I was listenting to a podcast sermon the other day and the speaker talked about reconciliation needing four different parts: peace, justice, truth, and mercy. He said most of us have one that we are strongest at - and I knew mine right away. Truth. What's really going on here? It's the question I always ask. The speaker's point was - even on your best day, you only bring 25% what is needed to the table. His point was to LISTEN.
Good point.
This is was on my mind when handling a difficult parent. She has been haunting me over the holidays about a grade her son got due to poor group work. She wanted me to give her son a separate and higher grade than the others so that his grade point average would be enough points to be considered "very good".
She copied a lot of people on the email and no one agreed with her, and the administrators were mad at her unethical request.
I just felt bad for her. I have both her sons. Fraternal twins. She is trying to be a good parent. Aren't we all? She is trying to advocate for her son. I get that. I think she should. I asked her to wait and come in on Thursday but I was pulled out of class to talk to her today - with the principal. Who told her, maybe not so clearly, that we would not change the grade.
The mom hung onto her argument while agreeing with her words. There was my agenda driven principal whose plate is always full. There was the anxiety-ridden parent on the verge of losing control of her pre-teen boys. And there was me - I don't care if there parent is bullying me, I don't care about changing the grade for reasonable reasons ... I don't mind defending my grade, and I don't mind being convinced otherwise.
It's not a big deal. It's the fifth grade.
Is our hardline really worth all of this mother's stress?
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