Today is My Friday...

…and boy, am I glad!

This has been a tough week for me. It wasn’t until last night I realized how much work was affecting the rest of my life.

A couple weeks ago, some boys were sent to the office. I happened to be in there talking with Space Cadet about something. She told the boys, “Go sit in the principal’s office and do not talk.”

We didn’t know what they did to earn this little trip to the office and we didn’t ask. The boys (a couple of 6th graders, already too big for their britches) thought it was funny and were giggling and talking. Space Cadet asked them again, “Please stop talking. There’s no talking when you’re sent to the office.”

That just made them giggle more. I finally peeked in and realized that one of them didn’t have a chair. So I said, “Have a seat on the floor facing away from (the other boy).”

I finished my conversation with Space Cadet and headed out of the office to go do my recess duty. While exiting, I heard, “Boys! There IS no talking!”

She didn’t yell extremely loud, but was stern enough that the boys should have known she meant business.

I thought that was the end of it, at least as far as I was concerned.

About a day or 2 later, Space Cadet called my extension and said, “(The Superintendent’s Secretary – Space Cadet’s older sister) just called and said that there’s a letter from a parent saying I was yelling at her son and nephew and you threatened to expel them.”

I was so shocked. I said, “I remember them being in the office, but where do they get ‘Listen to me or you’ll be expelled’ from ‘Sit down and turn your back’?”

She said she was wondering the same thing. We couldn’t say anything because the letter was to the superintendent…we weren’t sent a copy. Talking about a letter we never did receive could get our older sister in trouble for breaking confidentiality. We decided to wait to see if anything happened, or if we were approached by anyone asking for our side of the story.

Later that afternoon, our older sister faxed a copy of the letter to Space Cadet. The letter was addressed to the principal, but courtesy copies were sent to the superintendent and the boys’ classroom teacher. I read the letter and could not believe it. It was full of accusations. According to the letter, the boys were not given a chance to explain what happened and were punished too harshly. They are the victims because they are children and the adults should know better.

According to the letter, they were sent to the office for calling another student names and laughing at her. There’s supposedly a witness who says the boys didn’t call anybody names and the girl they made cry over-reacted.

According to the letter, Space Cadet and I were way out of line by even speaking to them. They made it sound like Space Cadet was screaming at them (she wasn’t) and I was dropping threats all over the place (what a laugh).

The letter angered both of us, but we were still helpless. We felt couldn’t let anyone know we had read it without getting Older Sister in trouble. It was a Friday…we decided to wait out the weekend and see what happened come Monday.

Late Friday afternoon, the classroom teacher approached Space Cadet about the letter. That gave Space Cadet a reason to approach the principal. She said, “A teacher approached me about a letter they received from a parent….”

He told her not to worry about it…that everything in the letter was taken out of context and Space Cadet and I had nothing to do with why the boys were in the office.

Okay, that’s good to know. At least our boss didn’t believe the letter. But that still didn’t give me a chance to clear my own name because the teacher didn’t approach me. Space Cadet told me not to worry…that she probably just figured it was all a misunderstanding so didn’t see the need to approach me about it.

I tried not to think about it all weekend but there was a basketball tournament going on so I kept running into the mother who wrote the letter. I tried to smile like I always do…not letting on that I knew what she had done. She’d just snap her eyes and look away or give me an icy glare.

When I came to work on Monday, I kept waiting for the principal to call me into his office for a visit. He still hasn’t. I tried to convince myself that that was a good thing. It means he trusts me…doesn’t believe I would threaten a kid. (Believe me, if I thought I had the power to expel, some kids would have been gone long ago!)

But when I went to Science on Tuesday, everything changed. We have 6th grade on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. I heard the teacher telling the other science teacher – while I was walking by – to “remember the letter. Don’t forget about the letter.”

The science teacher sent me out of the classroom to do other things the entire period. Not just Tuesday, but the following day, as well. That bothers me because it shows me that the classroom teacher, even after working together for 13 years, actually believes I could treat students so poorly. Not only does she believe the letter, but she’s told others about it.

So now I’m left wondering how many people have read the letter and now think differently of me because of some ridiculously false accusations made by an angry parent. As of yet, nobody has approached me so I can’t speak up. I can’t defend myself. I have to pretend like I don’t know about it. But being treated differently hurts.

I didn’t realize how much until Michael asked me last night what he did to make me mad. I explained what’s been going on at work (he knew about the letter but I didn’t tell him about the classroom teacher) and assured him that if I was mad or withdrawn, it was not because of him but because of work.

I’m so glad it’s the end of the year. I’m also glad I’m not working tomorrow. I’m hoping I’ll feel better after a 3 day weekend. I have no delusions about “everyone” liking me.  But when accusations are made, I would at least like the chance to defend myself, or explain my actions. I hate this.