Unbelievable

Sometimes I wonder if I’m floating on exactly the same planet as everyone else, or if the world really is as messed up as it seems to be. Today the parent of one of yesterday’s “fighters” (for lack of a better term) came in to meet with the principal about the incident, and she called me in to talk with him as well. I was happy to talk with him, but the longer I listened to him, the angrier I became.

His primary concern? Why didn’t a teacher stop the fight before it happened? Furthermore, his son told him that “there won’t no teacher around anyway.” Excuse me? No, I wasn’t in the middle of your son’s boxing match, because I was on the other end of my classroom buzzing for the office, and sending a kid down the hallway to the nearest admin’s office.

And what’s this about how I should have stopped the fight as soon as the “bantering”, as Fighter’s Father called it, started? Excuse me for living, sir, but if you don’t mind me saying so, I responded as soon as I heard the shouting, and by the time I turned around, the 2 kids were already at each other’s throats & shoving desks around. A split second is all it takes. You’re a parent. You know how quickly things can happen.

I probably shouldn’t have said this, and I probably came across a little irritated, but I couldn’t help responding. I told him I didn’t feel comfortable stepping in the middle of 2 fighting kids, and that my primary concern was actually the safety of the other kids in my classroom. I even slightly exaggerated and told the father that half of my class was injured & had to go to guidance to get ice afterwards for injuries (okay, so it was probably more like 5 kids, but does it really matter? Kids got hurt, because of YOUR son). Furthermore, I told this parent that I expected more from his son, who is a Peer Mediator, and has been taken off campus for an entire day’s training of how to resolve conflict. I wasn’t there, but I’m fairly certain they didn’t teach him how to throw chairs at other students in self defense.

This dad’s main agenda was “how can I blame the faculty for my son’s potential suspension,” and “will my son receive a lesser punishment than the girl who provoked him.” I was so mad. Thankfully, my principal backed me up & told the dad I had done everything that was expected of me. I was irate after that meeting, and felt completely targeted by this obviously irrational parent.

The funny thing? I’ve never been more ecstatic to face my 5^th period class. I took a risk and let them do a lab today, which worked nicely . . . only 1 broken piece of glassware, which is quite an accomplishment for that class.