Who let you in?
Yesterday at the beginning of first period, a parent conned her way through the obstacle of the front office and demanded a conference right away. Momma was pissed. She stuck her head in the door and demanded that Son come with us.
Son's a talker and a player. A bit hyper. Once upon a time, I thought he might be ADHD, but then I saw him do a fabulous job of controlling himself once he knew he was on the verge of being sent to the office, and ADHD kids can't do that. He's not ADHD. He's NAAW. Need an ass whoopin'.
Anyway, I took the parent up to the office so there would be a witness and a mediator, since I could tell she was pissed about something. She was a large woman, and I felt vulnerable in the secluded hallway. Somehow I didn't think Son would help much. Turned out she was pissed at Son because he's received a lot of detentions in my class. She was just venting her anger in my general direction. For an hour. So here's my main question:
Why, why, why did you come up to my class and rip me away from them for a full hour? I have sent home half a dozen detention papers, and you didn't sign any of them. I have called three times, and left messages, and you didn't call back. As I began to grow more desperate, I even gave you my cell phone number and encouraged you to call that over the weekend or at your convenience. But you didn't call. Instead, you showed up unannounced and threw a fit and demanded to be accommodated at that very moment despite the fact that I had a class. I spent the entire weekend planning how I would spend the hour you stole from me. It was to include a test review, a study guide, and some vocabulary crossword puzzles-- NOT an angry parent with crappy timing.
Procedures, people! When I said I had an open door policy, it didn't mean you could barge in and demand that everything going on behind that door come to a screeching halt until you were satisfied. Especially when I have made every effort to accommodate you.
On a more positive note, I think Son will do better now. At least Momma cares-- even if she apparently doesn't know how to use a telephone.
Son's a talker and a player. A bit hyper. Once upon a time, I thought he might be ADHD, but then I saw him do a fabulous job of controlling himself once he knew he was on the verge of being sent to the office, and ADHD kids can't do that. He's not ADHD. He's NAAW. Need an ass whoopin'.
Anyway, I took the parent up to the office so there would be a witness and a mediator, since I could tell she was pissed about something. She was a large woman, and I felt vulnerable in the secluded hallway. Somehow I didn't think Son would help much. Turned out she was pissed at Son because he's received a lot of detentions in my class. She was just venting her anger in my general direction. For an hour. So here's my main question:
Why, why, why did you come up to my class and rip me away from them for a full hour? I have sent home half a dozen detention papers, and you didn't sign any of them. I have called three times, and left messages, and you didn't call back. As I began to grow more desperate, I even gave you my cell phone number and encouraged you to call that over the weekend or at your convenience. But you didn't call. Instead, you showed up unannounced and threw a fit and demanded to be accommodated at that very moment despite the fact that I had a class. I spent the entire weekend planning how I would spend the hour you stole from me. It was to include a test review, a study guide, and some vocabulary crossword puzzles-- NOT an angry parent with crappy timing.
Procedures, people! When I said I had an open door policy, it didn't mean you could barge in and demand that everything going on behind that door come to a screeching halt until you were satisfied. Especially when I have made every effort to accommodate you.
On a more positive note, I think Son will do better now. At least Momma cares-- even if she apparently doesn't know how to use a telephone.
Where do you get off telling Momma which way the universe revolves? Really, Meanie, it's way past time you got into orbit around her with the rest of us.
I'm impressed you actually gave her the whole hour. After about 5 minutes, I'd have told her that she's welcome to contact me at the appropriate time, and that I have a class that needs their teacher back.
Posted by
Stewed Hamm |
9:20 AM
And once she had ripped me away from my class, she didn't volunteer to get the meeting going by-- oh, I don't know-- telling me what the hell she wanted. She just crossed her arms, clenched her jaws, and sat there. When my 13 year old students do that, I tell them to lose the attitude and start acting their age. WTF am I supposed to say to an adult who does that?
The word for the day is "ridiculous." Worthy of ridicule.
Posted by
Mommy Needs a Xanax |
6:20 PM