Friday, March 30 - Things I Haven't Yet Mastered

I haven't yet mastered how to thank someone for making more work for me.

I'm not an ungrateful person.  I believe in manners.  I say please and thank you all day long and even remind the children to do so when they come to me for something.

I also believe that it's my job to try to make things easier for others.

I just haven't mastered how to say thank you to people who don't follow the directions they were given because they think that they are helping you out by doing something their way instead of the way that was asked.

But, I was told I should have said thank you to the person who made changes to a few student documents and printed them out themselves to save me work, yet couldn't tell me who they belonged to thus causing me to have to print out the whole class again for the permanent record.

Yes, thank you for your help.

Is it possible to sew your tongue back on after you've bitten it off?

Friday, March 16 - A Little Information Goes a Long Way

Imagine a person walking into a bank and going right up to the teller and just proclaiming "I want to take my money out."  That's it.  That's all that's said.

It's not likely that the clerk will be handing anything over to this person without some pertinent information.

We have 400 students in our school, which roughly means there are close to 800 parents.  So now imagine that a parent walks into the school and comes right up to my counter and says "I'm here to take my son/daughter to the doctor/dentist/etc."  And then they rock back on their heels and just look at me, thus creating a very awkward silence.

Now I will admit that sometimes I see whose coming to the door and before they even get into the office I'm calling for the student.  However, it always cracks me up when a parent that I've never seen before walks in and expects me to know who they are and who their child is.   That awkward silence needs to be broken.

"And who is your child?"  or "And that would be?" or just "Yes............?"

Where is my crystal ball when I need it?

Friday, March 9 - You Have Reached

I had the task of calling home for a student who was absent and whose parents had not reported the absence on the absence line today. 

I dialed the number and this is what I heard -

"You have reached and answering machine.  Please call back."

Friday, March 2 - Who's Late?

School starts at 8:30.  Well, the first bell rings at 8:30 and the students huff it in off the bus.  By the second bell at 8:35 they're all supposed to be in their homerooms, or in the case of our 5th graders, at their lockers.  The front doors are closed and inevitably within the next minute the doorbell will ring.

Parent:  (approaching my counter with his daughter in tow) She's not late is she?

Me:  Yes sir, when the second bell rings the student is late.

Parent:  Oh, was that the second bell?

Me:  Yes.

Parent:  Well, she's not late really.  We were working on her homework project from last night and lost track of the time.  So she's not really late.

Me:  Sweetie, who is your homeroom teacher.

Student:  Mrs. So-and-So.

Me:  Here's your late pass.