Wil and I stopped off at Firehouse Subs in Navarre for a late lunch today. I saw two people in two separate incidences who show how inconsiderate and uncouth some people can be. So often, teachers get the blame for how students turn out, but with examples like these adults in students' everyday lives, teachers face an uphill battle getting students to behave and learn.
My first encounter was at the ladies room. I went to the bathroom while we were waiting for our food to be delivered. The ladies room door was locked. It is a single person bathroom, so I stepped back to wait my turn. I waited a LONG time. A lady inside was talking loudly and sound echoes in a bathroom, so I couldn't help but hear a little bit. The conversation was something about shopping. I decided that the lady must have a child in there with her. With 2 people in there using the facilities, it takes longer.
Finally, the lady came out. No, there was no one in there with her. She was on her cell phone. I guess it takes longer to use the bathroom and wash your hands while trying to talk on a tiny phone. But the real kicker is she didn't even flush the toilet! So, I know all she had to do was pee...I saw the evidence. So, was she so distracted that she forgot to flush? Or did she think the flushing toilet would drown out her conversation?
When I came out of the ladies room, she was sitting at a table waiting for her food. She was still on the phone. When her food was ready, she picked it up without any interruption in her phone conversation. She was still on the phone as she walked out. From what I could overhear, the phone call wasn't anything important, just shopping and mundane things. It certainly wasn't important enough to exhibit such rudeness and inconsideration.
I am somewhat of a cell phone addict. My iPhone is turned on and beside me 24/7. It's my phone, my alarm clock, my calendar, my grocery list, my GPS navigation, my house alarm remote, my satellite TV remote, my library, my source for news, my camera, my photo album, my music player, my address book, my notepad, my pocket internet, a link to Facebook, my lockbox of personal information, a link to my email, instant messaging, a flashlight, a dictionary, a multitude of games...oh, I could go on and on. Last week, my phone had a glitch of some kind and wouldn't come on. I've never been in such a panic.
BUT, with all that, I try to never ever be rude with my phone. I try not to ignore the world around me. I try not to let phone calls slow me down. I never use it in the car without my bluetooth headset and even then I do it sparingly. I don't let the phone control how I behave in public. Except in dire emergencies, I don't let the person on the other end of the phone connection become more important than the people around me. Incidences like today make me even more determined to be considerate about my phone use in public.
I also wonder at the example that woman was setting. She was old enough to have teenage children. If she is a parent, I wonder how her kids use their phones. Kids are smarter and more imitative than people think. Do you think teens will be polite with their cell phones when adults do not set the proper example?
The other incident didn't involve a phone at all. It was all about a lack of common decency. A lady came in to order food with 2 small children, a boy about 6-ish and a little girl between 3 and 4 years of age. The little girl was old enough to be out of diapers, carry her drink, and carry on a conversation. The startling thing was that the little girl was stark naked! Oh, wait, she was wearing sandals.
Now, I know the child was very little and little kids don't really care who sees them naked. People around raised their eyebrows and whispered to each other and pointed, but no one ran screaming. The little boy asked his mom why his sister was naked. Mom said that the little girl didn't want to wear her wet swimsuit, so mom had put just a shirt on her, but the little girl didn't want to wear it and took it off. Obviously, they had just come from a beach or pool. So, Little Miss Naked just cavorted around the restaurant with no clothes on. Fortunately, they were also getting carry-out, so her stay in the restaurant was mercifully short.
So, at what age do you teach your child that it is inappropriate to go naked in public? I think this child was old enough to be taught that. Let's hope no pedophiles were around getting their jollies. I also think the child was young enough that mom could have insisted on clothes, despite what the child wanted. Mom was taking the easy way out and giving the child her own way, rather than being a good parent.
Someday, that little girl will be sitting in a classroom like mine. What is going to happen when the teacher gives the girl something to do that she doesn't want to do? If the little girl has never been made to conform to rules, then the poor teacher doesn't have a chance. Yet, who will get the blame? The teacher, of course.
It's July and I don't want to even think about school right now. However, I can't suppress the teacher in me. I see incidences like these all too often, rude adults raising rude children and parents who take the easy path rather than the right one. I'm sure I'll meet some kids and parents just like these come August. SIGH. Fortunately, these kinds of people are still the exception and not the rule...so far.
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