of pet monkeys

I should probably delete last night's post, mainly because these past forty eight hours have been terrible, and not because my friends are terrible. We joke, we tease each other, and once in a while one of us goes too far. Problem was, last night I was exhausted, and I honestly wasn't either in a mood or had enough energy to withstand the teasing... that got out of control. My friends are fine people. I was just in a bad place at the wrong time.
Now, on to why the past few days have been awful.
I have a mother. The mother of one of my children-students. She called me irate on Tuesday while I was at lunch and berated one of the secretaries. Upon my arrival to school, I was getting called through the PA system. I called the mother back. I.have.never.been.addressed.by.a.parent.in.such.manner. Short of calling me a liar, a thief and a hooker, the woman screamed on the phone, called me the demise of the Spanish department, told me I was a bad teacher and then proceeded to hang up the phone on me. She told me she was going straight to the principal and was going to make sure "people knew what kind of teacher I was."
Needless to say, after 15 minutes of having another human being putting me down in my field of study and professionalism... I ran to the principal's office. Knocked on his door, walked in, and started bawling.
What's the mom's deal? --> Her daughter passed my class, but failed the final. They have spent god-knows-how-much-money on a "great" Spanish tutor. The mom demanded to see the final to see "what kind of crap" was on it and why it was possible for her daughter to study for "six hours and not be able to pass it." She passed the class, but the grade she got - a C - is unacceptable according to the helicopter mother.
I got some of the support I needed from my principal, I got some kleenex and then had a few good laughs. I walked out feeling a little bit better and dreading every single minute leading up to the parent/student/teacher meeting which was to take place today.
I stayed at school until 4 30, when the bell rang at 10:30 that day, putting together paperwork so that crappy mom could see what we have been doing in class this semester. I haven't cried that hard in a while, and it didn't feel good when I woke up the next morning... but honestly? As a 2nd year teacher, with no tenure and not being a part of the union... all I need is for this woman to know someone who knows someone in order to get canned.
Anyway... barely got any sleep on Tuesday night. Yesterday we had graduation. I was able to vent to many people, including the devil-child's counselor and my mentor and department chair. I was able to get some support from people and I felt quite better about my teaching abilities.
Today I got to school, and dreaded each and every bell. I was literally shaking with anger/anxiety by the time 12:20 had rolled around.
The mom stormed into my room with her daughter, I had them sit down and got my mentor, MK, to sit in with us. Mysteriously enough, the counselor (who said she'd be there), was missing and never showed up.
It got heated.
She was nasty yet again, not toward MK, but toward me. She screamed, called me a bad teacher. Told me I set her daughter up for failure. Told me everything including my future cause of death (not literally). She put down our subject, stating that "We aren't even a core class and we ruin kids' GPAs, including her daughter's." MK tried to let the meeting end once, but the woman would not budge. I walked out of the room to get something, and a fellow teacher in the office asked if we needed security or the administration, because she could hear the things that were being said. I said no. I went back inside, and sat with the devil-child and her devil-mother. We started going over the test together... as I started translating questions for her, she STILL couldn't pick the correct answer out of a lineup - somehow that was still my fault and, at question 15 - the mom started yelling at me again.
I stopped her on her tracks and looked her straight in the eye. I said "I am not comfortable with your tone, and I feel that I can't continue to do this anymore." I crossed my arms in discontent and MK said "yes. I agree. This meeting is adjourned. If you need anything else, feel free to contact the principal or the Instructional Asst. Principal." The woman stood up, shoved a desk and walked out, I am sure badmouthing me AND MK as she waltzed out of my building. Yes. My building.
Shortly after, I found out the counselor was blindsided. She was given an appointment time with mom + daughter at 12:30. An appointment for which they never showed, because they were too busy upstairs yelling at MK and I. The counselor was appalled that they did such a thing, and was very upset that she couldn't be there to give us the support we obviously needed and deserved.
As of right now, I haven't been told the mom is taking it to any level, though I would not be surprised to be in the news or something for allegedly misteaching and sucking as a human being. The principal knows, all of the admins have been warned about psycho-helicopter-mother, as I lovingly call her, and I am ready to be done with this issue... and also incredibly happy this year is almost over AND she isn't my student next year.

Something that was absolutely puzzling to me was the fact that this kid has spent 1 hour per week for the past 10 months in my classroom... not an hour per week in my class, but an hour per week eating MY off period so I could tutor her. I have given her off periods, I have given her after school times, I allowed her to retake nearly every quiz and test I gave this semester... and she literally sat there and said NONE of these things to her mother. She sat there and watched as her mother attacked me both personally and professionally.
I was disgusted. I could care less about the mother, but to have one of my students sit there and not say anything - after all, THEY are the ones who truly know what happens in the classroom...
I felt as disgusted with the student as I did with the mother, who has now taught her daughter that it is "ok" to treat people with disrespect, including her own teachers. I was disgusted, still am.

I love being a teacher, but today I hated every minute of it.

Paz