File Cabinet Friday - Parental Advisory

There's an old saying that goes, "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree."  Being a teacher, only confirms daily that this wise saying is true, and today's File Cabinet Friday is the ultimate example.

A friend of mine who teaches at a high school sent me an email correspondence they recently had with a parent that I have to share with you.  This teacher had welcomed some new students in her classroom, and was attempting to re-establish her classroom culture, by adjusting her seating chart.  As she was moving students' seats, she moved a current student to sit next to a new student.  As the current student moved, the teacher overheard the new student whisper to her friend, "I'm going to tease the shit out of this girl."  The teacher, immediately reprimanded the girl, reminding her of the school wide bullying policy, and explaining consequences of such behavior.  Later, she attempted to call the parent, to no avail, and finally sent a simple email explaining the situation, her classroom behavior policies, and asking the parent to assist in resolving the issue.  Below is a picture of the email:

It was a standard email, consisting of two paragraphs....nothing extreme.  But, what you really need to see was the parent response:

The BEST line of this entire email is:  "She isn't in school for moral teaching from her english teacher but an education of a subject for which you went to school for."  Wow.  Unfortunately for Mr. ____, what he lacks in understanding, is that it IS up to the teacher to instill morality and/or support the moral teachings of parents when students are in our classroom.  In addition, it is also a teacher's charge to provide a "safe" learning environment for their students.  This includes an environment WITHOUT harassment and/or bullying.  Only after you establish your culture and community, can you truly give your students "an education of a subject for which you went to school for."