She's Looking For You

"Abi? It's Mary. A mom is out here, and she is not happy with you and she's looking for you!"

This is the phone call I got on Wednesday, from a teacher on the playground, during my lunch. After being home for a day and a half with the flu, I came back to work, and was greeted with insanity; basically a 2nd grade classroom after a sub.

To make a long story short, there was an issue of honesty, no one would tell the truth, so they all lost some of their recess. When a parent came to school to fill out some paperwork, she saw my entire class standing against the fence, and she was not happy with me.

Me, on the other hand, was in mid-chew, enjoying my mostly bland (applesauce, water, crackers) post-flu lunch. Hmm, what to do? Should I hide out in Sue's room? She'll never find me here. Or...should I go and find the parent, be proactive and try to resolve the situation before it becomes me and the parent and an administrator.

I opted for the latter.

Walking into the office, I spotted her. Thankfully she speaks English. She was talking to the secretary, pointing her finger and looking clearly not happy...with me. I walked up to her, put on my best "I am really happy you are here" face, tapped her on the arm and said "I heard you were looking for me!".

We stepped out into the hall, she told me her frusteration, I told her I was sorry that this happened. I told her my side. She told me she was sorry for getting frustrated. As it is with most issues, listening solved anything that was an issue. I didn't change my mind or back down from my decision of disciplining my students, and she felt better because someone listened. Our conversation ended with an apology from her and both of us agreeing it was time for a vacation.

Spring Break is 4 school days away. I think we'll both make it.