2nd Week Troubles

This story I’m posting today comes from my very first month of teacher… and just goes to show exactly how parents have become somewhat demanding when it comes to their child’s education. Maybe it was always that way, but somehow I can’t see my grandfather going up to the school and trying what this parent did… instead, he would have just slapped my mother and moved on. It’s hard not to miss those days, even if I wasn’t alive during them.

I sent home an assignment, very simple, where each student had to read for 30 minutes or 30 pages, whichever came first, then answer one question on the sheet I provided. They had 7 days they had to do it in, but were only required to read 5 days… I had even built in days off! However, the directions that were printed on the sheet were incorrect. It was only my second week ever teaching, and somehow, the papers I had dropped off to be copied had ended up in someone else’s box, and I apparently had that person’s. Their assignment was easier than mine, but since it was a Gifted class, I didn’t want them reading as little as the paper called for, so I had them change the directions. I had 3 classes that I had change the directions, and I left it as it was on the paper for the regular classes.

ALL my students, in those three classes, managed the following week, to turn in the assignment as I had asked. Except one. When I graded the assignment and sent it home, one of my little darlings had followed the printed directions, because he didn’t copy down the directions as I had asked. Mom was displeased about his low grade. So, she sent me an email at 8:30 in the morning. I began to write back my response, but the kids came in, etc, etc, and I hadn’t managed to send a response at 9:25 when I had to go and open the door and welcome the kids. Mom was displeased that I hadn’t answered… never mind that we had 48 hours as dictated by county policy. Never mind that I have to… oh, I don’t know, keep my classes busy. She was tired of waiting, at 10:00, so she called the school and asked to be transferred to my room. She apparently lied, because they told me later they tried to transfer her, because she claimed to be… get this… my mother, and it was an emergency.

Since the phone in my lovely portable didn’t work 99% of the time, the transfer didn’t work, so she called my boss, the 6th grade administrator. When he didn’t answer immediately, she called the principal of the entire school. She called my administrator, who called me to ask what was up. Surprisingly, the phone worked, and I was confused. I told him that I wasn’t ignoring her email, but she had only sent it 1 and ½ hours ago, and I had to teach, and I didn’t have my planning until 5th (essentially not until 2 p.m.).

After all that (getting me in “trouble” with the principal of the whole school in my 2nd week!), I sent her an email explaining her son didn’t follow directions, he was the only one, etc, etc. She said that since it wasn’t on the paper, I can’t grade him on that, so I need to re-grade the assignment today, change the grade, and email her the new grade with her son’s updated classroom grade. When I refused, she called my boss. Again.

I knew right then and there that teaching was going to be a crazy trip.