Rough afternoon at work.

One of my kids got mixed up on modes of transportation home - This isn't normally a big deal and it happens several times the first week of school to random children. The children are always supervised by an adult, be it a bus driver, or someone on campus until the parent can get to the child.

Anyway, the child was given to me with the notice that they would be "a car rider, and sometimes a bus rider" which is incredibly vague. One of our assistants comes around and tags the kids who ride buses with colored bands, and apparently this morning the kid got himself a colored bus band to wear.

Fast forward.

This afternoon at dismissal, we called for the specific bus and the kid lined up with all the other students. I checked the arm band. All was in order. I checked the kids names with my list. I saw "sometimes a bus rider" and assumed that the kid had been banded for a reason, because he was told to go home on the bus by a parent. I even ask the kid, are you sure?? and he says "yes, bus rider."

Fast forward.

20 minutes later, I have an irate parent screaming obscenities at me because their child was supposed to be a car rider and no one was at home to meet the kid. The parent then proceeded to romp through the hallways shouting curse words while other students are fleeing with fear. (Perhaps the better idea would have been to get in the car and drive the five minutes home to meet the kid...? The bus driver was waiting with the child.)

I'm the first to admit mistake. I apologized 1000 times. I won't make excuses but I followed all the rules. The band was put on him because he stood up and got on the line, and he repeated several times that he was a bus rider. His paperwork stated that he would occasionally ride the bus as per the parent.

The entire system is wrong when a parent can use words like "sometimes" and "occasionally". From now on, parents will list one method of transportation, and one alone. If there is a change your child will require a notice or phone call to the school to inform the staff.

I think it's insane that the parent was allowed out of the office in such an emotional state to come scream at a teacher. I, too, would be upset if I was unsure of the location of my child, but there is a time and a place for everything... and it's not usually done in the presence of small children. Especially when the teacher is only partially to blame, with the parent and student making up the rest of the equation. Mistakes happen. We're human. The child was safe 100% of the time and under constant supervision.

There were several students in tears as this parent was completely out of control. I should not fear walking into my classroom tomorrow morning but I have 19 other children to protect from said parent now.

Frustrated.

The Heed will make it better ~ once upon a time I learned to play this ~ I think I'll learn it again!

Always and Never - Coheed and Cambria