What is wrong with these parents?

First it's the father who bought his son a $60,000 truck just for graduating, and he's planning to do it again for another son when he graduates.

Now it's $500-$900 cell phone bills.

If it were my kid, I would have sold them into slavery to pay it off. But then again, I would never give my kids anything they couldn't afford to pay the bill off in the first place.

Agree w/ you Grpthink,

Also, when not change the service plan to allow for texting, verizonwireless offer unlimited text for a price.

But again, these types are parents are just enablers, their children are not prepared for the real world nor do they know how to hold onto a job. I am dealing w/ one right now, who doesnt understand she needs to show up for work 5 days a week and work 8 hours a day.

It's not just the students for text messaging its also  the teachers who are doing this from the classroom to other teachers and their friends

Do you have any verifiable evidence that this takes place?

It never ceases to amaze me.

Why do parents believe that their child has to have text messaging?  I find it hard to muster up sympathy for the parents when the answer is so freakin' simple: don't give them a cell phone with text capability.  And, if your child can't be responsible, take the cell phone away.  Sometimes, as a parent, you have to be the bad guy.  And, sometimes...you actually have to KEEP TABS on what your child is doing so that you can avert disaster before it starts.  My eldest two have cell phones.  They also have been given rules and, so far, they've followed them.  They've had their phones since September and they've made exactly 12 calls...all to my husband, myself, or their grandparents.  Were they happy with me when I programmed in the ONLY numbers they were allowed to call?  Not really.  Did I end up with a $500 phone bill?  No. 

As for teachers texting...it does happen.  I was pretty horrified to find out that it happens.  We know a young lady who subs and she says that she texts all of the time in class.  I asked her what could possibly be so important that you would NEED the text message but NOT need a phone call.  I mean, if someone is dying- you call!  If someone is bleeding- you call!  If there's a major disaster - you'll know about it.  So... what are they texting?  If it's not important enough to call someone about, then it can wait (in my opinion). 

just ask the students in class

That's called ancedotal evidence and I specifically asked for verifiable evidence.

And you don't think the students have a bias which would cause them to exaggerate and even lie about it?

If there were teachers doing it, the students would have complained and we would have heard about it because by school policy those teachers would have been disciplined.

If there were teachers doing it, the students would have complained and we would have heard about it because by school policy those teachers would have been disciplined.

Yes, because we all know the administration is going to believe the word of kids over the teacher.  And, we all know that kids are going to rat the teacher out for doing the very thing they'd like to be doing.  NOT!  The kids look the other way, and stay quiet, hoping that the teacher will do the same.  Furthermore, there's no school policy (in any Kern County School) that prohibits a teacher carrying a cell phone into his/her classroom.  There might be some policy against text messaging during class (as there should be), but it's rarely enforced and I've yet to hear of a teacher being canned for it.  Like I said, I don't have to depend on the anecdotal...I've heard teachers admit to it. 

I've heard teachers admit to it

You said you heard ONE substitute teacher say she did it. And with what they pay substitute teachers, I don't blame her.

The poster made it sound like it was an epidemic that teachers were doing it, and I just don't buy that without proof.

Most classrooms have teacher assistants and I doubt a teacher would take a chance with someone looking over their shoulder.

I was about to say..we have several teachers AND subs who post on here.  Lets ask their opinion.  My two teachers are tied up til Sat but I'll be asking them and also ask them to post.    I'm going to cast my vote with the "teachers DO text" crowd.  We'll see.   

Grp..how many teacher would if take for you to believe it?  Any idea?

I'm a teacher, and i never text.  i'm too cheap to pay for it.  after receiving my first bill with all the extra charges for spam texts, i had it blocked. 

and i don't talk on the phone in class either.  my phone is on vibrate, except for the rare occasion i forget and leave the ringer on.  so on the rare occasion when my phone rings in the middle of class, and i have 30 or so pairs of eyes staring at me, waiting for me to answer it so that my attention will be on my phone call and they can go wild, i ignore the phone and tell my class that we're working, and i'm not gonna answer it in the middle of class.

I have always thought text messaging is for suckers.

Think about it: you're charged for each one -- even though it takes about 0.1% of system resources to process a text message that it does to handle a standard phone call. 

Maintaining a voice call is a substantial use of system resources that must be maintained for the duration of the call.  The radio transmission facilities are in use full time.  Whereas, a text message involves a momentary access to the phone system to transmit the text string.  Access -- send -- sign off.  All less than one second.

You're charged for each message -- even though it takes about 1,000 text messages to equal the system load of a single voice call.

You're charged for each message -- even though it takes about 1,000 text messages to equal the system load of a single voice call.

Sounds like gouging to me.  But the Democrats will fix that with their new price gouging laws...So text away....

Except with text messaging, we really do have the option of voluntarily refraining from doing so.

You really do have the option of voluntarily refraining from purchasing anything.  Just a matter of will power.