Be careful what you wish for...

So week one is in the books, and for some reason, I'm not encouraged.

After a summer of not teaching--something I haven't done in nearly six years--I was ready for classes to start. And honestly, I'm still happy to be back. I love my cat, but it is nice to spend the day with people that will talk back to me. I think I may have actually used that line on some of you.

You've all heard that old adage, "Be careful what you wish for...", right?

First day of class. I'm explaning the rules. One of my more creative ones revolves around cell phones, which are a pet peeve of mine. More accurately, their presence in the classroom makes me want to jump from a high place. So my rule is simple...if I see a cell phone, hear one ring or buzz, see someone texting (and this includes people fiddling under the desk...I'm going to just assume they're playing with a cell phone and not playing with anything else!), the offending student has to sing, dance, or tell a joke to the class. And recently I added a new element to this rule. For students that think they can "wait me out", and stall long enough that I'll move on and let them off the hook, I instituted the "10-second" rule. The student has exactly 10 seconds to decide their method of punishment before I open it up to the class. And as I tell them on the first day, having your classmates decide the method of your punishment is a crap shoot, at best. Case in point the middle linebacker that wound up singing "I'm a Little Teapot" at the behest of a classmate.

But I digress...

As I explained this rule, I got the usual questions and chuckles. Several people looked amused, and a few looked scared. But there one one girl in the back of the room that caught my eye.

She looked pissed.

When I finally asked if anyone had any questions, as I expected, her hand shot into the air. "And what happens if you catch us and we refuse to do any of those things?" she asked.

You've never heard a classroom go so silent, so quickly. "Well," I replied. "That's your choice. But if you can't live without your cell phone for an hour and fifteen minutes, and your unwilling to abide by my rules, there's the door. Add-drop ends Friday."

I don't think students expect you to tell them things like that. This girl was certainly no exception. And as she gathered her things and left the room, I looked back to the rest of the class. Point made and taken. One girl actually looked at her friend and said, "daaaaaaaaaaaang..."

So as I said, I'm not encouraged, but I did have a full house in that particular class the second time they met. And not once did I see or hear a cell phone. Mission accomplished? Time will tell.