Thursday, March 17, 2005

Forgetful due to medication.

Sometimes communication with parents is so inane that you just have to laugh. We get together in the mornings and share tidbits from our daily rake over the coals by parents. My teammate got this one this morning.

My daughter says that sometimes you'll call on her to answer a question even if she doesn't have her hand raised. I am asking that you consider not calling on her if her hand is not raised. Right now my daughter is not experiencing "Love of learning" and I need your help in getting this issue under control. Thank you for your consideration in this matter.

For real. Because in the real world? Yeah, they're always going to wait for her to raise her hand. Or if she's not paying attention, that will surely be okay. My teammate first considered the response, "As your daughter has not been in attendance for most of this week, it is physically impossible that I did call on her, hand or no hand. If you would allow me to tutor her in math as I suggested earlier, perhaps she would be more confident and would raise her hand. But since you are choosing to tutor her at home, perhaps the lack of hand-raising is related to your inability to tutor her." She decided in the end not to dignify that email with a response.

Then I checked my email! Yesterday, I send this to the mother of the most ADD child I've ever met. (unmedicated, of course) He's really smart, but unable to focus, so he's failing everything. She makes grand sweeping promises to help him almost weekly and has yet to follow through on one. I wrote:

Hi! Can you please sign [Billy's] fourth quarter goals? It was due last Friday and he is losing $2 from his incentive money everyday he doesn't have it signed. He said he asked you last night and you forgot...if that's the case just let me know and I won't take that money from him.He worked very, very hard on a reading test Monday, yesterday and today, but it was extremely difficult for him to focus.
Please be sure to go through his goals with him (the blue paper stapled into his folder) each night to help him organize his progress. I appreciate your help. I will continue to touch base with him each day to see what y'all were able to do at night.
Thanks!
Ginny :o)

Sweet, huh? Putting it back on her, yet pointing out her failures as a parent, yet being supportive all at the same time. Here's her response:

Hi, I am sorry I did forget. I have been running from appointment to appointment lately and have been forgetful due to medication.

Hmmm. We had a good laugh over this one. There are so many ways to read this. How do you read it?

3 comments:

SeeingDouble said...

Hmmm... so she cares enough about her own health to get medication, but not enough about her child, who seems to desperately need some intervention. That's what I call quality parenting!

Anonymous said...

Those are the reasons I don't think I can ever go back to full time teaching. I love the kids, hate the parents. Your teammate's parent would really hate me. I rarely call on students who have their hand raised *l*. I just randomly go through the roll sheet.

Anonymous said...

Duh, forgot to sign my name.

Carrie, the roll sheet randomizer