Recovered

As a follow-up to last week's post, here's how I got my iPhone back.

Yes, a student had taken it. He had made two calls to the same number, one lasting about 15 minutes, the other lasting about 30 minutes. I gave this number to Mrs. Atkins on Monday. She called the number. The person on the other end said she didn't remember taking any calls from my number, but that she has a teen-age daughter who might have. The daughter wasn't home yet from school to ask, so Mrs. Atkins agreed to call again on Tuesday to see what this parent found out. The daughter apparently named one of our students as the person who had called her.

Mrs. Atkins tracked this student down. She gave him an ultimatum: produce the phone or get arrested. The phone came out pretty quickly. I got my phone back 2nd period; this student got a 5-day suspension.

Despite the frustration of the experience- and the frustration of having my photos and all my contacts wiped clean, erased- I am actually not as angry at this kid as one might expect. I was actually surprised when I found out who had done it. I've never had problems from him (well, except that he often doesn't turn work in, but he will sometimes participate in class)- he is generally polite, pleasant, likeable. Quite honestly, I think it was matter of the phone just being there. Often, I have students that will touch things or take things that don't belong to them just because they're there. There isn't any real criminal intent- they just don't always seem to get the idea of belonging when it comes to objects. It may not be theirs, but if it doesn't seem to belong to anyone else, it's okay for them to take it.

In this case, I'm sure this kid was at least subconsciously aware that the phone belonged to someone else- but I think the main reason he took it was "because it was there." Simply an opportunity that presented itself, and he took advantage of it. I'm not even sure if he is really aware of just how wrong his actions were. Maybe he is, but I kind-of doubt it.

Anyway, aside from missing photos, missing information, and a missing case, I've come out lucky- mostly, just inconvenienced. (We are going to try to get the case back from him when he comes off suspension, or get him to pay a $30 compensation fee...) I'm not sure how things will be when he gets back. He may act weird or uncertain. For my part, I've pretty much forgiven him and am prepared to let it go.

For now, I'm just ready to enjoy Spring Break!!!