Texting in school?

[Angel7]

Is texting in school a sin?

It’s a human law/rule, so disobeying it would normally be okay right?
But since its school and teachers (who fall under the “Honor thy Father and Mother” commandment.
I should obey authority right?

 

[Catholic90]

If your teachers and your school has a policy/rule that says no texting while in school, then obey that.

You are supposed to be listening, paying attention, and learning.

 

[AlltheRoses]

Is texting in school a sin?

It’s a human law/rule, so disobeying it would normally be okay right?
But since its school and teachers (who fall under the “Honor thy Father and Mother” commandment.
I should obey authority right?

Texting in school is disobedient and disrespectful. There is no pressing moral reason for you not to follow this school rule, and you should be paying attention and trying to learn during class, anyway. Being needlessly defiant and disrespectful is, in my opinion, a sin.

 

[Cathryn]

Is texting in school a sin?

It’s a human law/rule, so disobeying it would normally be okay right?
But since its school and teachers (who fall under the “Honor thy Father and Mother” commandment.
I should obey authority right?

Human laws and rules are to be obeyed as long as they don’t cause us to sin. This makes a working society. Even adults have laws to obey such as paying taxes and speed laws, littering laws etc. To disobey these laws can be sinful. Jesus and Mary and Joseph followed the laws of their time. Census law came to mind. Rendering to Caeser what is Caeser’s. We are to imitate them. I applaud you that you are even asking this question. You seem to want to know what is right and wrong.

 

[TheRealJuliane]

Is texting in school a sin?

It’s a human law/rule, so disobeying it would normally be okay right?
But since its school and teachers (who fall under the “Honor thy Father and Mother” commandment.
I should obey authority right?

How did you get the idea that it’s OK to disobey a human law or rule?



Only in the case that the law goes directly against one of God’s laws, can we rightly disobey. Texting has nothing to do with being obedient to God, so you must obey a school rule against it.

Yes, you should obey the rules at school, no matter how enticing it is to keep using your phone during class.

 

[vera_dicere]

Its probably also a rule not to come to school naked, or talking on the phone.

Now while you may debate the requirement of such a rule, thinking its not cool or why should you obey it, have you considered you may be distracting others, and impeeding their learning? There in of itself is a rather disrespectful attitiude.

And surely, surely you can wait till break to text your little buddies.

In my secondary school days (95-99) my friend and I learnt morse code. We thought we were so cool tapping messages on the desk to each other. Not respectful of teacher, not respectful of others, and determential to learning.

 

[DaveBj]

Its probably also a rule not to come to school naked, or talking on the phone.

Now while you may debate the requirement of such a rule, thinking its not cool or why should you obey it, have you considered you may be distracting others, and impeeding their learning? There in of itself is a rather disrespectful attitiude.

And surely, surely you can wait till break to text your little buddies.

In my secondary school days (95-99) my friend and I learnt morse code. We thought we were so cool tapping messages on the desk to each other. Not respectful of teacher, not respectful of others, and determential to learning.

One needs to be careful when one thinks one is being cool. My Music History professor (1964-65) was a Navy veteran who knew Morse code. At one point shortly after WWII he was giving a test, and he noticed that two older students, both Navy vets and GI Bill students, were tapping questions and answers to each other. He waited until the test was done and then tapped on his own desk, “I was in the Navy too. You both flunk.”

 

[Catholic90]

One needs to be careful when one thinks one is being cool. My Music History professor (1964-65) was a Navy veteran who knew Morse code. At one point shortly after WWII he was giving a test, and he noticed that two older students, both Navy vets and GI Bill students, were tapping questions and answers to each other. He waited until the test was done and then tapped on his own desk, “I was in the Navy too. You both flunk.”

I LOVE it!! Ha! That is great!

 

[Yarb]

Is texting in school a sin?

It’s a human law/rule, so disobeying it would normally be okay right?
But since its school and teachers (who fall under the “Honor thy Father and Mother” commandment.
I should obey authority right?

