Uhm, That Sounds Made Up

These days before Spring Break are always tricky ones. The pupils are having a tough time staying tuned in. I think if I could present my lesson on Snapchat I might have a chance. 

This afternoon I noticed a student spending a lot of time looking down at the floor on the side of his desk. It was obvious to me that he was on his phone but I couldn't quite catch him in the act. Finally, I took a chance, "Brandon, give me your phone."

I was intrigued when he offered no resistance. There was no "I don't have a phone," he simply stood up and handed it to me.

"It's off, right?" I asked.

"Uh, yeah, it's off," he answered.

With the phone in my palm, I tapped the screen and watched it come alive- it was very much on.

And then there was a buzz.

"Hey," I called, "a new Snapchat just came in."

The phone sat on my desk all through lunch. By the end of that time, there were about 6 or 7 Snapchat notifications, a few text messages, a phone call, and a couple of TikTok notifications.

After lunch, I called Brandon out into the hall where he explained that his phone was off, but he turned it on to check the time.

I tilted my face and gave him a look. The kind of look a teacher gives when they know what they're hearing is absolutely made up. 

"The time? That's on your iPad and the clock on the wall. So, how about you tell me the truth now."

He stopped and considered his options before finally relenting, "I was checking my messages."

"So, it was on the whole time?" I asked. 

"Yes."

"Thanks for telling the truth, I appreciate it," I replied with true sincerity, "Your phone will be in the office at the end of the day."