The Story Behind the Flowers

Today I got flowers, but not for the desired reason. It all started yesterday. In one of my classes, a student has started having an attitude and pulling things to try to get into trouble but he actually isn't doing anything (for example, he will pretend he has his phone out, but he doesn't really). Yesterday, he mouthed the phrase "mother ..." I don't think he realized he mouthed the whole thing, but that is something I do not tolerate at all. So I told him he had a 30 minute detention. He denied he had finished the word, but I held firm. I wasn't really going to give him the detention, I just wanted him to sweat for a little bit.

Well, a couple minutes later, I look up from my paper and he is giving me the bird. I just told him he had an hour detention and got a referral sheet. I informed him that I hadn't been intending to even give him the first detention, but then he flipped me off. I wasn't mad at him, he had just made a poor choice. I take the referral to the office and leave on the assistant principal's desk.

The day goes on and I forget about the incident. During the last period of the day I check my messages and I have a message from the mother of this student apologizing profusely and ensuring he would be talked to at home. I get to class in the morning today and there are flowers in a vase and an apology note from the student. They gave me a chuckle all day. Sometimes I love my job.