Are teachers allowed to kick you out of the classroom for looking at your phone?
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Just put your phone on silent the rules out it vibrating or ringing. Problem solved.
As far as marking you absent I don't think that's justified since you're in the class. Though I had some professors state that if you're not there mentally as well as physically, you're not really present.
And I have heard of students getting kicked out of class for constant disruptions, and 9 times out of 10 they're at fault not the professor. If you can't sit down and pay attention for 50-90 minutes (sometimes longer) college probably isn't the right place for you.
As far as marking you absent I don't think that's justified since you're in the class. Though I had some professors state that if you're not there mentally as well as physically, you're not really present.
And I have heard of students getting kicked out of class for constant disruptions, and 9 times out of 10 they're at fault not the professor. If you can't sit down and pay attention for 50-90 minutes (sometimes longer) college probably isn't the right place for you.
WTF! I would agree if you're an elementary school student, but if you're in college then both you and the teacher are way past that sort of behavior. I turn off my cellphone or put it on vibrator out of respect and not to interrupt the class, but if it ever goes off and i answer it, my teachers don't kick me out.
I know it's silly and confrontational, but what you could have done here was just shove the phone back in your pocket and claim innocence. If she asks you to show her, you just politely refuse. If she decides to mark you off for it in any way, you then have something you can take to the school, as she has no evidence of any wrong doing on your part and therefore can't mark you off for anything.
She has no legal power to do anything other than just suck it up.
She has no legal power to do anything other than just suck it up.
Not if they're there.Dr. wonderful said:
They "mark you absent" in college? They don't over here. It's your choice whether or not you attend class. And if there was a no-tolerance policy on phones, you shouldn't have had it on to begin with. She's allowed to enforce whatever rules she wants. My brother is a college professor and he doesn't tolerate cell phones in his class either. If one goes off, he answers it and tells the person on the line to not interrupt his class unless it's a medical emergency.
Talk to the Ombudsman's Office about the incident.
Dismissal for such a minor annoyance wastes your time, money and denies you of educational benefit from that session. It may not be against the "rules" but is not ethical or professional behavior on the part of the professor, both of which are paramount to maintaining a quality academic institute.
I may even be inclined to consider it academic dishonesty to penalize you for absenteeism when when in fact you were in attendance. That might be stretching it, but it depends on how grossly you feel violated.
And yes, cell phones are an annoyance. Would you discipline a student because they're wrist watch alarm went off by accident? Probably not, because wrist watches are a staple of modern life. Cell phones are not novel devices anymore, they're staple items like a wrist watch. If you're not comfortable with their presence you probably have no place instructing at a university.
Edit: I should mention I wouldn't escalate unless it becomes an ongoing issue (she holds a grudge or berates you). Try sucking up and greasing the wheels a little. Professors like that are astonishingly ego driven and can't resist the right kind of persuasion. I see a lot of "yes ma'am" in your future.
Dismissal for such a minor annoyance wastes your time, money and denies you of educational benefit from that session. It may not be against the "rules" but is not ethical or professional behavior on the part of the professor, both of which are paramount to maintaining a quality academic institute.
I may even be inclined to consider it academic dishonesty to penalize you for absenteeism when when in fact you were in attendance. That might be stretching it, but it depends on how grossly you feel violated.
And yes, cell phones are an annoyance. Would you discipline a student because they're wrist watch alarm went off by accident? Probably not, because wrist watches are a staple of modern life. Cell phones are not novel devices anymore, they're staple items like a wrist watch. If you're not comfortable with their presence you probably have no place instructing at a university.
Edit: I should mention I wouldn't escalate unless it becomes an ongoing issue (she holds a grudge or berates you). Try sucking up and greasing the wheels a little. Professors like that are astonishingly ego driven and can't resist the right kind of persuasion. I see a lot of "yes ma'am" in your future.
it's fool proof
Eh I disagree sir, College isn't a right or a privilege anymore then any other service. If one chooses to pay for the class and then doesn't take it seriously, well, that's certainly within their right to waste their opportunity. If I pay a plumber to come to my house for two hours to work, and I have nothing broken for him to fix, he has no place to complain or whine because I'm still paying him just stand in my kitchen like a douche. Professor wants to kick someone out, student should be entitled to a full refund no matter when it is in the semester.flaviok79 said:
Mind you, I'm speaking as someone who originally wanted to be a college English professor and the experience I've had at my college has not only soured that desired, I'm plain sour on college in general. I had a prof catch two girls ignorantly "cheating" and she stopped teaching, and for 20 minutes just ripped into these girls and THEN kicked them out, and after 5 minutes of it I was almost at the point I was going to speak up and say "Hey! Prof! I didn't pay money and drive 2 hours in the rain for this!"
