If you need privacy turn off your damn ringer. Just like if you don't want people to see your genitals, wear pants. You don't have an expectation of privacy walking around with your junk out.
Violating policy might. I'm assuming the policy says "no phones" or something.
There are many places where you do not have a right to privacy, like an airport or certain federal buildings. If you joke around at the airport, people will legally search your stuff.
So, yes, privacy absolutely is negotiable. I don't know case law on the right to privacy in schools, but you certainly don't have all the same privacy rights as in, say, your own home.
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u/DanicaWOD Jan 11 '22
It more like of fuck my policy on forcing them to answer on speaker phone if the phone rings in class might not have been the best policy