Tell me what you really think.
I really loved reading this. Your legal options would have been rather flimsy, but I would have not walked on any eggshells around either the mother or the kid.
You have so much more restraint that I...Momzilla would have been picking her teeth up off the floor 2 seconds after laying a finger on me--and it would have been self defense. It's probably a good thing I never became a teacher...
What a crock! The mother deserved to be locked up--for bruising you AND her son, altho in different ways.
Incredible story. You are a saint.
It's unacceptable to me that someone would make so many excuses for a child of that age. Hello? 13 (or so) isold enough to handle that, ADHD or not. Everyone wants a crutch, it seems. I'm glad you are enjoying you current job! 
:::Jaw hitting floor:::: Unbelieveable.
Yes, you are a saint - and so much more.
Did Momzilla have to follow her son to High School, volunteer, and make sure her angel skated by because she was watching staff from the office?
Do you think she realized that by giving her son excuses to fail, she was just as abusive as the parent who screams "You'll never amount to anything?!?"
Alas, probably not.
Will this mom follow her son through life making excused for him? How will he ever learn to take responsibility for his actions if his mother does not let him learn this? Sickening!!!
She sounds quite adhd herself.
You gave the boy another perspective on how an adult functions, and I think thats the most valuable education and personal choice you could have handed him, under the circumstances.
I dont think I could have stood there taking it without at least nutting her or bringing a knee up into her groin,on fight-or-flight autopilot, so wow, I am in awe of your control.
Your headmaster though - that is NOT what I call looking after your staff, if you didnt even get a proper explanation of why they were appeasing her. Ouch.
Umm... flimsy? She's lucky you didn't go to the police. I would have. Wow. Unbelievable. Wow.
Wow...unbelieveable. I simply am in awe...and then I am not. THAT is our wonderful school system. I have had my issues with the school...my son was bullied several times...but thankfully it was resolved very well.
I admire your stamina and strength to take all that...I think I would have started tapping back...and NOT with my finger...maybe there is a reason I didn't become a teacher...lol.
Amazing...complete and utter B.S. from the principal! I think the man now works at our elementary school!
YIKES!!!
Your principal obviously had no spine.
Few do.
In fact, most school systems are pretty weak in the face of a beligerent parent.
Did I hear someone say "overhaul?"
Oh wait, that was probably me.
You are a saint, though. I put the call into the Pope myself. He said he already knew.
-G
I know who Mamacita is talking about here, and *I* have had to restrain myself against Momzilla once or twice.
And I only see her once every five years or so.
I've always said - if you wanna fix schools, fix parents.
Sometimes in the veternarian sense.
WF
I had this same child, complete with Momzilla, in therapy for four years. I also attended all the IEPs. You have my sincere and heartfelt sympathy, even at the memory.
Sounds like you're gearing up for Fall semester at CC. I'm glad.
I had the best compliment from a teacher last year. I took it to heart and it's still with me.
Hula Girl had got caught cheating. She was absolutely horrified at herself. She was terrified of my reaction. She begged the teacher not to tell me. Of course the teacher came back with, "Would that be loving you?" Of course Hula Girl conceeded that I would indeed be told. When I arrived at school I knew something was wrong. The teacher took me aside and told me what had happened. I of course was so disappointed. What could I have done different. She then explained that most children try it. Then she said, "I knew when I told you that you would be level headed and do what you felt was best for HG. She did tell me the truth when asked about if she had cheated. She told the other girl to be quiet and quit lying about cheating. So please keep that in mind when you discipline her. She was dishonest but when approached was very honest. Then she said, "I fear some of the parents that they would try to take the blame, make excuses for their child's behavior. I also did not dread telling you about HG. I knew you would not get upset with me or blow up. I knew you would respect what I had to say and then help formulate an answer to why she felt she had to cheat."
I have kept that with me. If I can be that approachable with HG's behavior in school and help resolve the problem instead of compounding it by making excuses then she will be a better person for it.
HG's later explained that she did not feel like she was fast enough or good enough at her multiplication and Math. I explained that if she would have told me that when we did homework together that we could work on it together.
We worked hard that year. She got to the point to where she aced the tests. She did not feel the need to cheat anymore.
So so sorry this happened to you. I love your current job right along with you!
Let's see. And you got demerits for being so negative, right? Fine principalship there. Not.
Holy. Crap. I can't even formulate a coherent comment. Just . . . holy. crap.
Oh my. Public schools are quite unbelievable. I wonder how that child is functioning now. I am out of words.
