OH MY GOODNESS! What has your administration said? This is just...sad. I had a bad parent situation today and was going to vent because I'm upset...but I think I'll take my crazy to your crazy any day!
get help now If you have a union, go to them before trouble lands. Parent sounds nuts to you, but may not sound nuts in court or in front of the BofE.
I don't want to sound like an alarmist, but I would get an initial consultation with an attorney. Some will give an initial consult for free or for a very reduced price. The media threat scares me, and you might just be able to nip it in the bud. That parent really sucks! Good luck!
It's a shame this child won't be a taught a lesson about lying. The Mom should be taught a lesson that the mature thing to do is to talk to the other adult involved (YOU-- the TEACHER) and see what is what. Children lie-- some parents are so ignorant about what their little "angels" are capable of. Stories like this make me want to believe in karma.
Maybe CPS will get a similar call from the kid someday and the light bulb might go on--hmmm, maybe he is telling stories. I mean did you see the cupcakes I made for them this weekend...I'm a fun teacher!
You're definitely in my heart, Kinder. Sometimes it feels like all of us are one belligerent parent away from a dramatic showdown.
Kinder, I am so sorry to hear this. How rediculous of a claim! You are such a wonderful teacher who cares for her students. I don't understand any of this. I'm not sure what to tell you, but I will definitely be praying for you. God is bigger than all of this and can get you through it. Hugs to you.
I once had a child accuse me of scratching him. I was so upset when my vp informed me, but she eventually caught him in the lie. But in your case, isn't it possible that the child was coached by the parent to say these things... especially being that the parent is the one who videotaped the child. I'm so sorry you're going through this right now.
Remember, with any communication with the parent, CC the principal. Also, only conduct communication through written form (i.e. email) or recorded meetings with multiple parties present.
Good advice. I actually sent my e-mail to the P first to get it approved. Thanks for all the support.
Wow! This is absolutely terrifying and awful. I'm so sorry it's happening to you. I hope the kid fesses up.
Kinder, I'm so sorry!!!i would be terrified! I would like to note, though, for you and other Texas teachers, while we don't have a union that can collectively bargain for us, we DO have an AFT and NEA affiliate in this state. Some districts like HISD even have enough members to have a local union! TFT and TSTA will provide you with legal assistance if you need it and you're a member.
It sounds like either he's totally lying, she's totally lying or she has put ideas into his head. "You're teacher is mean to you isn't she"? She yells at all the kids and threatens them doesn't she"? etc.
That's what gets me-the why of what he did. He smiled and waved to me every time he saw me yesterday-like nothing ever happened. I know he doesn't understand the gravity of it. I couldn't sleep last night. :yawn: Thanks Bandnerd-I didn't know that.
It almost sounds like this parent is just jumping the media bandwagon. Some people will do anything for attention, and adults are sometimes worse than kids in these matters.
You know, I think I'd almost welcome the parent to go to the media. Then I'd sue for slander. Pardon, my vindictiveness is showing...
Kinder, I am so sorry that this is happening. I am sure you have plenty of other parents that are supportive of you, and their opinions can be a major help. Plus, your admin is helping. I agree with the other posters that if this crazy parent keeps at it, seek legal counsel.
Wow! What a sucky situation. All child psychs know that children lie, or can be very easily manipulated into saying almost anything. The way questions are framed can mean everything. A parent can say something like.."Did she pull your ear?" and that puts "pulls ear" into the childs head/vocabulary. Then all of a sudden, "My teacher pulls my ears and other kids." That is why children's testimony doesn't mean much. I wish your P wouldn't have honored the parents request and did a little more research into your classroom first. This parent will just go into another teachers classroom and cause problems. Why move a child this late into the school year? You P should have backed you up more and did some investigation before just caving to the parents request. All teachers know it takes some firm voices and lots of repetition to get a huge group of kids inline (especially when the class is outside their normal environment). Parents should feel better knowing that they have a teacher that is in charge and protecting all those kids, instead of not being fun enough. The parent would of course be really upset if their child got lost or hurt on the field trip because you didn't have the class managed. Sometimes I just wish, so much, that parents could walk in a teachers footsteps for just a couple of days! It would make them so much more understanding and empathetic. See how they can handle 20-30 kinders on a fieldtrip!
Every teacher's nightmare! As a first grade teacher I have always been completely paranoid that this would happen to me. Luckily, you are a woman and I'm pretty sure that people will recognize this for what it is - complete fabrication by the child with coaching from the mom. Now if that child had made accusations of inappropriate touching or fondling, and you had been a male, the police probably would have arrested you first and asked questions later. Not to mention the media jumping all over it. And in the end, after it was discovered that the charges were completely unfounded, the male teacher's reputation would have been ruined, he would have lost his his job and he would never be able to work around kids again. I hope your colleagues and principal continue to support you and that the other parents get on the bandwagon, too. If it is proven that the mother was guilty of putting this stuff into her child's head, she should be charged with defamation of character and held accountable. My thoughts are with you. Steve
mom2ohc-the only reason that I e-mailed her was because my P suggested, and after thinking about it I agreed. I never got to refute the claim.
When I was a kid, I would lie through my teeth to my parents in order to justify my craptacular grades and bad behavior. I'm sure "The teacher is mean to me" came out of my mouth at least once. Lucky for my teachers (and me, for that matter) my parents didn't believe a word of what I was saying.
I am glad it has seemed to work out. It sounds to me the mom was trying to get "ammunition" to get him moved out faster. I would venture to guess that he is in the "honeymoon" period in his new class and that eventually, he will have trouble there, too.
That story sounds like something he saw in a movie. I can't believe the mom would actually believe such a crazy scenario.
It is hard for parents to learn/realize that their little angel can lie. I know I was absolutely stunned when the P told me that my GS had been bad. Now, I know he is capable of almost anything.
Oh my, kinder! So sorry that this is happening and I sure hope that you principal and district are going to be supportive. It definitely is hard when it's a kinder kid telling these kinds of stories because it doesn't show a pattern yet. Next year, when he does these things, hopefully the parents will realize that their child needs help.
