Our first story from the trenches is a gem. It is in the form of an email exchange between a friend of mine who is a professor at Anonymous State University and a student in one his large lecture classes, a young woman who is rather fond of her cell phone (and as it turns out, perhaps not surprisingly, her father, as we shall see). I give you the transcript, raw and unedited (although I have changed my friend's name to Ted). I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Message from the student to Ted:

"Hi Ted, I am the girl you freaked out on in class about having my cell phone and I just wanted to tell you a few things. 1st off who do you think you are telling me when I can and cannot have my cell phone? Here's a news flash I PAY TO BE HERE! I do not choose to be here. If you want to dictate a classroom go teach high school because I graduated 3 years ago. Another thing it makes you look like the jerk when you try to humiliate people you made a big deal over nothing, and if I'm expecting an important text I WILL look at my phone regardless of what you think about it. I am never late to class and the only time I open my cell phone is to look at the time and I'm pretty sure you do the same thing. Today was different I was expecting my father to be texting, you can think what you want but I don't really care. I am not trying to be disrespectful but I'm not going to respect you if you don't respect me. What gives you the right to talk to someone like that? You think because your a professor you can say and do whatever you want? NOPE not in college like I said earlier go teach high school. I am not one of those students where you humiliate them and then I just accept it, I get mad. Me reading a text from my dad was not distracting anyone else in the class room except me and I can choose if I want to be distracted because its my choice."

Ted's response to the student:

"If you would like to come into my office and talk with me about the policy, you are more than welcome to come by. If that is inconvenient, then we should talk after class on Monday. For more information about the class policy, please see the course syllabus."

Student's response to Ted:

"Not to be rude but I don't care what your policy is i don't need to read it because i know i didnt violate anything. You pay my tution and then you can tell me what to do. I don't like how you handled the situation, you had no idea what was going on and you should remember you dont always know whats going on in someones life. The professional and respectful thing you should have done was pull me aside after class and then say something give me a chance to explain, but no you like to look like the big dawg, you like to pick on people , it was rude and not ok. Someone was once late for class and you made a big stink about that did it ever occur to you that we have lives to? bad things happen to us. I'm sick of professors like you that think you can disrespect us its not ok, you piss off alot of your students and should watch that because its gonna come down to where you dont have a job, in the end we pay the bills. Really im not trying to start a fight but you were flat out wrong and alot of people see it that way. If the situation does occur agian I will come talk to you and the dean and bring my father, if you think im some silly little college girl throwing a hissy your wrong , as the saying goes im not a pee on you piss on me i piss back. Once agian i appolljize if come off as a snot but thats not what im trying to do at all."