The iPhone Thief

That Monday I told all the students that I "lost my iPhone" and that if anyone finds it, there is a reward. I implied a money reward by rubbing my fingers together but I had no intention of paying them.

After an entire day, no one turned in the phone. I was packing up to leave when a student came up to me...

"Miss Hajjar?"

"Yes, Mike?" I asked.

"Some people were talking during lunch and they said Jimmy stole your phone."

"Thank you, Mike." He seemed like he wanted to say more or now that I think about it, he might have been waiting for the reward. Mike, being a reliable source, gave me the confidence to immediately addressed the class the next day with a different prerogative.

"Okay everyone, being that I don't have my phone yet, we are going to do this. I am going to give you each a white envelope. Everyone has to put something in this envelope. It can be paper, cardboard, a note, whatever. The one condition is, the person who has the phone needs to put the phone in the envelope. Get it?" After about five more explanations they understood, although some began filling it in class. "No, no, no, this must be done at home and returned to me as your entrance slip. Understand?" I got some weary nods and we went back to our work.

Later that day, I approached Jimmy. I told him he MUST bring the iPhone in the next day.

The next morning when he didn't show up, my cooperating teacher, who is awesome, called his father, explained the whole situation and Jimmy was forced to bring it in after lunch. That is the story of the iPhone thief. I'm glad to have my phone back. I really learned a lesson with this situation and it's to not set students up for disaster. I should have never had the phone exposed in the fist place.

Another lesson I learned is to change my facebook name. One of my students sent me a friend request, which I immediately rejected. However, I wasn't completely unscathed by this encounter. I was forced to see the photo under his name, which had this particular student, lets call him Olly, with his shirt off, looking into the camera seductively. I will never look at him the same and I can not undo the damage that appalling picture did to me.

(The students names have been changed for privacy)