THE Field Trip

This past Tuesday Izaac got to go to the Moody Gardens Aquarium and had a wonderful time and behaved perfectly....now flashback a week before that...

We send our money in for the field trip on Tuesday morning, Tuesday afternoon we get a note back from Izaac's teacher that said "Could either you or your husband come to the field trip on Tuesday. Last time Izaac ran away from his chaperon and I am uncomfortable asking another parent to be responsible for him." What!!! She is uncomfortable asking another parent to be responsible for him...first we had heard of this, and one week before the field trip...flash back to February....

On the zoo trip Izaac was paired with a mother and two other little girls. When we got the report back it said he kept running away from the chaperon, so he ended up going around the zoo with her (the teacher). That was it, end of story no discipline report no nothing. So we assumed he was running around like he always does and the mother could not handle it. Because if it actually was worse than that we surely would have gotten more than a small hand written note. Back to a week before the field trip...

Tobie and I found her note asking us to go on the field trip a little snarky. Tobie even said that if she would have just said "Hey, we are short handed could either of you go" he would have taken the day off and enjoyed himself...but no, she did not do that. So I sent a note back saying that "Due to work responsibilities we could not go. And if this was a problem, she could send the money back". Now, when I said that, I was being snarky, because there should not have been a problem...so maybe I should have expected the note that I got back but I was sure she understood normal protocol and that I really did not mean it, it is just something you say...my bad. Anyway, the note on Wednesday from her said, "Okay, I will send the money back tomorrow." WHAT!!! So now she is saying by sending the money back that there IS a problem, and we had no real idea what that was.

By this time I am really upset. So Tobie decides to go talk to her and find out what the "problem" is. Well, the meeting was really ridiculous. She kept saying it was a safety issue...so when Tobie posed the solution of *GASP* get this...he goes in her group if she did not want him with a parent. Her answer to that...the teachers did not have a group, they stay in one spot and if the parents have any problems they know where to find the teachers. WHAT!!! This is the craziest thing I have ever heard! I am a teacher and when I go on field trips, I don't get to relax, I have to actually *GASP* actually spend my time with the students! So, I think by now Tobie's blood had to be boiling, so he said that because of this one parent she was labeling Izaac as a discipline problem...No, she said, Izaac is not a discipline problem. Again I say, WHAT!!!! This is stupid.

That afternoon, I call the principal, leave a message and she gets back to me. By this time she must have spoken to the teacher because she kept repeating the same phrase "Its a safety issue." I told her that I understood what she was saying and if they were not going to allow Izaac to go on this trip, fine, I just would have appreciated advance notification of this. I then asked her if he had a discipline referral or if she had ever seen him in her office..."No," she said and then went on to say that he was NOT a discipline problem and even his teacher said so...Is anyone seeing a problem here? He is not a discipline problem, but a safety issue. Doesn't that go hand in hand? Anyway she tries to tell me that the teacher told me of the problem at our last teacher conference (Lie! all she wanted to talk about was medicating my son because he has too much energy. He is 5. What ever.) When I ask her what they are going to do with him all day when the kindergarten is gone, I actually thought the phone went dead. She had no answer, she had not thought about it she said. Then she said well I guess he will have to sit in a 1st grade class all day (by the way, this is a TAKS testing day). I told her I do not think it is fair to punish him for something they did not punish him for when it happened. Oh, its not a punishment she assures me...really, what do you think Izaac will take it as. I also asked her who was going to tell Izaac he was not going, seeing that they have been talking non-stop about this for weeks in their class...no answer again. Lastly, when I asked her why Izaac could not just be chaperoned by the TEACHER, she had no answer. Guess, she did not know about the whole, teachers not chaperoning thing. So I again tell her if they are not going to allow him to go...oh no she says, we never said he could not go...again, WHAT! So needless to say, they had no documentation that Izaac was a problem and had not foot to stand on so they would have to figure something out.

Next day the principal calls me back, they have a solution. A "Ready, Set, Teach" student who has been in Izaac's class each week would go with him. By the way, this is a high school student. Fine, I said, that would work.

So, back to the field trip...he did great and had a great time, imagine that. And I am going to point out...A high school student had no problem with him, but a parent of one girl could not handle him...hmmmm, might need to rethink your parent chaperons, sense you are not going to do it yourself.

Wonder what would have happened if I never said, "If there is a problem, send the money back." Lesson learned.

June 5th can not get here fast enough.