The Good, the Bad and the Neglected

Friday was my first day since last April that I've worked in the school district. It was so nice to be back working with kids. I've been stuck in the office the last few times I subbed. I was assigned to a fourth grade boy. When I looked at what he was working on I was surprised. Normally, I help a child concentrate on the task at hand and whatnot. This student was working on being respectful and not having a meltdown when he was doing his work. He didn't have ADHD or Autism or anything like that. As his story unfolded to me, it sounded like a case of bad parenting, or neglect. There was another boy who was far more disrespectful than the child I was in charge of. He rolled his eyes at me and had a whatever attitude. I told him it was very disrespectful to talk to me like that, he really didn't care. In his case, it was a problem of clueless parenting. What little time he does spend with his parents, they think everything he does is cute.

How do I know these children's back stories? Because the teacher knows all. The teacher noticed alcohol on the breath of the one parent. The teacher made note how the parents said they would attend parent teacher night, only to skip it and go out somewhere else. This left the child I was in charge of, to try not to shed tears when he didn't see a note from his parents on his desk the next day. The teacher knows how much time each child spends in childcare and the quality of care they receive. She told me about all her problem children. How embarrassed I would be, to be one of those parents that the teacher scoffs at internally when her student tells her he was up till all hours watching TV...and we're not talking about the Disney channel type of shows.

Rest assured your child's teacher has an opinion about you when it comes to your parenting. I didn't say a bad opinion, but a definite opinion. They talk in the teachers' lounge with the other teachers about your child. If your child causes problems it's not malicious, it's in a concerned way. But if you are one of those neglectful parents, those teachers air out their frustration over you for those in closed doors to hear. I'm saying these things just as an FYI. If I never worked in a school, I would want to know what goes on everyday.

Speaking of teacher lounges, I try to stay clear of teachers' lounges when I sub. Just for the fact, that I usually eat my lunch alone, or have the painstaking task of making small talk. One time I got some strange looks for talking on my cell phone (quietly) in one. Actually, I'll be working tomorrow at that same school. I'll have to brown bag it and head to the car to eat in peace.

I did have a really great time Friday. The student and I had created a bond when I sat with him and listened. I could tell he really liked showing me the one book he was into. That goes to show you can't substitute time invested in a child for anything. The teacher liked me so much she called her buddy to tell him about me. Who is her buddy? Just the superintendent of the school district...