This one might just take up the whole blog this time. Please remember that the names are changed to protect the children.
In one district I worked in, my kindergarten classroom was in the original four-room school, along with the art room, music, an extra room in case there was the need for an overflow classroom and the gym/multipurpose room ( assemblies, meals, etc.)
When I had my meeting with this particular family before school started, it didn’t go very well.The father brought the little boy,I’ll call “Ryan.” Ryan was on and IEP (Individualized Education Program) for autism.The first thing that the dad asked me was, “I want to know how many nig**rs are in this classroom.” I was taken aback! I calmly told him that his child would be in the minority given where we were. He said, “Well, I work at the prison and you can tell by the look in their eyes that those people are bat-shit crazy.” Ugh! We went on to talk about the curriculum and expectations for the coming year. His language was laced with profanity. I told him that I didn’t allow language like that in my classroom. He replied that I didn’t have any students. I reminded him that his son was in the room and he was on my roster.
Fast forward to later in the school year. “Ryan” had a really weird bruise on his hand and said that it hurt him to write. I took him to the nurse for an ice pack. The nurse looked at it and immediately called Child Protective Services. She said that the way it was bruised was a sign of abuse. The bruise went from his palm, between two of his fingers, up onto the palm of his hand. It was weird.
A couple of weeks later, I was called into the principal’s office. He told me that “Ryan’s” dad had gone ballistic at the Child Protective offices, overturning desks and screaming profanities. Then he came to me and told me that he had access to guns and he knew how to use them. My principal went on to say that staff from the newer building would now be carrying keys to take their students to art, PE, music, and lunch and that the doors to my building would be locked at all times. He said he didn’t want to go to a funeral. I told him that I couldn’t imagine attending a funeral for one of my students. His response? I meant yours. He said that “Ryan’s” dad had been told that he wasn’t allowed on school property. If Dad showed up, I was to call the main building with a code word and someone would come and escort Dad out. I told my principal that he should come up with the code word so he would remember it. I gave his code word to the secretaries.
I had been fighting to have the doors locked for months! My principal always told me that it would inconvenience the rest of the staff. Their doors were locked and all visitors had to check in at the office, but since my classroom was in the building with PE, Music, art, and lunch, the doors to my building were left unlocked.
Two weeks later, “Ryan’s” dad came into the building to bring “Ryan” to breakfast, something he wasn’t supposed to do. I saw him coming when I was walking between buildings. I went into my classroom and locked my door. Then I called the office on the intercom and said, “I need a dozen pencils.” This was the code that the principal had come up with. As you might guess, they sent an older student over with new pencils.
This is the ONLY time I have ever cussed out a principal! His concerns, his code word and he didn’t remember!
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