Really?

Let me preface this story by saying, I am one of THOSE parents who generally supports the teacher. I strongly believe in respecting authority. Also, it can be a good exercise in learning how to work for and deal with authority figures that you may disagree with.

So, for the first time in 16 years of having kids in school. I broke the rule!

Miss Megan has a bit of a complex. She has a group of kids this year who went through a phase of calling her Thumbelina ... because she is so small. When that wore off ... they went through a phase of calling her a nerd because she has read all of the Harry Potter books before finishing second grade. We've spent a lot of time talking about learning to love yourself and accepting your stengths and your body for the way God made it.

This week ... she comes home upset because one of this group cornered her at recess. Keep in mind, he is probably twice her size. The teacher had asked them to be quiet. This kid kept talking and Megan "shushed" him. At recess, he cornered her about keeping her nerd mouth shut because he is older and bigger than her.

She got upset when I started in on my expert "worry about yourself" and "what goes around, comes around" talk to explain why she didn't need to "shush" anyone. Then I find out that the teacher asked her to do this.

WHAT??? Life is not hard enough as a kid without the teacher setting you up? REALLY ... you thought it made sense to ask 8 year olds to manage each other's behavior. Sorry ... but I believe in leadership. You set the rules and you enforce the rules!

So, I told Megan the next time she was asked to tell others to "shush" ... she has my permission to tell her teacher that her Mom told her she is responsible for herself.