Be Happy Anyway

Be Happy Anyway
From Brave Girls Club

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Someone's On a Power Trip

I am so beyond frustrated.

Everyday, I pick up my daughter from school because she forgets some assignment. Chalk some of it to defiance and some of it up to her Asperger's fog that she walks around in every moment of her life. Regardless, I refuse to let her fail a class due to not doing an assignment.

I get out of work at 3:15 and drive over to her school in time to catch her coming out the door at 3:50. Each day is the same routine (learned only by trial and error.) I open my laptop and look at the scheduled homework assignments that the teachers have posted on the website - when they remember to post their assignments. My daughter and I go through her day, her homework and her binder to ensure she has every workbook, textbook and worksheet that she needs for the evening. Inevitably, she will have forgotten something, so I send her back into the building to retrieve said item. (I am hoping she will get tired of having to go back into the building and remember her things.)

Today was no different. Today it was the reading workbook - the same one that she had forgotten yesterday. I wasn't leaving the school without it. I sent my daughter back into the school to get it. She returned very quickly and very upset. Some "office lady" told her she couldn't go back into the 7th grade hall because there was no one up there monitoring the hall. I immediately jumped out of the car and escorted her back into the building. The same lady said she couldn't go upstairs. I said she needed her workbook and I wasn't leaving without it. I explained my daily routine to her and she replied, "Well, she just needs to remember her work."

By this point I was willing to risk causing a scene and they must have seen it in my eyes because someone asked another "office lady" if I could escort my girl upstairs for her homework. With a sigh and a huff, she said, "yes." As if it were costing her some personal effort for me to climb the stairs with my daughter.

Even better, when I got upstairs, I saw students unaccompanied in the halls and teachers tutoring in their classrooms. In my opinion, it was 4:00 and they wanted to go home. Some even had their purses on their shoulders even though the school doesn't close until 4:15. No one wanted to get off their "fat butts" (to use my mother's favorite term) to watch my child walk up a flight of stairs.

I could go on and on about my beef with the school, but I think you get the picture.

We ended the event with my telling my daughter, "You had better not forget anything for a long time because I can't be held responsible for what I might do or say to one of those 'office ladies' the next time I encounter them."

My next post will be the new plan I have in store to help my daughter stay organized the rest of the year.

4 comments:

miruspeg said...

Annemarie, I can FEEL your frustration all the way over here in Australia!
I am glad those "office ladies" (I'd call them by another name) can read body language!
"Let it rip" as we say down under (vent your anger) if they are uncooperative again!

Anonymous said...

OH MY, what a story... shall I go with you the next time to punch the lady on her nose or something? I'm curious to hear about your "new plan" - it won't be difficult to get her organized, good luck!!!

carrhop said...

It does amaze me when people go into 'the people business' (like education and the support jobs that go with it) and then seem to resent having to 'deal' with people...

Sorry for the frustration--hang in there!

Blessings!

MJ said...

You've got me scared. Thank goodness I'm not an "office lady"!

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