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This has been ongoing for weeks. Each time I try to post this story, something new happens.
About a month ago, a child from the school took part in an after school sports event. After the event, he rushed home, forgetting to change his shoes, leaving his regular school shoes behind. The next day, the staff tried to find them, but had no luck. The only description they had was that they were "black shoes". Looking for them was like looking for a needle in a haystack, because every child in the school wears black shoes. Frustrating, yes. But it was no one's fault besides the student. His mother didn't agree.
It started off with her ringing up the school each day, asking the same question.
"Have you found his shoes yet?"
She got the same answer. "No".
"Well why not?!!?"
A few days later, a letter arrived. Inside was a receipt for a pair of shoes, and a note.
"I expect you to reimburse me for these shoes."
School called her and said there was no way they were paying. They sympathised with her, but at the end of the day, it is not the schools fault.
More calls. This time, she wanted to know if the culprit who "stole" her son's shoes had been caught. School told her that they had asked the students during an assembly if they had seen them, but no one came forward.
About a week later, we had another sports event. Guess who was hanging around at the end of it? She wanted to speak to the teacher in charge of the event. She wants to know why the "investigation" into the missing shoes has ended. The staff are fast losing patience with her. The teacher responded with "This is not CSI. We've looked, we've asked. No shoes. Investigation over."
She calls back again the next day. She wants us to send a letter home to every parent asking them to check if they have the shoes. She is told no, as it is just harassing the parents. Plus, it's a waste of paper.
Again she calls.
"I want you to interview every God damn child in that school until you find those shoes!!!"
They hung up on her. After that, the calls stopped. Horray!
Two weeks later....
Guess who has lost his new shoes!!
Yep, the boy lost his new shoes after another event. She returned, filled with anger, and now convinced that there was a conspiracy going on, and that someone is out to get her son's shoes. She created a scene at the desk while a co-worker and I tried to calm her down. All of the senior staff had gone home, so it was just us. She screeched the following:
"Someone stoooolllllllle themmmmm because they were reeeeeeealllly expensiiiiiiiivvveee!"
"I spent over one hunderd pounnnnnnndddsss on thosssse!!"
"And you won't help meeeeeeeeee!"
She went on and on and on. It was all our fault that her fifteen year old son had lost two pairs of shoes in less than a month. We were allowing people to get away with theft. We had ruined her life, and finally,
"I am callllllliiing the policcceee! They will interview the children and find those shoooooeesss!"
She stormed out. CW and I nearly fell to the floor laughing.
The next day, I went into school in the morning to work in the classroom. Oh God! She's there again! She was yelling at the reception staff.
"Blarggggglllleeraaarrrrr. No one called me. Raaarrrraaaggrrrrrr. Get me the head teacher here now!!!111!!rrrarrrrrr!!"
She was told the head was in a meeting.
"I don't carrrrrreeeee!"
She spotted me.
"Thiiiiiissss is the man I spoke to last niiiiigggghht! He should have passed on the messaaaaggee!!!"
I told her that I did pass on the message, but the chances are that no one has got it yet, seeing as the school has been open for five minutes. I had to leave at that point, as I was needed in my class.
It was the end of the day, and I was on my way home. Oh God! There she is again! She was storming out of the head's office, and she spotted me. She walked right up to me.
"You probably think I am a horrible person, don't you?!!? Well I am not! I am a very nice woman!"
I don't know what happened between her and the head, but from the looks of things, it wasn't a happy ending for her.
About a month ago, a child from the school took part in an after school sports event. After the event, he rushed home, forgetting to change his shoes, leaving his regular school shoes behind. The next day, the staff tried to find them, but had no luck. The only description they had was that they were "black shoes". Looking for them was like looking for a needle in a haystack, because every child in the school wears black shoes. Frustrating, yes. But it was no one's fault besides the student. His mother didn't agree.
It started off with her ringing up the school each day, asking the same question.
"Have you found his shoes yet?"
She got the same answer. "No".
"Well why not?!!?"
A few days later, a letter arrived. Inside was a receipt for a pair of shoes, and a note.
"I expect you to reimburse me for these shoes."
School called her and said there was no way they were paying. They sympathised with her, but at the end of the day, it is not the schools fault.
More calls. This time, she wanted to know if the culprit who "stole" her son's shoes had been caught. School told her that they had asked the students during an assembly if they had seen them, but no one came forward.
About a week later, we had another sports event. Guess who was hanging around at the end of it? She wanted to speak to the teacher in charge of the event. She wants to know why the "investigation" into the missing shoes has ended. The staff are fast losing patience with her. The teacher responded with "This is not CSI. We've looked, we've asked. No shoes. Investigation over."
She calls back again the next day. She wants us to send a letter home to every parent asking them to check if they have the shoes. She is told no, as it is just harassing the parents. Plus, it's a waste of paper.
Again she calls.
"I want you to interview every God damn child in that school until you find those shoes!!!"
They hung up on her. After that, the calls stopped. Horray!
Two weeks later....
Guess who has lost his new shoes!!
Yep, the boy lost his new shoes after another event. She returned, filled with anger, and now convinced that there was a conspiracy going on, and that someone is out to get her son's shoes. She created a scene at the desk while a co-worker and I tried to calm her down. All of the senior staff had gone home, so it was just us. She screeched the following:
"Someone stoooolllllllle themmmmm because they were reeeeeeealllly expensiiiiiiiivvveee!"
"I spent over one hunderd pounnnnnnndddsss on thosssse!!"
"And you won't help meeeeeeeeee!"
She went on and on and on. It was all our fault that her fifteen year old son had lost two pairs of shoes in less than a month. We were allowing people to get away with theft. We had ruined her life, and finally,
"I am callllllliiing the policcceee! They will interview the children and find those shoooooeesss!"
She stormed out. CW and I nearly fell to the floor laughing.
The next day, I went into school in the morning to work in the classroom. Oh God! She's there again! She was yelling at the reception staff.
"Blarggggglllleeraaarrrrr. No one called me. Raaarrrraaaggrrrrrr. Get me the head teacher here now!!!111!!rrrarrrrrr!!"
She was told the head was in a meeting.
"I don't carrrrrreeeee!"
She spotted me.
"Thiiiiiissss is the man I spoke to last niiiiigggghht! He should have passed on the messaaaaggee!!!"
I told her that I did pass on the message, but the chances are that no one has got it yet, seeing as the school has been open for five minutes. I had to leave at that point, as I was needed in my class.
It was the end of the day, and I was on my way home. Oh God! There she is again! She was storming out of the head's office, and she spotted me. She walked right up to me.
"You probably think I am a horrible person, don't you?!!? Well I am not! I am a very nice woman!"
I don't know what happened between her and the head, but from the looks of things, it wasn't a happy ending for her.
Accountability much?
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