Well I am not going to talk about blocks today. I am sure that most of you are saying “Hallelujah.” Just so you know… no more blocks were lost the rest of the week. Whew!! Yup… I was pretty much holding my breath every day I asked. I can breathe now. Well…at least until next week.
It has taken me quite some time to write about “The Note.” Let me go back a little bit for those who don’t know. Kindergarten requires homework to be done every night and sometimes there is additional homework given that is not on the calendar. Yup…we get a new calendar every month. On this particular day there were two assignments due. One assignment was the three signs of fall. We completed the “Bag About Me” and packed it in his back pack. We forgot to put the “Three Signs of Fall” in Walker’s bag to go to school. Oops! But of course my husband and I didn’t think this was such a big deal because remember… it’s kindergarten and he is five years old. Keep in mind we have been doing all the homework assignments with him… not for him all along. This happens to be a Friday and the same day I left a message for the teacher to call me back concerning the “Block System.” I wanted to make sure that there was consistency between what she was teaching and what we were teaching at home. I thought this was the responsible thing to do. She never mentioned anything about “The Note” when we were discussing the block system.
I wake up to go to work and go through Walker’s back pack before leaving and find this note. Keep in mind that the note is a copy that she fills in the students name, date and assignment due.
This is to inform you that you child Walker did not hand the homework assignments “Signs of Fall” & “Bag About Me” that were due today 09/21 (please note the grammatical error). I am very disappointed. Please help reinforce the importance of being responsible with your child. I hope to see work completed with the best effort and on time.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Teacher
My response to “The Note.”
Mrs. Teacher,
Walker did complete his homework but we forgot to put it in his bag. I believe we are being responsible with him as he has completed his homework every night. Please do not insinuate that we aren’t.
This note got my blood boiling to the point that I called the principal of the school. She listened and promised she would go down and take a look at the note. The parent needs to sign the note and give back to the teacher. My point is the note was intended for the parent to read and respond. I do not expect to be written to like a five year old. I am not the only parent that has received this note and certainly not the only one that was offended and insulted. The people that I have talked to and shown the note to feel the same way. I made a copy of the note for my records. I can play this game as well as anyone.
The teacher called the next night and tried to explain herself. I stated that the note was demeaning, insulting and offensive to parents. Her reply was that there are some parents out there that don’t do any of the homework with their children but that we were not put in that category. I explained to her (calmly I might add) that when she sent that note she was putting us in that category. I asked that she revise the note to more appropriately say, “Walker did not pass in his assignment. Please make sure that he passes in his future assignments on time.” She could have said that same thing without being insulting and demeaning.
I am sure that Walker will pass kindergarten but I can’t say the same for me. I miss the days of Pre-K.
For many of us New Englanders this is our favorite time of the year… autumn. Yes we even have a name for ourselves. Though the days are still warm but they quickly dissolve into the coolness of the nights. The air conditioners are completely out of the window (for those of us that don’t have central air) and the windows are open to let in the fresh air. Energy is returned to those of us that seemed to lose it when the heat of the summer sucked it out our souls. Yes this is my favorite time of year. Ironic as it is because autumn is the beginning of the end of life for our annual flowers and the leaves on the trees. Truthfully the greens of summer go out with a bang with the colors that are presented to us on an annual basis. The burnt oranges, the golden yellows and the crimson reds create a rainbow that only nature can generate. To see more pictures of autumn days at the farm click here.
My father owns a farm that we take the kids to all the time. For the fall season he has created a haven for children and families during the day and an escape for adults at night with the haunted hayride. We have been bringing our children every weekend to get our fix on all the fall activities. This year we had the opportunity to bring the kids through the woods by means of a four wheel gator into the trails for the haunted hayride. The trails are a few miles long. It is hard to find the words to describe how beautiful the few miles in the woods are. So within the gallery of pictures there are a few of the wooded path that we followed. Of course this was the perfect opportunity to take more photos of the kids. Hope you enjoy the ride because we did.
Harrigan Tales 