Pissed off Mama Bear
Sep. 9th, 2010 06:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ciroccojNo, I'm not going to send this letter in its entirety. Chris and I will be editing it and trying to balance my tendency towards passive-aggressiveness with his tendency towards simple aggressiveness rudeness forthrightness, and aim for "courteous but assertive." We'll see if we get there. Chris is also taking a look at the actual school policy on arriving early, and school policy on informing students & parents about said policy.
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Dear Sir/Madam:
I am writing to explain Justin B's presence on the school grounds before 8:15 in the first two days of school.
We did not realize before the second day that arriving at school early was not allowed. When Justin told us that somebody at the school got angry at him for being there early, we thought that he was talking about having gone into the school before it was open to students. We explained to him that although the building may be open, the teachers are not on duty yet, and are busy getting ready for the day, and he was not to go into the building until 8:15. We told him to stay outside, and he understood and agreed that that was perfectly reasonable. He was upset that he had gotten into trouble on his second day at school, and puzzled as to why the person in charge had been angry at him over a rule he hadn't known he was breaking, but understood the rule and had no problem with it.
We had assumed that, as school grounds are not physically closed during non-school hours, it was acceptable for the children to be on school grounds before 8:15. It was not our intention to have our child get into trouble twice before the first week was over.
I received a phone call at work today, telling me that Justin's conduct had been "unacceptable" and that he was "under no circumstances" allowed to be on school grounds early. I was too taken by surprise at the tone of the person who spoke to me to explain before she ended the call that Justin had been acting on our instructions.
Justin has been home schooled since grade one. He has fond memories of [school name], but was understandably nervous about going back into public school. He is very eager to learn and do well, and follow the rules. He is also understandably upset that on the first week, he got into trouble twice, both times for having done what his parents told him to do. He is now more nervous than he was before, and wondering how many more times he will get into trouble for doing things he did not know were against the rules.
Justin has been taught that rules that have been clearly spelled out are to be followed, and that persons in authority are due courtesy and respect, but he does not have much experience being reprimanded out of the blue by someone angry at him for no reason that he can understand.And if the tone of the person who spoke to him was anything like what it was when she spoke to me, I can certainly understand his dismay.
I am not asking for special consideration for Justin, as I assume your staff are supposed to treat all the children with courtesy and respect. Moreover, Justin is aware that persons in authority at school must be obeyed, regardless of whether they treat him with courtesy. I would, however, like to explain that this is a new environment for him. He has not been accustomed to being treated the way he was treated yesterday and today; it may take a bit of time for him to get used to that.
Thank you for your attention.
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ETA: School starts at 8:30, btw. Students are not allowed on school grounds until 8:15. There are 530 students from K to grade 5. One of the things the newsletters always went on about when our boys attended there a few years ago was that there were always safety issues in the morning, when buses arrived and parents were dropping off their kids by car - because God knows you can't let children walk or bike to school any more - because there wasn't space for all the cars and buses and kids and please move along and don't park there and why won't SOMEBODY think of the CHILDREN?!
I don't know if they still have the same morning issues. Perhaps changing the rules so that 530 children arrive and get to class between 8:15 and 8:30 has fixed the problem. Bets, anyone?
--------------
Dear Sir/Madam:
I am writing to explain Justin B's presence on the school grounds before 8:15 in the first two days of school.
We did not realize before the second day that arriving at school early was not allowed. When Justin told us that somebody at the school got angry at him for being there early, we thought that he was talking about having gone into the school before it was open to students. We explained to him that although the building may be open, the teachers are not on duty yet, and are busy getting ready for the day, and he was not to go into the building until 8:15. We told him to stay outside, and he understood and agreed that that was perfectly reasonable. He was upset that he had gotten into trouble on his second day at school, and puzzled as to why the person in charge had been angry at him over a rule he hadn't known he was breaking, but understood the rule and had no problem with it.
We had assumed that, as school grounds are not physically closed during non-school hours, it was acceptable for the children to be on school grounds before 8:15. It was not our intention to have our child get into trouble twice before the first week was over.
I received a phone call at work today, telling me that Justin's conduct had been "unacceptable" and that he was "under no circumstances" allowed to be on school grounds early. I was too taken by surprise at the tone of the person who spoke to me to explain before she ended the call that Justin had been acting on our instructions.
Justin has been home schooled since grade one. He has fond memories of [school name], but was understandably nervous about going back into public school. He is very eager to learn and do well, and follow the rules. He is also understandably upset that on the first week, he got into trouble twice, both times for having done what his parents told him to do. He is now more nervous than he was before, and wondering how many more times he will get into trouble for doing things he did not know were against the rules.
Justin has been taught that rules that have been clearly spelled out are to be followed, and that persons in authority are due courtesy and respect, but he does not have much experience being reprimanded out of the blue by someone angry at him for no reason that he can understand.
I am not asking for special consideration for Justin, as I assume your staff are supposed to treat all the children with courtesy and respect. Moreover, Justin is aware that persons in authority at school must be obeyed, regardless of whether they treat him with courtesy. I would, however, like to explain that this is a new environment for him. He has not been accustomed to being treated the way he was treated yesterday and today; it may take a bit of time for him to get used to that.
Thank you for your attention.
--------------
ETA: School starts at 8:30, btw. Students are not allowed on school grounds until 8:15. There are 530 students from K to grade 5. One of the things the newsletters always went on about when our boys attended there a few years ago was that there were always safety issues in the morning, when buses arrived and parents were dropping off their kids by car - because God knows you can't let children walk or bike to school any more - because there wasn't space for all the cars and buses and kids and please move along and don't park there and why won't SOMEBODY think of the CHILDREN?!
I don't know if they still have the same morning issues. Perhaps changing the rules so that 530 children arrive and get to class between 8:15 and 8:30 has fixed the problem. Bets, anyone?
