Teacher holding son's tablet

[aarontendo]

Eh have a talk with the teacher one-on-one, explain the situation. If I had a parent who did such I wouldn't mind returning the property, of course. I would also ask that if possible it would be nice to lave it at home, but in this case perhaps the teacher can simply hold the tablet for the student until the end of the school day. That seems pretty reasonable.

[TheCruncher]

"I told the mom she should file a complaint with the police, but that fall on deaf ears as you will probably understand."

I'm not surprised with such a bizarre and hostile reaction to your son's school, like that.

You mean it is over the top for me to claim back my property?

Multiple personalities?

Sorry, but I have no idea what you're talking about. Could you please stop talking in code and explain what your point is?

[Scott]

A lot of schools search kids bags. It's not uncommon.

I am not sure what the best solution is, but years ago, we had students who brought mobile phones to school, which was forbidden. They would come to my office in the morning and ask if I would keep it until the end of the school day, which I did.

Eventually the school set up a place in the morning for students to deposit their phones and now they are returned at the end of the day.

Perhaps once you explain it to the school or the teacher, your son can give the phone/tablet to the teacher until the end of the day.

[aarontendo]

Yep, seems the best compromise for all involved really.

[bendejo]

Last Friday the teacher searched his bag and confiscated the tablet, and told that his mom should come collect it on Monday.

Today his mom went to the school and the teacher informed her that he will hold the tablet for another month.

So he had the tablet and played with it over the weekend, and decided he was going to keep it. The tablet has been baksheesh-ed, as they say in India. Do you want to risk jeopardizing your son's grade over a (coerced) gift? You can offer to buy him one of his own, if he gives it back to the kid, and watch his face turns various shades of red and purple as you put the question to him.

Might be fun to check the tablet's activity via your phone.

Edited December 1, 2015 by bendejo

[TheCruncher]

Last Friday the teacher searched his bag and confiscated the tablet, and told that his mom should come collect it on Monday.

Today his mom went to the school and the teacher informed her that he will hold the tablet for another month.

So he had the tablet and played with it over the weekend, and decided he was going to keep it. The tablet has been baksheesh-ed, as they say in India. Do you want to risk jeopardizing your son's grade over a (coerced) gift? You can offer to buy him one of his own, if he gives it back to the kid, and watch his face turns various shades of red and purple as you put the question to him.

Might be fun to check the tablet's activity via your phone.

The tablet hasn't been online since Thursday evening, and yes I would jeopardize my son's grade over it, in fact I think I would more make it a case of jeopardizing the teacher's credibility.

[dutchisaan]

OP, you have to stand up and confront this teacher. It is your tablet, verry simple!

And please don't leave your kid in a school that YOU don't thrust.

Grow some balls and do what you have to do, to protect your son.

Edited December 1, 2015 by dutchisaan

[cooked]

Similar situation with us, the school is incapable of telling us when a school day is going to end earlier or later than usual. (Or when the holidays will be come to that). Together with Thai parents I have waited for hours or picked up a kid that has been waiting for hours. We bought her a basic phone on her 9th birthday and two weeks later without telling us they banned phones and the phone was confiscated by the head teacher.

My wife can make the blackboards rattle when she chooses and we got it back. It stays in her bag and we check the balance regularly.

I haven't noticed that our kid has suffered any disadvantage so far.

[stubuzz]

Just go to the teacher and tell them you have come to collect the tablet. It will be returned to you.

[somchaismith]

In reality, the school should hand over the phone to the police so as to ascertain ownership details.

[TheCruncher]

In reality, the school should hand over the phone to the police so as to ascertain ownership details.

Are you just pretending to be one are are you one in real life?

[vento]

I would properly flip if it happened to me. That Said, Think about your kid have to be in the school in the future as well.

[TheCruncher]

I would properly flip if it happened to me. That Said, Think about your kid have to be in the school in the future as well.

I've never been brought up as a sheep, and will never be one.