I would have been in jail because she would have never backed me into the corner, and the bruise(s) would have been on her. Yes, I have a temper, and you are a saint.
Oh. Oh Oh oh Oh. I can't even find the words. You know I know what you're talking about. I have scars (yes, literal, physical scars) from a student biting me. And his mom? Smashed the window of my classroom when I refused to have him in the room again. I was told to stop causing trouble.
I, too, have had a few "memorable" experiences with both kids and their parents being "upset" with me... Luckily, I've had "good" principals who supported have me and removed the "troubled" child/ren from my class.
I've learned- to ask for help from my administrators and my union!
Take Care,
Coco
Words fail me. Woman or not, I'd have hurt her.
I may have had him in Kindergarten! No, this boys mom never showed her face at the school. After he had lost 5 homework folders, I called her & she told me to stop sending them home. Huh? So I came early every day & met his bus & did his homework with him before school started. He would be in high school now. If he stayed in school. It still breaks my heart to think of it.
Women like that don't deserve to be mothers. I wonder what her boy is up to now?
There is a good book in theretrying to get out.
I wonder if Momzilla isn't camped out somewhere in Texas right now...
unfortunately, she sounds like many of the mothers at my son's school.
"I wonder if Momzilla isn't camped out somewhere in Texas right now..."
how do you come to this speculation from mamacita's post about a bad mother, exactly? maybe i'm missing the logical jump somewhere?
Yeah, I call cheap shot on the "camped out in Texas" comment too.
WF
Oh, I am hearing the faint sound of Psycho's theme song as I re-read this. SO sorry you had to meet someone like my aunt/cousin, they are an embarressment to society.
How are you doing, honey? Havent seen/talked to you in a while.
Good Lord. That's horrible. And shame on your administrators.
I teach in public school, and it doesn't surprise me that a parent would do that, but I'm shocked that you were not backed up.
That's a kid who may end up in jail someday, thanks to Momzilla.
MistressMary, unfortunately My Old School District has a nasty habit of rolling over.
My brother's on the school board now - hopefully he'll do something about that.
WF
OMGoodness!
She got an award?
I'm speechless...
OK, I had to read that more than once. I have no words.
I'm with Busy Mom. Unbelievable. I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that. You handled yourself very well.
Honestly, I'd have punched the mother out. This explains why I'm not a public school teacher.
The sad thing is:
(1) There are people out there who would defend the mother and castigate you, because you weren't accomodating enough to Johnny's ADHD and the parent was just trying to be involved with her kid's education. I had a similar story on my blog from my college calculus class, and that's what happened to me.
(2) This phenomenon isn't just for K-12 public schools. We're getting this kind of stuff now in college. They call them "helicopter parents" and apparently it's OK for them to hover over their kids because they're paying the bills.
I'm not sure how parents think they are acting in their kids' best interest by basically denying them the chance to learn important things like responsibility and time management. Just because you may have ADHD doesn't mean you're exempt from this. (Although a number of parents tell me that their ADHD kids CAN'T be responsible or manage their time. It's real scary when teachers have more faith in kids than their parents do.)
Wow. Just.. wow.
Glad I work with pound pups.
That's horrible. Just downright horrible.
Earlier this year a co-worker threatened to murder me and he meant, even admitted to it. Did my company fire him? Did they even reprimand him?
I'm amazed at what people get away with.
So, What is this kid doing now? Probably playing video games, watching TV, drinking beer, smoking something, and complaining about whats for dinner? Oh, and the car needs gas again. And he needs a few bucks to take his pregnant girlfriend to dinner at Sonic.
Yeah -- and people wondered why I sent my daughter to parochial school!
What a frightening story! We've all had to deal with difficult parents and make accomodations we didn't like, but WOW!
Shame on your principal for failing you, and your students, and your colleagues, so miserably. I hope that indvidual was replaced soon... I'd have a hard time returning to school under his "leadership."
It's amazing what a difference an adminstrator can make. Your principal undermined the professionalism of the staff (not to mention their safety). Good principals are advocates for good teachers. Bad ones can ruin the climate of a school and turn what otherwise is a dream job into a nightmare.
Sounds like part of the reason I left public schools: primma donna parents who somehow are never responsible for anything. And indeed, you had a lot of restraint. I would have at the very least pressed the charges for assault on her, then sued the school while I was at it. That principal was as unprofessional as they come. Unfortunately, it seems a lot of administrators would rather "brown nose" the bratty parents than actually do their job. And the sad part, you point very well: the kid would have likely done well enough if Mommy Dearest would have kept her trap shut. Anyways, best of luck.
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