NO PUNISHMENT

‘What should be his punishment?’, I heard her asking, the look on my face incredulous and my mind searching for words she might understand.

‘No punishment. Just give him back his phone’, I demanded, still confused as to why she was calling me from my son’s phone.

The Tech Apps teacher called to complain about Sage having ‘flung’ his backpack across the room and settling down on the floor as others were doing. No doubt, a bit of an exaggeration on her part. This being the sixth teacher to teach his class this year as the regular teacher had quit. She then took his phone as punishment even though everyone else was on their phones.

‘Go ahead and call my mom’, challenged my son, knowing I was not a typical mom they were used to. Then she grabbed my son’s phone from his hand as he finished dialing my number.

‘Are you teaching them something which results in a grade today?’, I asked, wanting to see if there was something to discuss.

‘Well, he hasn’t turned in…’, she starts, and then continues to state that my son has not turned in the last assignment. I could hear my son in the background trying to defend himself.

After he got his phone back, he texted me the dog gif that was his assignment. One he had already shown the teacher yesterday, via text. A text that confirmed she had received his last assignment yesterday. He also stated that he got a grade of 100% yesterday but that now the grade in the gradebook showed a zero. This was getting to be too much to comprehend and I decided that my son will then be going home. Today would be his last day of school.

This was a case of yet another teacher being petty and playing games and it was not something I was willing to tolerate. So, I got in my car and drove the 13 or so minutes to school. Sage was already waiting in the office. I asked to speak to the assistant principal but she was in a meeting. I left a handwritten note instead.

When she replied via email later in the afternoon, she let me know that she spoke with the teacher who claimed that she had no access to the gradebook. My son immediately disproved her claim by checking his grade. Magically, there was a 100% where moments ago there was a zero. If my son has learned anything this year, it was to check his grades and assignments on a daily basis and to turn in everything on time. This he has done well this year.

After we left the school, we drove across the street where I quickly put together sandwiches for us and then drove back to my work. My son sat on the floor in my office and played games on his phone as I finished my work for the day. We then drove to HEB for more butter for baking.

Once we returned home, I made another batch of brownies, the first having been made before work. I was testing out my recipe in order to achieve a shiny top but was unable to get it this time. This was at the request of my younger daughter who asked if I could make something for her dance banquet.

Cinnamon arrived at my door to pick up the lilac dress I had ordered for her. The replacement one since the other package never arrived. She then went back to her friend’s place who lived the next building over, and got ready for her banquet. Once she was finished, she returned to my place and I took her to The Oasis.

The rest of the evening I spent cleaning up the baking bowls whilst Sage retreated to his room. I was glad that 7th grade was finally over for him and that he has the summer off to relax before starting his last year of middle school. He accompanied me to The Oasis to pick up his sister. We made it just as they rung the bell for the sunset. A most beautiful sight.