Edited December 1, 2015 by TheCruncher

[lemonjelly]

a.) Call the police, cause a scene, throw a tantrum, lose face, embarrass the kid, create problems for the kid with the teachers etc

OR.....

b.) Call the school, be polite and friendly, apologise for the misunderstanding and ask for the iPad back and ask if the kid can hand in the said iPad to the school office on Friday mornings and collect it when he leaves at the end of the school day as a solution to the problem

Hint: answer is not "a)"

Edited December 1, 2015 by lemonjelly

[Thorgal]

I wouldn't have a problem with the teacher for the following reasons :

- my kid wouldn't have respected the mutual agreement we've made to bring the tablet out of the house.

- my kid wouldn't have respected the mutual agreement between the teacher and every pupil of his classroom.

- I would get more embarrassed/in trouble if I had to hear from the school that my kid is showing off the fancy tablet, while others (pupils) can't afford such a tablet.

- It would be a wrong message to my kid if I had to respond myself as a parent to the teacher for a negligence of my kid. My kids should learn full awareness and responsibility in their own cases.

- I would never judge anybody who's taking care of the education of my kids without having a face-to-face contact.

- I would promote positive mediation in front of my child which would result in a triple win-win situation.

Note : please leave and keep the real crimes to the tasks of the police

Edited December 1, 2015 by Thorgal

[TheCruncher]

a.) Call the police, cause a scene, throw a tantrum, lose face, embarrass the kid, create problems for the kid with the teachers etc

OR.....

b.) Call the school, be polite and friendly, apologise for the misunderstanding and ask for the iPad back and ask if the kid can hand in the said iPad to the school office on Friday mornings and collect it when he leaves at the end of the school day as a solution to the problem

Hint: answer is not "a)"

Another hint, did you notice in the OP that option b.) is exactly what the mother did on Monday?

Edited December 1, 2015 by TheCruncher

[TheCruncher]

I wouldn't have a problem with the teacher for the following reasons :

- my kid wouldn't have respected the mutual agreement we've made to bring the tablet out of the house.

- my kid wouldn't have respected the mutual agreement between the teacher and every pupil of his classroom.

- I would get more embarrassed/in trouble if I had to hear from the school that my kid is showing off the fancy tablet, while others (pupils) can't afford such a tablet.

- It would be a wrong message to my kid if I had to respond myself as a parent to the teacher for a negligence of my kid. My kids should learn full awareness and responsibility in their own cases.

- I would never judge anybody who's taking care of the education of my kids without having a face-to-face contact.

- I would promote positive mediation in front of my child which would result in a triple win-win situation.

Note : please leave and keep the real crimes to the tasks of the police

I doubt that the kid will have much to show off with a 3 year old Chines tablet with a cracked screen.

My kid doesn't bring the tablet to the school on many occasions, he just has the tablet in his bag on Friday, and Friday only, so we don't have to drive to his mom home through heavy traffic to pick up his tablet so he can use it during the weekend.

My kid does have the switched off tablet in his bag on Friday only, because I request him to.

He didn't switch the tablet on for a single second, because I would see it in the history of the App on my phone, because there is free Wifi at the school.

A teacher or whoever else in the world has to keep his hands off MY property, or he has an issue with me.

Edited December 1, 2015 by TheCruncher

[Linky]

A lot of schools search kids bags. It's not uncommon.

I am not sure what the best solution is, but years ago, we had students who brought mobile phones to school, which was forbidden. They would come to my office in the morning and ask if I would keep it until the end of the school day, which I did.

Eventually the school set up a place in the morning for students to deposit their phones and now they are returned at the end of the day.

Perhaps once you explain it to the school or the teacher, your son can give the phone/tablet to the teacher until the end of the day.

So wrong.

A kids lunch time is their own. Also in between class. If a kid answers or looks at the phone during class then take it for that class. Can never take it for the day, that is theft. Definitely cannot take it for the month as in the OP.

Big big problem if a father messages with an issue and the kid ends in danger.

