This Is What Happens When One Assumes...

Yesterday something happened that just threw me out of my usual "in control" feeling...

It was about 1:10 in the afternoon, in the middle of our reading time. I was reading the second part of a nonfiction picture book about the devastating fire in Yellowstone back in 1987 (I believe...). The students were listening for effects from that fire and taking notes (encouraged strongly by me...), when Mrs. Office Helper calls over the intercom. I'm pretty focused on the lesson I'm doing with my students, but part of me tunes in to her announcement. I heard the name "Pashton," and the words, "...down in the office..." Since Pashton was not with me but was in his afternoon Language class, I made the assumption that he had been sent to the office for being naughty during his other class, and the office was just alerting me. It seemed strange, since Pashton is a nice boy, and the office NEVER alerts us. I, however, continued on with my lesson.

About five minutes later I sensed an adult outside our classroom door. It opens up, and a man looks in. He glances around and then asks where Pashton is. I replied that Pashton was in the office. The man, who I then knew was Pashton's dad, said, "No, I just came from the office."

"But the office just called about five minutes ago," I responded, confused. "They said that Pashton had been sent to office."

Pashton's dad gave me an exasperated look, bordering on a look that said, "You are an idiot. My son has an idiot for a teacher..." He again reiterated that he had just come from the office and that Pashton definitely was not there. But, he sighed, he would go back to the office to find out what's happened. He closed the door and left.

I looked at my students. They said, in very patient voices, "Mrs. Teacher, the office DID say that Pashton's dad was here and that they were sending him over to the classroom."

"They did?" I asked.

"Yes," my students replied, looking at me sympathetically.

"Oh." I got up and picked up my phone. I dialed the office. Mrs. Office Helper answered. "I misunderstood your message earlier," I explained. "I thought you had said that Pashton was in the office, so I sent his dad back there."

"No," Mrs. Office Worker replied, unnecessarily. "He came to eat lunch in the classroom with Pashton today."

Now I was more confused, actually, then ever. "But we've already had lunch. It is reading time," I replied.

"When is your lunch?" she asked (even though, of course, the office has the master schedule of all recesses and lunches...). I blanked out for a second about our lunch time. This whole situation was too much, taking too much of my time. I looked at my students. "What time is our lunch?" I asked.

They replied that it is at 12:20, and further pointed out to me that it was there on my daily schedule, as it has been all year, right in front of me.

"Oh," I replied again. I told Mrs. Office Helper that our lunch was at 12:20, so I had no idea why Pashton's dad showed up to class at 1:10, expecting to eat lunch with his son. Although I have my suspicions that he was told the wrong time for lunch by someone in the office...

Anyway, as I figured out what must have happened, I sent an email to Pashton's mom, apologizing to the dad and explaining what I was assuming happened that day...And that Pashton's dad was welcome to come for lunch at 12:20 any day he wished!

But this whole incident threw me off my teaching game for the remainder of the day.