The Vibrate Setting
The Darkseekers are back!
A few days ago I attended an evening session for parents at my son's school on course choices. There were approximately 40 parents in attendance in the particular track my wife and I had chosen.
Minutes into the teacher's presentation the first phone rings...(No, not mine.) A brief disruption and the teacher proceeds with his slides.
Then comes the second ring from the guy next to me who I will call golfman as he was attired in the uniform ( you know those vests from Callaway ) of an avid golfer. It was 7:30 pm so I guess he was playing on the flood lit golf course?
Interruption. Teacher proceeds.
Then another phone rings. We are entertained with the tunes of Cher!
Then golfman's phone rings again. This time he answers it and talks briefly.
As you can imagine my blood is beginning to boil at this point. After all, we were purportedly all at the school because we are deeply interested in the education of our children. My wife makes a face indicating here acknowledgment of the musical farce that the preparatory session is becoming but then implores me to hold my tongue.
The teacher continues. I'm feeling somewhat sad for him but unable to determine if the sadness was due to the shabby treatment the parents were giving him or the fact that he did not seem to have the intestinal fortitude to ask the crowd to turn their phones off.
Then golfman's phone rings again. I beam a stare of death at him. Whether for that reason or some other, he does not speak on it again and fumbles with the phone. Really how hard is it to put the phone on vibrate BEFORE the meeting? I tell my wife I am going to stand up on a chair and tell all attendees that I will be holding a class immediately after wimp teacher's presentaton called: "Cellphone Settings for Beginners: Remedial." Naturally that doesn't go over well with her.
Why doesn't the teacher say anything? After all, teachers are taking cellphones away from students. Why can't they take them from parents.
A few minutes before the session ends (there were many different sessions for parents that night) an announcement comes over the load speaker. "Attention parents. Please move your cars from the FIRE LANE as a fire truck has to evacuate a child from the gym due to a basketball injury. The fire truck cannot get by due to cars in the FIRE LANE."
A number of parents hastily remove themselves from the room.
Strike Two for the Darkseekers.
If any of you are reading I will be holding a class on cellphone basics at the next parent-teacher gathering. Required reading before the class--Rousseau's The Social Contract.
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