Why should the child have to give the phone or tablet to the teacher? They werent using it, it was in the bag. Nothing to do with the teacher.

[Linky]

I wouldn't have a problem with the teacher for the following reasons :

- my kid wouldn't have respected the mutual agreement we've made to bring the tablet out of the house.

- my kid wouldn't have respected the mutual agreement between the teacher and every pupil of his classroom.

- I would get more embarrassed/in trouble if I had to hear from the school that my kid is showing off the fancy tablet, while others (pupils) can't afford such a tablet.

- It would be a wrong message to my kid if I had to respond myself as a parent to the teacher for a negligence of my kid. My kids should learn full awareness and responsibility in their own cases.

- I would never judge anybody who's taking care of the education of my kids without having a face-to-face contact.

- I would promote positive mediation in front of my child which would result in a triple win-win situation.

Note : please leave and keep the real crimes to the tasks of the police

I doubt that the kid will have much to show off with a 3 year old Chines tablet with a cracked screen.

My kid doesn't bring the tablet to the school on many occasions, he just has the tablet in his bag on Friday, and Friday only, so we don't have to drive to his mom home through heavy traffic to pick up his tablet so he can use it during the weekend.

My kid doesn't has the switched off tablet in his bag on Friday only, because I request him to.

He didn't switch the tablet on for a single second, because I would see it in the history of the App on my phone, because there is free Wifi at the school.

A teacher or whoever else in the world has to keep his hands off MY property, or he has an issue with me.

Agree 100%

[Walter Travolta]

A lot of schools search kids bags. It's not uncommon.

I am not sure what the best solution is, but years ago, we had students who brought mobile phones to school, which was forbidden. They would come to my office in the morning and ask if I would keep it until the end of the school day, which I did.

Eventually the school set up a place in the morning for students to deposit their phones and now they are returned at the end of the day.

Perhaps once you explain it to the school or the teacher, your son can give the phone/tablet to the teacher until the end of the day.

So wrong.

A kids lunch time is their own. Also in between class. If a kid answers or looks at the phone during class then take it for that class. Can never take it for the day, that is theft. Definitely cannot take it for the month as in the OP.

Big big problem if a father messages with an issue and the kid ends in danger.

Why should the child have to give the phone or tablet to the teacher? They werent using it, it was in the bag. Nothing to do with the teacher.

hmm

another argumentative post from linky

[Linky]

A lot of schools search kids bags. It's not uncommon.

I am not sure what the best solution is, but years ago, we had students who brought mobile phones to school, which was forbidden. They would come to my office in the morning and ask if I would keep it until the end of the school day, which I did.

Eventually the school set up a place in the morning for students to deposit their phones and now they are returned at the end of the day.

Perhaps once you explain it to the school or the teacher, your son can give the phone/tablet to the teacher until the end of the day.

So wrong.

A kids lunch time is their own. Also in between class. If a kid answers or looks at the phone during class then take it for that class. Can never take it for the day, that is theft. Definitely cannot take it for the month as in the OP.

Big big problem if a father messages with an issue and the kid ends in danger.

Why should the child have to give the phone or tablet to the teacher? They werent using it, it was in the bag. Nothing to do with the teacher.

hmm

another argumentative post from linky

Well if you cannot refute it thats ok.

[Ace of Pop]

No point to this,the Ferang knows best.Pushed his rule and lost

[Estrada]

Go to the local police, report it stolen, and provide the name place of work of the thief.

Ask them to recover the stolen property in school hours, and offer them a suitable reward for their trouble.

Alternative

Turn up at school during the day, ask to see the principal

Shout and scream until the thief is punished, make it as public as possible.

Thais hate confrontation.

They will then exact revenge on your son by giving him bad grades.

[CindyB]

Buy him another tablet to keep at your place.

You can't be serious.

Very much so. If tablets are not tolerated at school, and there's no other way of transporting the tablet between the two places, it's a practical solution.

I know some people are more interested in crying about 'the principle' than entertaining a pragmatic way around a situation, but I don't believe in making life any harder than it needs to be.

