A Slice of Life for this Teacher

[FLyellowdog]

36. Reminds me of the unfriendly conference I had to have one time

with a local doctor and his wife. (1)They were mad because their son had not yet been chosen Student of the Month (elementary school) when he was so obviously "superior" to others who had been chosen first. (2)They were furious when their child made a B on a Social Studies test and I told them that although the grade was lower than what the child usually made, it was not so bad that he have the experience of how others might feel when making a lower score than they wanted.I said that in all kindness trying to look for the silver lining. Well, that really flung them off the deep end. (3) Before the conference was over, they had dragged me through every recrimination they could think of. The "dr." father sat over in the corner and literally laughed at all my responses s....I stood up and
said that the conference was terminated, and since they had lost confidence in my ability to provide a quality education for their son, I'd have him removed from my class and placed in another teacher's room before the beginning of the next school day.

I thought they were going to have a stroke. They bumbled and stumbled, saying that they hadn't come down to the school requesting to have their son moved to another class and that's not what they intended to have happen. I politely responded that "Well, that's what I intend to have happen." Then I walked out and that was that.

Thank goodness the Asst. Principal had been in the meeting with us and she was fairly impressed with how I'd handled the unpleasant situation. Anyway, the child was placed in another class the next morning and life went on.

Some days it just isn't worth chewing through the restaints.