Kids these days... Part II

Whew, sorry about the wait there. I'm sure you've been holding your breath this whole time to find out what happened. :)

I nearly knocked down the door the next day to get into the office and ask Mr. H what had happened.

"Oh yeah! So here's how it went..."

Three students came to Mr. H later that day, saying that they had seen Roy with Mary's backpack. Coincidence? I think NOT. One of the students was even Roy's buddy.

With these witnesses backing up what everyone (I'm sure) must have been thinking, Roy took another trip to the principle's office.
"Did you take the phone?"
"No."
"But three students say they saw you."
"..."

Roy was not one to crack under pressure, so it was only when the principle offered to call the Orem police and let them question him that he confessed. Class A Misdemeanor on his record? I don't think he liked that idea so he told his side of what had happened.

Since the class was doing a lab with the students moving around, he asked to go to his locker, thinking he wouldn't be noticed. He took Mary's entire backpack and went to a dark alley... I mean hallway. Once he was away from prying eyes he called a buddy from another class to come and meet him. They searched the backpack, took the phone, turned it off, and then threw the phone cover in a garbage can. I guess they knew how to keep a phone from being identified.

(Does anyone else find it just as disturbing that a couple of 15 year olds seem pretty experienced with cell phone theft?)

The buddy went back to his own class with the cell phone on his person. Roy came back to our class and slipped in almost unnoticed, but knew he was clean. Too bad for him we're mighty fine detectives. Actually, too bad for him he has honest friends.

And that's how it all went down. Some kids found the phone cover in the garbage later that day, but usually the most you might recover from a theft like that would be the phone cover. Mary is one lucky girl!

My adrenaline is pumping just telling the story! But I've thought it over very carefully and decided that there are three lessons to learn.

1. There is no way on the planet that a couple of college classes can prepare you to teach real, live kids. 
Those classes might give you a great head start, but you're still in for quite a ride.

2. Rules don't always have obvious "benefits."
Teachers may encourage the "no cell phones" policy for teaching reasons, but the kids don't realize it protects their property from their peers (aka hoodlums). Maybe everyone should think twice about the rules that surround them...they might find that the rules are a protection instead of a nuisance.

3. Just because you can afford to bless your children with something doesn't mean that you should.
Now, I understand that the world is changing. For example... no, my grandma never had a cell phone (in fact, I don't think she does even today). My mom got a cell phone sometime between my tween and teenage years (which sure made complaining about babysitting easy). I was made to carry a cell phone when I was 18. But that rapid change in technology every time the generations switch doesn't mean my daughter needs, deserves, or could even use a cell phone at the age of 9. Or 14.
Seriously...what does a junior high kid use an iphone for other than texting, playing Angry Birds, watching YouTube, or getting on Facebook? They certainly don't do any talking. :)


Thus I (hopefully) conclude my adventure with theft in the land of Junior High.