Rigid Rules Defy Common Sense

It's difficult to understand why a high school teacher would insist that a young man hang up on his mother while she was calling from Iraq, where she is stationed. One would like to think that a teacher, more than anyone, would have been sensitive to the circumstances, despite the rules. Yet, that didn’t happen...and the news of this young man’s ten-day suspension has been broadcast all over the country, and likely the world.

One can understand why there are rules against cell phone use in school. Cell phones are disruptive in the hands of adults - never mind the all-day gabfest that would ensue if there were no restrictions on teenagers during school hours.

What is not understandable is the teacher’s response. Apart from the fact that this young man is living with a guardian while his mother is serving her country, which is difficult enough, the time zone in Iraq is eight hours ahead of U.S. Eastern time. The teacher also had to know that this woman isn’t exactly getting coffee breaks, so it would be difficult for her to call during her working hours, which would occur roughly as her son would be waking up. The solution for this family would be to try to connect at lunch time, which would be 8:00 P.M. in Iraq. Perhaps this might not have gone so badly had the young man informed the school in advance, but teenagers tend to live in the moment. His anger and belligerence resulted in a ten day suspension, the same suspension meted out to major league baseball players who use steroids. Silly? I think so, but let's hope it sparks some commonsense response to the challenge of families trying to stay connected during a time of war. Special accommodations need to be made. It’s unfortunate that this young man has to pay the price for his school’s lack of planning