{"id":1496824,"date":"2023-12-22T05:46:00","date_gmt":"2023-12-22T11:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.weareteachers.com\/?p=1496824"},"modified":"2024-01-08T14:11:51","modified_gmt":"2024-01-08T20:11:51","slug":"teacher-at-a-bar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.weareteachers.com\/teacher-at-a-bar\/","title":{"rendered":"Help! A Parent Complained After Running Into Me at the Bar"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
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Dear We Are Teachers,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Confession time. While inebriated at a bar on a night out on holiday break, I saw the parent of one of my students. She seemed super excited to see me. Caught up in holiday frivolity, I asked someone in her group to take a picture of us and had her hold my leg. When I remembered what happened the next day, I could have died of embarrassment, but that pales in comparison to what happened next. My principal forwarded me the parent\u2019s complaint that, to be fair, said exactly what happened. She attached the photo and added, “You may want to talk to your teachers before your next break about decorum in the community.” My principal\u2019s note to me on the forwarded email: \u201cLet\u2019s talk about this when we get back.\u201d Am I about to get fired?    <\/p>\n\u2014HOLDing my breath … and leg<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Dear H.M.B.A.L.,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I doubt your principal will fire you. You didn\u2019t post the picture. This wasn’t on school hours. You legally visited an establishment known for both alcohol and frivolity. (Unless you teach at a private school, in which case they can fire you for whatever they want.) At the very worst, I could see the argument that a parent felt pressured to hold your leg, a sentence I can’t type without laughing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, what an earth-shatteringly boring<\/em> parent. \u201cDecorum\u201d? Someone\u2019s been watching too much of The Crown<\/em>. If we’re going to be held to Supreme Court Justice standards in our private lives<\/em>, we’re going to need Supreme Court Justice pay<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your principal was<\/em> really mad, you\u2019d have a different email. Actually, you wouldn’t have an email. They would have called you. Or sent the dreaded “Call me ASAP” email. Certainly they wouldn’t rely on a teacher checking email over break for an emergency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To me, this email says, \u201cI actually have to craft a response to this nonsense because my emails are public record, but I cannot be bothered to deal with this on break.\u201d I suspect your principal will call you in when you get back to 1) laugh at your situation, 2) joke about the parent\u2019s seriousness, 3) recommend an apology, and 4) ask you to maybe go easy on the leg-holding in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dear We Are Teachers,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s my first year teaching at a new high school, but my 10th year of teaching overall. At this school, students are obsessed with performance. Every time I put grades in the grade book, I have at least five emails within 20 minutes from students asking when they can retake the exam to get as close to a 100 as possible. I don\u2019t feel like I\u2019m doing real teaching anymore\u2014just designing and redesigning exams so everyone can have an A. What can I do about this?<\/p>\n\u2014this isn’t learning<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Dear T.I.L.,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, what\u2019s your school\u2019s policy on retaking tests? It sounds like you need to talk to someone with administrative power about establishing some boundaries. For your sake and your students\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s what I\u2019d discuss with an administrator and eventually with your department:<\/p>\n\n\n\n