Superstar came to check in on Thursday and almost got into a fight. I grabbed him from behind and had to walk him to his class. Not wanting to leave my students unattended, I asked Mrs. Lemon, whose room is adjacent to mine, if she could watch my class for a few minutes.
When I came back, Mrs. Lemon said Willow had been disrespectful to her, and that she was going to inform Willow's mom. (Willow's mom works on campus).
I talked to Willow. That morning, Willow had told me she had trouble finishing her science homework and asked if she could work on it. I agreed that she could ask for help from a classmate. When I left, she was sitting with Storm and asking for help. According to Willow, Mrs. Lemon had directed the class and Willow to work silently. Willow said she spoke up to try to explain to Mrs. Lemon that she had my OK to work with a classmate.
I talked to Mrs. Lemon, and she said Willow had been very cocky to her. She said that she hadn't heard a peep out of Willow and Storm last year, but that they were very noisy this year.
I told Mrs. Lemon that I had talked to Willow and that she had told me she was doing her work. I also said that based on my dealings with Willow, I believed she telling the truth.
I was taken aback when Mrs. Lemon retorted: "Come on! You believe them?" She then said she "knew" that Storm would lie to back up Willow's story. Mrs. Lemon wrapped up the conversation by declaring, "You need to get a handle on those kids. They're out of control."
Willow talked to her mom about what happened. Mom let the counselor know, and the counselor helped Willow draft an apology letter to Mrs. Lemon. The letter said that in the future, Willow would be careful to follow directions without comment. I thought the letter was fine and considered the issue resolved.
Later that morning, Mrs. Lemon asked to see Willow for a moment. I said OK, thinking nothing of it. It wasn't until I talked to Willow's mom after school that I learned what happened. According to Willow's mom, Mrs. Lemon refused to accept the letter, and threw it in the rubbish can as Willow was leaving the room. Understandably, this was upsetting to my student.
Mrs. Lemon also sent out an e-mail to the grade level that day, stating that we should not ask her to watch our class unless we were willing to back up her version of events.
While I didn't let this incident ruin my wonderfully long weekend, I was so mad on Thursday that I had to vent to Orchid after school. Some of the things that upset me:
a) Mrs. Lemon's mindset is that students are unreliable and untrustworthy. However, I believe that my students are, in general, truthful. I am sure they have gotten away with some things (what kid doesn't?) but I believe they are usually honest.
b) I do not appreciate being told by Mrs. Lemon what I need to do in my room. I am the first to admit that my classroom is a work in progress, but there has been steady improvement and we are not "out of control."
c) It infuriates me that Mrs. Lemon threw Willow's letter away. That's plain mean.
d) If a co-worker has a problem with me, I want her to talk to me directly. Sending an e-mail directed at me to the whole grade level makes me think she just wants the opportunity to gossip. I would have been fine with an individual e-mail, but why the need to share it with everyone?
While this incident was upsetting, I know that I did the right thing. My first responsibility is to my students. If I believe they are being truthful, I will support them.
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