Even though the school permits cell phone usage as long as it's related to school work, I agree he either shouldn't have been using it, or shouldn't have been using it in a way that was against the rules.
What I'm saying is, the teacher should not have physically taken his phone. Whether he worked for that phone or not, regardless of what the student did. People don't like it when you grab their things from them, especially out of their hands or from closeby. It doesn't matter if you're a black high school freshman, white high school freshman, deadbeat, construction worker, etc... People just don't like it for the most part.
He could have just as easily said, "Look young man, you know you can't use your phone like that in class. I'm going to have to confiscate it." At that point the student either would have given him the phone(this entire thing never happened) or he wouldn't, in which case he could have called someone better suited for getting the phone, like a security guard.
And once the student started fighting back, the teacher who has a degree and is on average a fairly intelligent person should have realized he wouldn't get the phone that way and let go. Not fight someone younger and more physically able than him; as the teacher is clearly no spring chicken.
They were both in the wrong for different reasons to begin with, and both are wrong for not backing down once it got physical. But this entire thing could have been avoided if they both acted differently and with a little sense.
Originally posted by riv6672
I disagree about dont take this/let that go etc.From sling shots to notes to walkmen etc., a teacher can take something that he feels is a disturbance/problem.
Its a cell phone. Its not Excalibur.
You're putting waaay too much importance on that piece of tech. Which is what that kid did.
So you've been missing every single post I made where I said I agree the teacher had every right to take his phone. But I also said he didn't have the right to physically take it from him. If High School is supposed to prepare you for the world, then unless you're getting robbed people don't just take things out of your hand with no intention of giving them back.
And I'm not putting any importance on the phone. It's just that the phone is the item that was confiscated. It could be anything else and my point would be the same.