Thread by @HoarseWisperer

For those folks who followed my wknd thread re: my son's little drama at school.

Spoke with the teacher. There was no "other side of the story". The narrative my son told me was exactly what happened. The teacher's version matched his verbatim.

1/

In her initial telling, she overheard a comment, found it inappropriate and engaged the vice principal as the entirely proper course of action.

Had I known nothing of the incident, I would have left the convo believing my son had been entirely in the wrong and she had not.

2/

When I asked if she had any context or knew what they were talking about - or had even asked - she admitted she had not.

I gave her the backstory. The kids involved, their close friendships, and convo she overheard: two kids talking abt their friend whining about a bad test.

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Upon realizing I fully knew what had gone down, she abruptly shifted gears, admitted her reaction wasn't appropriate and apologized.

Basically, she knew all along she had mishandled a situation, tried to put the weight on my son anyway, got called out, and then came clean.

4/

I let her off the hook. Teachers make mistakes. I get it.

To all the folks who said my son must not have told the whole truth and the teacher's version would open my eyes though, you were wrong.

Listen to your kids. Investigate when they report something that sounds "off".

5/

Lastly, I have infinite respect for teachers. I feel deeply indebted to the great teachers my son has had.

However, I also know that when conflict arises, parents are the only ones solely advocating for their child. Representing your child isn't meddling, it's necessary.

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