"Ms. C? Can I use my phone to...?"

"If I see your phone, I have to take it."

"Why?"

"Because I do not work for (insert school name here). I work for (insert name) School District. District policy mandates that if I see your cell phone I have to take it from you and give it to the office, where you can pick it up after school with your student ID. If you do not have your ID, your parent or guardian will have to come get it for you."

"So... then... I can't go on my phone?"

"Not if you would like to keep it."

This is a conversation that I have with middle school students at least once a week. School handbooks usually state that no cell phones are allowed to be used on campus. Some teachers allow students to use their phones to read (kindle app) or play music (drama class, music class, computers). I am all for using technology in the classroom. I play videos for my students and use sources from the internet constantly. I do not, however, allow my students to use their phones in class. 

My reason for this is simple: you never know what kids are going to do and I do not want that responsibility as a sub. I don't want to be the sub who let the student go on their phone during class, who ends up texting other students or goes online and looks up something unsavory. I have been known to take cell phones from students. Let's face it, what they say is true, no one just looks at their crotch and smiles. As teachers, we know when a student is doing something they shouldn't be and for me, I just don't want that to be using a calculator on a cell phone during a test.