Can the mother give the tablet to the office on Friday mornings and then you pick it up Friday afternoon? Can you give it to the office on Monday morning and the mother pick it up Monday afternoon? Being a teacher both here and in the States, it's difficult to have any of these things in any classroom for any reason whatsoever. Your son probably will not use the tablet in class. However, there would probably be the cry of "unfair!" by the other students and their parents in the class. This keeps the teacher totally out of the picture, retaining their authority. The teacher's position is validated, the son has the tablet back, the transfer is made, and no one is shamed in the least. Re: why the teacher searched the backpack, I wonder if another student was aware of the tablet in the backpack (for whatever reason), and told the teacher (for whatever reason). The scenario may not be as "evil" as you might think. The main questionable thing is keeping the tablet for a month.

[aarontendo]

Go to the local police, report it stolen, and provide the name place of work of the thief.

Ask them to recover the stolen property in school hours, and offer them a suitable reward for their trouble.

Alternative

Turn up at school during the day, ask to see the principal

Shout and scream until the thief is punished, make it as public as possible.

Thais hate confrontation.

They will then exact revenge on your son by giving him bad grades.

Which would be inappropriate and totally unethical as an educator...oh right, it's Thailand! =)

[scorecard]

Is there a specific reason why his bag was searched that your not fully aware of?

Did the teacher check all bags on that day, or just your son's bag?

Does the teacher have a set routine of checking bags for items which are prohibited to bring to school?

I suggest you need answers to these points before you say too much.

And remember a much more serious point. You even mildly challenge the teacher and there's a strong possibility your son's grades will be affected.

As already suggested, buy him a tablet to remain at your place.

[aarontendo]

A lot of schools search kids bags. It's not uncommon.

I am not sure what the best solution is, but years ago, we had students who brought mobile phones to school, which was forbidden. They would come to my office in the morning and ask if I would keep it until the end of the school day, which I did.

Eventually the school set up a place in the morning for students to deposit their phones and now they are returned at the end of the day.

Perhaps once you explain it to the school or the teacher, your son can give the phone/tablet to the teacher until the end of the day.

So wrong.

A kids lunch time is their own. Also in between class. If a kid answers or looks at the phone during class then take it for that class. Can never take it for the day, that is theft. Definitely cannot take it for the month as in the OP.

Big big problem if a father messages with an issue and the kid ends in danger.

Why should the child have to give the phone or tablet to the teacher? They werent using it, it was in the bag. Nothing to do with the teacher.

Schools can and do have rules that they set. Lunch time isn't their own, sorry. They're on school grounds and the school is in charge of what is happening. Phones and tablets are a wonderful tool for education, but also they are highly disruptive devices in the learning environment. if lunch time was their own then they wouldn't get in trouble for bullying during it, but we know they do (or should as the case may be here).

See, the mistake you're making is treating the children like they're rational adults. They're not, hence why they're um...still children.

I do agree that holding it a month is a bit silly, especially as I've mentioned they're learning devices as well. Holding it until the end of the day is perfectly fine. It's actually a burden on the teacher, as they then take on responsibility for it should it end up lost.

[malt25]

Buy him another tablet to keep at your place.

You can't be serious.

Why not ??? Easy solution.

[aarontendo]

Buy him another tablet to keep at your place.

You can't be serious.

Why not ??? Easy solution.

Eh, tablets are pretty portable. The whole point is to transport them.

[Emster23]

Please take a Thai person with a good reputation to the school and explain what happened.

I understand that some schools might have weird rules, but searching the boy's bag's very unusual.

Do all with a big smile and give the teacher the feeling that it was his/her idea to give it immediately back.With the Thai person's help, please make sure that this will never happen again.

Good advice. If you take the confrontation anger route, what will happen when next Friday rolls around? Another row? Maybe could settle by suggesting he check the phone and pad at office on Friday morning and pick up after school when you come to get him.

Silly side of me asks "What ever happened with tablet for every student" boondoggle?