toady today

Today was toady, as I originally typed it.

My new camera was set on the wrong settings when one of my students explained to me that Michael Jackson was once a black man that through a horrible science experiment became a white woman with no nose and a beard. This is the same boy who has been singing �Billy Jean� to the strange young man across the street. He has fixated on Michael Jackson.

We had the parent teacher conference tonight, which was supposed to be from hell but was not. I wondered why I was invited because the boy in question is in my class but this happened at music. My reputation as a �student advocate� led the parent to want me there to back them up. I am glad that I went because those meetings always bring information to light that I, as the teacher, need. I also need the parents to know that I am engaged in their student�s lives and care about every aspect of their education.

What pisses me off about this whole situation is that the teacher involved tried to make this into me doing something wrong and it is not about me. I did do something wrong � I informed the angry parents about what had happened. Before I spoke to them, they were working from information given to them by a child. Children are wonderful but not perfect, especially when they are in trouble for something. However, when the Music teacher kicked the kid out of class she should have called the parents and told them what happened. They should not have felt required to talk to me THREE DAYS LATER. She screwed up, not me.

I own my mistakes. I own my anger. If I had screwed up I would have told the parents and apologized. I would not have hid behind the new, young teacher. Luckily, I have an excellent education and preparation for teaching that involved intensive study in parent/teacher relationships that I use to my advantage. She however is an idiot.

I am boring. I will stop with that.

Friday: I am going to Boston. Very excited.

I am tired of hearing the words, �International Community� to mean, �France and Germany.