I'm well respected and honored in our school. Teachers request my assistance in their classrooms over all other assistants. Glad you can tell my work ethic and abilities by responses on the internet. I am a professional. How I feel about a student's choices does not color how I respond/teach/assist. Every student is treated the same by me. I'm there to help them learn and become responsible, productive young adults. I do agree that there are some kids out there who have not been taught well by their parents to behave appropriately in school. We model appropriate behavior and discourage inappropriate behavior. Would you want your children to be taught by someone who doesn't want them to do their best? Who just lets them sit there and do whatever?
You are an aide? That is a different perspective.
The 10% is the appropriate time they are using the phone - the other 90% is texting the kid two rows over, etc.
A student wouldn't be expected to leave class to go to the office to use a phone. The student would be expected to wait until an appropriate time. Lunch, between classes, etc. It's that instant gratification that's the issue. What's appropriate or not - the kids don't want to wait. No need to call down from the office - the schedule lists would show when he had lunch, and could get the info then.
How can you determine the need? It is not up to you to determine somebody else's need to know. And clearly, even back in the 60's instant gratification was present. I clearly remember the constant interruptions in class when the speaker crackled and the office secretary called a person down to the office. "crackle, crackle, please pardon the interruption. Will Johnny Student please come down to the office, crackle, crackle."
The teacher control part - that just made me laugh. They're your kids, parents, they are doing what you taught them (or didn't teach them) to do. I really think some of you would be horrified by what your kid tries to do in school.
Teachers are responsible for controlling their own classrooms. They set their own classroom rules. Even the best raised students know which teachers they can walk all over.
I lecture often in high schools. I still don't see the doom and gloom you keep repeating.
"Embracing Change" - sure, if the change enhances society, but my point is that the instant contact, instant answers, constant connection are not enhancing society at all.
This is completely your opinion and frankly not one that is embraced by the majority of society.