Our system of education is such a hideous mess that it’s questionable that it deserves a lot of respect. Schools are dependent for funds on federal grants, which depend on pupils passing standardized tests that test whether they can recite things like a parrot rather than understanding them. Teachers conspire to help them cheat on those tests. The theory that everyone should learn the same things at the same ages regardless of individual differences may not quite be explicitly advocated, but the system is set up so that it’s hard to get away from it, and it offends all common sense. Some fourth-graders should be learning algebra; others will only hold their classmates back if they try to learn algebra at any age. A pupil texting in school may be engaged in genuine intellectual and moral development while the teacher lies to the class.

Once when I was in second grade the teacher held up a flash card challenging us to say what three minus five is. Someone said zero, and the teacher agreed. So I raised my hand and volunteered something about negative numbers. The teacher became very angry and said “THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS NEGATIVE NUMBERS IN THE SECOND GRADE!!!”

Was I committing a sin?

 

[Joseklos]

Our system of education is such a hideous mess that it’s questionable that it deserves a lot of respect. Schools are dependent for funds on federal grants, which depend on pupils passing standardized tests that test whether they can recite things like a parrot rather than understanding them. Teachers conspire to help them cheat on those tests. The theory that everyone should learn the same things at the same ages regardless of individual differences may not quite be explicitly advocated, but the system is set up so that it’s hard to get away from it, and it offends all common sense. Some fourth-graders should be learning algebra; others will only hold their classmates back if they try to learn algebra at any age. A pupil texting in school may be engaged in genuine intellectual and moral development while the teacher lies to the class.

Once when I was in second grade the teacher held up a flash card challenging us to say what three minus five is. Someone said zero, and the teacher agreed. So I raised my hand and volunteered something about negative numbers. The teacher became very angry and said “THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS NEGATIVE NUMBERS IN THE SECOND GRADE!!!”

Was I committing a sin?

I agree with you on that. The public school system in the U.S. really fails to teach the kids. Though there a few good teachers here and there. Anyway, even though its a bad system I still try to get good grades so my parents don’t have to worry about anything. So i don’t think texting in school is a sin but causing the family to be worried and angry all the time because the student doesn’t try to get decent grades is probably a sin.

 

[RastaPasta]

I agree with you on that. The public school system in the U.S. really fails to teach the kids. Though there a few good teachers here and there. Anyway, even though its a bad system I still try to get good grades so my parents don’t have to worry about anything. So i don’t think texting in school is a sin but causing the family to be worried and angry all the time because the student doesn’t try to get decent grades is probably a sin.

It is true - the public school system is far from perfect, and is besmirched by any one of a number of different problems.

In spite of that fact, students should do their best to learn to the best of their ability even though the circumstances might not be optimal.

Parents also need to take an interest in their children’s education. Since public education is so inadequate in different respects, it falls to parents to “pick up the pieces” so to speak. Doesn’t seem right that they should have to do that, but these days it’s an unfortunate reality of life.

Insofar as texting in school is concerned, it would depend on school policy.

If the school allows for the usage of cell phones, other communications devices and texting during the school day, it would be permissible.

If, however, the learning institution forbids students to make use of cell phones and texting services during class time or the school day, than students are morally obligated to obey such instruction.

The school is not requiring the student to do something illegal or immoral, and therefore has a right to enforce such a rule.

To be disobedient under those circumstances would constitute a venial sin.

An exception would be if the student were to use a cell phone or texting device during an emergency i.e. a life or safety threatening situation.

 

[Tenofovir]

If your teachers and your school has a policy/rule that says no texting while in school, then obey that.

You are supposed to be listening, paying attention, and learning.

Good point. But from personal experience I found that I learned more by myself. It seems that kids who home school usually do better too and kids who attend private schools also do better.

 

[Yarb]

Since I mentioned my second-grade teacher, I’ll add that she did a good job of teaching us to read (for me, at least). That she was terrified of math was something I figured out only years later, by putting together some of my mother’s comments about her with my own memories.

In some ways schools do a good job of making learning resources available to those who want to learn about something. But the one-size-fits all aspect of it is a travesty and is hard to get away from when everyone is segregated by age groups and there’s something called “the fifth-grade curriculum” that has everyone trying to learn the same things at the same time rather than learning according to his or her own abilities. You could be learning a lot more by reading about the history of Norway than by attentively listening to the teacher explain to your classmates something in math that you mastered three years ago and that you know more about than the teacher ever will.