Thank You

Not me, because the Dr. Pepper would never be allowed in my classroom.

I want to thank all of you for your support.  I did not expect to get so many comments on yesterday's post.  I can't say things are much better.  Today will be the day to tell.  The parents were sent home a letter stating the offense and the punishment, and I expect to hear from some of them.  Whereas we have a protocol that the principal is to deal with parents first, my principal has decided that I must deal with any parents who call to complain or want answers.  I can support what I did, and I will stand by my guns on this one.  My principal is attempting to make this as hard on me as possible.  He should tell the parents what happened and that should be the end of it.  Instead, he is being a coward about the situation.  I have spoken to one parent already, and he said that he fully supports me and wanted to tell me that it would never happen again with his child.  It is nice for a parent to tell you that you did the right thing, even though the principal is refusing to do so.

Because we are a private school, there are sensitive issues handle.  We do not have a school board, but a board of directors who govern the school.  As with most boards, each member has his or her own agenda, but from what I have heard from some of the board members, they are supporting me on this issue.  One parent (not of one of the kids caught cheating, but who works at the school) called one of the board members herself and summoned him to the school to discuss the situation.  I will be meeting with a board member tomorrow night.  I hate to be the center of a controversy.  I am there to teach, and I wish they would just let me do my job.  Instead, I am being forced on the offensive.

However, I will say this, with this particular group of students, we have a vastly different class today.  I shuffled the students around so that no friends are sitting next to each other, and I explained to them that the days of even the slightest leniency (which by the way I had to explain the meaning of) was over.  One of the student complaints to the principal was that I was inconsistent with my rules (by the way, I am not, they just chose to ignore me) and therefore, they did not see a problem with cheating.  So, if I need to be a holy terror and a bitch in the classroom, then so be it.  It is not my style of teaching.  I prefer a more relaxed atmosphere, one in which makes learning a more enjoyable experience.  However, the students do not know when to joke and when to be serious.  So the dynamic of the room has changed.  They were quiet and took notes.  Some slept, but at least they were quiet.  Those sleeping will suffer the consequences of their actions when the test comes.

I hope that this principal will not be there next year.  He has another job offer on the table, and from what I have heard from most board members, it would be advisable that the take the other job.  However, only time will tell what he is going to do.  I know what I will do.  I will continue to instill in these children the ideas of honesty, morality, and the lessons of the past.