Stop the Presses

"Dear Parents,

Turn off the TV for once and pay attention.

Regarding math:

The math we do is really easy. If your child is either too lazy or too stupid to finish it in class, I'm sending it home so that you can work with them and judge for yourself whether it is laziness or idiocy that inhibits your child's progress. We do part of it in class. How on earth they can NOT finish it is beyond me, but please help them with the part that we do NOT do in class. If your child is one of the mediocre few who excels on the homework, please congratulate them with a warm handshake or perhaps a halfhearted high-five, since finishing this homework is the equivalent of a twenty-year-old wanting to be congratulated for knowing how to tie his shoes.

Regarding Field trip lunches:
We have a peanut allergy in our room and a few in second grade in general. Because of this, everyone must eat nut-free foods. We also have a child who is mourning their puppy who got run over last week by a garbage truck, so we ask that no one wear anything resembling puppy fur, or that is red and flat. Further, one of our students has a nervous tick that causes him to slap himself in face several times a minute. In order to help this child not feel conspicuous, we ask that your child imitate a crazed masochist for the length of this field trip."

Let me just say, I am not really one for controversy. I mean sure I love a great debate, and if people have their proverbial panties in a bundle over something important to them, well then I am all ears. But generally I do not pump billows of air into a fire. But this was too good to pass up. It is all over the news and blog-o-sphere.

A principal in Phoenix valley was fired this week over a satirical letter he forwarded to one second grade teacher at the school. The letter was apparently marked to be sent home to students. The teacher did not read the letter before making the 25 copies and filing it in the students cubbies to be sent home amid paper bag puppets, worksheets, and writing journals. Oops!

The district office was flooded with calls from from 25 angry parents regarding the letter. As a result of sending the letter to one teacher, a teacher who did not read the content before sending it home, the principle was placed on administrative leave, and will not be allowed to return to the school, nor will he be allowed to take his scheduled position of principal at a new elementary school slated to open in July.

I could just leave it at that, and let you decide if the punishment fit the crime. But I am going out on a limb here, and pose the question, really? When did we become so sensitive? Ever made a joke at work? Ever work in an environment where the stress levels are so intense that you would be in a rubber room if you couldn't crack a few jokes? Ever work at a place where every year the demands increase while the funds diminish? Ever been in a classroom for 8 hours with 26 7 year olds? Can you discredit an individual's entire career because of the principle of immediacy?

Did it change your feelings if I told you he's Mormon?

I'm just sayin'...Think about it. And don't shoot the messenger, er the blogger.