Bullying

Confession: I am being bullied.

I teach at a local community college.  Some of you regular readers will recall the entertaining stories I regailed you with involving *Frank and a few other students. 

This past semester I had 60, mostly amazing, students.  It honestly was one of my best semesters ever.  I have been with the school for six years, teaching year round except for the summer Pman was born and this summer when P2 makes her grand entrance.  I truly love my job, it is not exactly what I went to college for, but I feel like I totally belong in this environment.

However, I did have these two students, who I assume are siblings, this semester who are making my post semester pre-baby time hell.  T assume they are siblings because they have the same last name, but they looked nothing alike.  They came to class (late) together and left together. I will reveal something in a minute that will also lend itself to further prove these two are siblings.

These two were habitually late to class, like 15+ minutes late.  Like just about every time the class met. 

Other students were asking me what was up with them and their excessive tardiness, okay, no one said tardiness because I teach in this day and age and not 1950.  I would just vagely shrug my shoulders and shake my head and move on.  Eventually I asked these students, to please take the class more seriously and come on time. 

They did.

Once.

These two were actually high school students who took advantage of the dual enrollment program the college offers.  Which means they were both in high school and college earning credits at the same time. 

They had a required assignment for HS the last day of our class when a test was being given and a major paper was due.  When they told me they would be missing class because they had a "required assignment" I informed them my assignments were required too.

I did extend the deadlines and put a test in the testing center for these students and two others with their own sets of issues.  This may sound like giving in to some of you, but really things like this happen all the time and I teach communication classes, I pride myself of being a flexible teacher.  That's flexible, not a sucker.

Both students ended up with high B's in my class.

Since then, I have been bullied via email by THEIR MOTHER to GIVE them both A's. She even told me that she does not think her children are capable of earning only B's and they are poised and play the piano.

Um, I don't teach piano or any class that is a derivitive of piano.  I can't even play the piano.

I'm lucky because the people in charge of my department are being very supportive.  I know this may be a very boring post, but I just have never dealt with anything like this.  If students cannot come to class regularly and on time and cannot talk directly the to teacher about grades and assignments, they are not mature enough or ready for the responsbilities of college.

I need a hug and a drink. 
An alcoholic drink. 
A strong alcoholic drink.
Le sigh, mid-July will be here soon.