Ah now I'm just venting. I apologize. The attitude of colleges and some professors just really ticks me off.
To flip the "You're in college act like it" arguement on its head a little bit, why the hell does the intructor care of your on your phone? You are an adult, you paid for the class and its the instructors job to present the material. If you spend $500+ bucks to be in the class you have the right to be there. Honestly, I would tell her to screw off. You are an adult and you deserve respect as well. Why the hell does she feel the need to discipline in university anyways?
University isn't like high school. In university people want to be there, they have no obligation to go whatsoever so if you realllly need to check your phone often enough that is a distraction to a professor then just leave. In my four years of university I have never had a class with discipline problems. If people want to text on their phone then whatever, they paid to be there, they can do what they want as long as its not distracting to others.
University isn't like high school. In university people want to be there, they have no obligation to go whatsoever so if you realllly need to check your phone often enough that is a distraction to a professor then just leave. In my four years of university I have never had a class with discipline problems. If people want to text on their phone then whatever, they paid to be there, they can do what they want as long as its not distracting to others.
If a class has a participation mark and a student is asked to leave a class then I guess technically a teacher can refuse to give a student credit for participating in class.QuantumT said:
The grounds for dismissal from a lecture better be a lot more offensive then just having a cell phone though. You're an adult, teaching adults, treat them like an adult and act like an adult. I would have told her to screw off, I paid to be here and learn the course content I showed up to learn.
Adults are expected to follow rules they agree to. If you agree to take the class with the rule about phones being turned off and you go to class with the phone on, you're an irresponsible adult and should indeed be punished because that's how adulthood is. Just because you pay for something doesn't mean you can do anything you want. I've seen nobody pay attention to the fact of his agreeing to participate in the class. People here only talk about how the rules suck.
If he didn't like the rules he had every opportunity to withdraw from the class and take his money and go home. He knowingly stayed, he should be held responsible. The severity or not of the rules is immaterial, if you agree to them, you're bound by them.
If he didn't like the rules he had every opportunity to withdraw from the class and take his money and go home. He knowingly stayed, he should be held responsible. The severity or not of the rules is immaterial, if you agree to them, you're bound by them.
That is not always true. Should the rules be onerous and the class required for degree completion, then enforcement of the rules becomes unconscionable. (that is, they're too unfair to enforce.)Dreiko said:
The student must be given another option for course completion or the rules relaxed. The ombudsman's office can facilitate that discussion between you and your instructor.
I can see kicking people out for actually using a phone, but turning it off? Nah. Everyone forgets once in awhile to turn their phone off when it's supposed to be off, so I personally would give the person a reminder, and leave it at that. If they were a serial offender that clearly wasn't paying any attention, then further action may be required.
Personally I think people should at least have their phone on silent, and only look at it if it's necessary to do so. If you're going to do something distracting to others, go out of the room and do it.
Personally I think people should at least have their phone on silent, and only look at it if it's necessary to do so. If you're going to do something distracting to others, go out of the room and do it.
A policy like that sounds silly for college especially. So they also have zero tolerance for not paying attention? because that's what it amounts to really. The only person who might be at a disadvantage if they're mucking around with a cell phone in class is themself. I don't know if a teacher is strictly allowed to do something like that, it would depend on your school, but the policy just seems pointless.
honestly high school and college are two completely different things, high school is a right, college is a privilege. missing two days in high school is easy, in college, you get booted out of class (texas) they drop you from the class, and you payed for nothing. also
OT: here they just slap you on the wrist (glare or ask you to turn it off), if it gets a little excessive, they'll just drop you from the class from lack of class participation. but what it really comes down to is the teacher. id be happy in her class, paranoid but at least you got what you paid for (hopefully) and that's a teacher.
OT: here they just slap you on the wrist (glare or ask you to turn it off), if it gets a little excessive, they'll just drop you from the class from lack of class participation. but what it really comes down to is the teacher. id be happy in her class, paranoid but at least you got what you paid for (hopefully) and that's a teacher.
