2 students are making bad decisions today

@NJChicaa (125006)
United States
October 8, 2025 3:32pm CST
Some students love me, some tolerate me, and some hate me. I'm fine with all of that. What I've found interesting is that some former students who weren't my biggest fans visit me often in the following years and will talk frankly to me about their lives. Even more interesting are the ones who were never students of mine but who just get to know me from hall duty, cafeteria duty, the halls, etc. I wind up being an informal mentor to a handful of kids each year and it isn't like I actively seek them out. They find me. During my hall duty this year I have 2 regular visitors. One of them is a former student and one is a coworker's son. This week they've both been talking to me about things I've been trying to discourage them from doing. Student #1 has an iPhone 14 that works perfectly fine. He told me the other day that he is going to get an iPhone 16 ProMax. I keep telling him that he doesn't need it and to save his money. Well today he said he was going to get it after school. He did the math on his perfectly-working phone to prove to me that he could afford it. I was like "no you are insane--save your money". He has accounting that period in the same room that I am in the next period. When duty was over I went in there and said "okay Mr. Rich Guy tell Mrs. Accounting Teacher about your terrible idea". She immediately told him not to do it and then asked him what the monthly payments would be for 2 years. He told her and she showed him that he would be paying $3000 (including service). She was like "you could buy a car for that!" I was like "well you didn't listen to the biology teacher but maybe you'll listen to the accounting teacher". Student #2 is my friend's son. He is open about hating the local Hasidic Jewish community, undocumented immigrants, etc. Well he wants to go to the Board of Education meeting tonight to question them about not making it publicly known that the Hasidic community rents out school facilities. I kept telling him that they rent facilities out to all sorts of groups from adult education to dance recitals and it isn't a secret. He insists that the rentals/dates/times should be posted on the web site. I was like "oh yeah great idea to make it widely known when little girls in leotards will be dancing on stage". I told him he should not go and speak--especially because his mother works in the district--but if he did do it to definitely not specifically reference "Hasidics" and to just say "religious groups". I don't think I convinced either of them to change their minds but I certainly tried this week.
6 people like this
5 responses
@AmbiePam (104171)
• United States
8 Oct
The bigot kid scares me.
3 people like this
@NJChicaa (125006)
• United States
8 Oct
I love him but has some crazy opinions.
2 people like this
@AliCanary (3402)
9 Oct
Oh, goodness. Ain't no stupid like teenage stupid. I remember it well.
2 people like this
@jstory07 (146080)
• Roseburg, Oregon
9 Oct
They are kids that think they know more than you.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (203168)
• United States
9 Oct
Kids think they are mature and know more than we do.
@Nevena83 (65559)
• Serbia
8 Oct
Oh, kids always think they know better than adults. It's crazy to pay so much for a phone.
2 people like this