Clarification

Okay, it looks like I may need to clarify a couple things that may have been mis-interpreted in my last post. If anyone doesn't understand what is going on, feel free to read my last blog, all comments as well as David's blog and comments.

Based on both Amy and Alison's comment it seems that my post was understood to be saying that if we do not agree with a law or rule we should not have to abide by it. That is completely not the case. In fact no matter how much I don't agree with a law, because it is a law, I think it needs to be followed.

In that case I agree with Amy's analogy of of the 25 mph speed limit. I wasn't trying to say if we don't agree with a speed limit we should be able to go faster with no penalty. What I was trying to say is A) I think it is a stupid rule, but that asside B) if the speed limit is 25 mph for me it should be for everyone. I say that based on the comment that it may be alright for teachers to use their cell phones as they are probably more responsible. That may be true, but if we all saw cops driving 35 or 40 mph down that street just because they were trained to drive faster safer, it would totally undermind the law, and so the law should apply to all, even those tasked with enforcing it.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I also am very much for rules and laws as I think they are necissary to have a peaceful safe society. However, I think it is possible to have too many rules, which can actually take away our rights and freedoms and goes from governing to controlling. I will give an example. Lately Lilly has decided to turn on her light after we put her to bed, as soon as we leave the room. That then leads to her getting out of bed and not going to sleep as she should. Now we have talked to her about this and even given her punishment as we saw fit, but she would still do it. So we started trying to figure out other things we could do. Well she is able to turn on the light because the switch is by her bed, so we talked about moving her bed to the other side of the room so she couldn't reach the switch. Although this would make her keep our rule of not turning on the light, it would not teach her anything. It would just make it impossible for her to break the rule. If I remember right, there was once someone else that wanted to do that to. Make us do what was right by taking away out ability to choose, or controlling us. As we know, those of us here on earth are here because we wanted the ability to choose, we did not want to be controlled. Now I realize that is a pretty big difference than just whether there should be a rule about cell phone use in a public school. However, my whole point is although rules are good, if the take away our choice and make it so we cannot choose, we are not teaching anything, we are just controlling things. I don't know about you, but I don't want my kids growing up where they do the right things because they don't have a choice. I want them to have laws and rules to govern them, not control them. Fortunatly we live in a country where we do have those choices. Unfortunatly people choose to break the laws and make it worse for the rest of us. So if our kids grow up with the schools not teaching us anything, but instead controlling what we do, what is going to happen when we go out into society when we have to make those choices. We will have no idea what to do, because we won't have a teacher telling us what to do.

I feel like I am going to just start saying the same things in different ways, so I will end it now. I am just saying rules can go too far, and if there is going to be a law or rule, it should apply to everyone, not just some.

Rules

The following was a comment that I put on one of David's recent blog entries. If you have read those comments, this is the same. If not, I will first include what he wrote followed by my comment. Although my blog is called "What I Think" I would be interested to hear what others think, whether or completely agree or disagree with me.

David's post:
".......yesterday i had my phone taken away because i pulled it out to check what time it was in between second and third hour...i just happened to have a text right then so i pressed a button to get out of it to check the time...so it looked like i was texting....not that it mattered anyways because they have a dumb A rule about having phones out in between classes teachers can do anything but students cant do crap what the freak right??? right... so anyways i go after school to get it and the stupid lady said i couldn't get it because stupid old fart was in a stupid meeting thing and i have to get it today...but chances are i probably cant get it today either because its Friday and there is lunch right after our 7th hour cause its a short day and so he will take is stupid time...then i will be stuck outside the office waiting and if they basketball team has a game he probably wont let me get it cause he is a stupid coach...but i am not leaving this school without my phone...so i guess we will see what happens... "

My Comment:
I am going to have to go with David on this one. I don't agree with the cell phone rule to begin with, especially just between class, now during class that would be something else. However, if they are going to have a rule about it, I think the faculty need to set the example for the students by abiding by the same rules! Also I am assuming unless they are just total Nazis that the rule was put in place to prevent kids from being late to class. If that is the case, I think the tardy rule is sufficient and that you should be punished for breaking that rule whether it is because you were texting or just talking to your friends in the hall. I don't think they need to micro-manage by creating more rules to get kids to keep other rules that they either will or will not keep regardless of how many rules they put in place to try to make that happen. Basically they say they are trying to teach kids to be responsible, but then totally contradict that. They are not "teaching" them anything but to not get caught breaking the rules. I think they need basic rules, like don't be late for class, then give them a chance to be responsible. And if they choose not to follow that rule, then they can give them the appropriate punishment. I think the cell phone thing is over kill, especially if the "adults" that are trying to to teach the kids to be responsible like them, are doing that which they are telling the kids they should not do. Not to mention, a Cell phone is about as personal of personal property as you can get, and I don't think they have any right to take it from you. I think the only person who has the right to do that is the kids parents, and maybe the police if they have a warrant. So yeah, that is what I think. We live in a Democratic society and although we need some rules and laws to govern us, I think they take it too far sometimes, especially in schools where they are teaching the youth of today to be the adults of the future!