posted
When I got to school this morning, it was to a ringing phone. The main secretary was calling to say she was unwell, and would not be in. Oy. So, I got someone to keep an eye on the office while I went upstairs and supervised morning prayers (which is part of my job), and then did my best to run the office alone for 2+ hours. (Which of course means all the things that I was supposed to do, and in fact came in on Sunday and had finally gotten caught up on, didn't get done. And since I'm going to the dentist (third time in 5 weeks! almost done, thank God!) tomorrow morning, I won't be catching up then either. ) Clocked out from the office, leaving it semi-supervised by one of the principals (whose office adjoins it).
Went to get ready to teach . . . only to get called in to consult with the principals regarding a student whose mother has been unhappy with my methods. Came to a compromise (one with which I was not entirely happy but could accept), and agreed (in spite of my strong reluctance, based on previous dealings) to call the mother during my break later.
Finished prepping for my classes (but now had no time to eat lunch, because of the impromptu meeting), and taught three. Called the mom during my break. Can she call me right back? Ok, if it's right away. (My break is 20 minutes.) She took a while to call back.
When she did, it was to berate me, declare the compromise that had been reached "completely unacceptable." She then launched into a tirade about what a negatively-focused teacher -- and person -- I am. That I'm entirely punitive, and have a reputation for this. (Oh, really? Wanna have me call some former students and get 'em to write glowing letters of recommendation for me? ) Used words like "insist" and "demand" and made threats about pulling her daughter out of school. After close to 10 minutes of this abuse, I told her I had a class to go teach (didn't mention that it was her daughter's class), and transferred her to the principal (who had agreed to speak to her when I was done). I gave my boss the 60-second recap of the conversation, and went off to teach.
After class, found out that we will be meeting (both principals, both parents, and lil' ol' me) to discuss the situation. (That way, we don't have anymore of the mom saying one thing to me, and another to the principal, etc.) Yippee! Can't wait.
And, just as an added bonus, found out that (as of next week) I will have to switch back my schedule to three classes Wednesday and three Tuesday (instead of 2 and 4). That means that when I attend the class I go to on Wednesdays tomorrow, it will be the last time for the foreseeable future. I've been attending this class for almost 8 years.
At this point, all I wanted to do was go home and go to sleep! But my parents were being honored tonight at the annual school dinner of the high school my sibs all attended. So . . . rush to pick up kids from two places, drop the two younger ones off with their dad, and whoosh back to the house to get a ride to the dinner.
Change there, pose for pictures (naturally, a huge zit showed up Sunday!), and then mingle and eat appetizers.
About then, my evening picked up. The food was good, I got to see people I haven't seen in a while, and the wine (which I could appreciate as much as I wanted -- I wasn't driving! ) was really excellent. Then on to the actual dinner.
The speeches were great (short, funny, and interesting), the entertainment was quite good (my daughter's favorite part), and it was really nice hearing lots of nice (and well-deserved) things about my parents. Got complimented on my dress and wig repeatedly, talked to several friends I never see. Dinner was a nicely rare prime rib, accompanied by a second variety of really nice wine, followed by brownies a la mode.
Was pretty late by the time we left, but a really nice evening. And to top it off, there was a message from that student's mom, apologizing for how she spoke to me earlier . . . and asking me to call. And since I didn't get home until 10:30, I am off the hook! (This way, I'll talk to the principal in the morning, about whether I should call.)
Now I get to get caught up on the day's Hatrack. Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
(((rivka))) Blech. What a day! I'm glad you held up so admirably and that you could enjoy your wonderful evening. Congrats to you and your parents. Good luck with the meeting tomorrow.
Posts: 6415 | Registered: Jul 2000
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Thanks for the hugs, guys. Narn, I don't think the meeting will be today (actually, since I'll be out at the dentist for most of the morning, I don't see how it CAN be). Nah, it'll just dangle over my head for a few days. >_<
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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Uh - good luck at the meeting, rivka. It seems you may have gotten over the big hurdle, now that the mom recognizes you as a human being and not the ogre tormenting her kid.
Mmm, I'm not real thrilled about that, no. I actually need to find out if she was given my phone number (by one or the other of the principals?), or just knew to call my parents' number. (Mind you, she knows (although not well) my parents, and they're listed.)
Could have been worse. She could've gotten my cell. And I had THAT with me.
[Addit: ] And Dags, I just hope she manages to maintain the image of me as a human -- this has not been the case in prior incidents. And I suspect the apology comes more from the fact that my boss was VERY upset to hear (a summary of) what she had said to me.
posted
I checked with both principals. Neither gave her my number or suggested she call me. (In fact, my boss said something like, "After the way she spoke to you yesterday? You must be KIDDING!") And since she has now, repeatedly, misquoted each of us to the two others (as well as back to us), my boss confirmed that I absolutely should not speak to her until we can have a meeting with all of us together.
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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![[Wall Bash]](graemlins/wallbash.gif)
) Clocked out from the office, leaving it semi-supervised by one of the principals (whose office adjoins it).![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
) Used words like "insist" and "demand" and made threats about pulling her daughter out of school. After close to 10 minutes of this abuse, I told her I had a class to go teach (didn't mention that it was her daughter's class), and transferred her to the principal (who had agreed to speak to her when I was done). I gave my boss the 60-second recap of the conversation, and went off to teach.![[Frown]](frown.gif)
I've been attending this class for almost 8 years.![[Smile]](smile.gif)
The food was good, I got to see people I haven't seen in a while, and the wine (which I could appreciate as much as I wanted -- I wasn't driving! ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
) was really excellent. Then on to the actual dinner.
![[Wave]](graemlins/wave.gif)
