I Hate It When That Happens

It is a dark and stormy night. Somewhere, a dog barks.

No, I'm not practicing bad writing. I don't need the practice. It's really stormy tonight, and my fleabags are yappin'. It's a perfect night for Hot & Sour Soup. Mmm...it's delicious. Pardon me for not sharing. I'm a bit discombobulated. Today was the end of 1st Quarter, and I had make-up work to grade, and tests, and grades to print and put in my robin's-egg-blue three-ring-binder, and dates and names to write in my Ol' Red Gradebook. I even stayed after school until 5:00 to tie up some odds and ends, and type a Lab Report form for tomorrow. Then a downpour started just as we were leaving, so I had to send the Pony to the front doors so I could drive around to pick him up, because he mustn't get his cast wet. Oh, but we had to delay our departure for 5 minutes because The Absentminded Professor had lost my LSUV keys. He denied it, but they were nowhere to be found in his pockets or my classroom, so I sent him out in the rain to look. Funny thing...they were right in the last place he looked. IN the LSUV. Good thing he hadn't clicked the clicker, because I was in no mood to be stranded there overnight.

I have a something stuck in my craw tonight. It has nothing to do with my delicious soup. It's a big ol' hunk of IHATEITWHENAKIDISRIGHTANDIAMWRONG. One of my problem children started in about how his grade is almost passing, and he wants his missing work. Uh...NO! Same as I tell the kids who suddenly develop a thirst for knowledge at the end of the quarter and want extra credit work. In fact, I even used this request as a springboard for my popular "Why should I do extra work because you don't do what is expected of you?" speech. I declared that I was not about to look up work from the beginning of the quarter, that the farthest back I went was the two-week section that I was required to furnish missing or failed work for at the mandatory after-school tutoring program for flunkies. This kid had been boasting earlier in the year about not going to it. I don't know whether he did, but he boasted, and I never got any work back from him. So the deadline has passed on that previous work. He had a 54 up until today. I had given him a test to re-take for a better grade, and that was all he had. Nothing was missing from the past two weeks. He declared that the after-school teacher did not give him any work for me. I told him I handed her the test myself, and how did he know he had a few missing assignments. He said she had his grade report, which is news to me. Nothing was missing for the last two weeks. That's a fact, Jack. So I asked if I needed to discuss this with that teacher, and ask why he didn't get his work that I gave her an hour before he was there. He said maybe I should. Soooo, long story longer, I followed through, because I love to rub it in when I catch a student in a lie. But wouldn't you know it, she stated that he HAD been there, and worked the entire two hours on HER work, but she had misplaced mine. Great. I went to that work to write up the work and find another test and walk it all the way to the end of the hall...and the teacher didn't give it to him. And worst of all, HE WAS RIGHT. And I WAS WRONG. I hate it when that happens. Life isn't fair. The world is out to get me. Wah, wah. But I doubt he would have scored better on the test, what with no review, and only getting 80% of the new score anyway for the second time around. So I suppose it's no harm, no foul. But still. He should have had the opportunity to re-take that test. That's what that program is for. Of course, it didn't help that he neglected to do and turn in yesterday's 20-point assignment.

But now I have to apologize for round-aboutly calling him a liar in not so many words. It's the least I can do. And Mrs. Hillbilly Mom is all about doing the least that she can do.