What I Did

Immediately after I posted yesterday's entry, I picked up the phone and called my student's mom. Writing about it made me realize that I should talk to her.

I started the conversation in terms of touching base about the e-mail I had sent, since even though I had received the signed progress report, I didn't know for sure if she had seen the message. She had, and she thanked me for sending it and apologized for not responding sooner. She asked if her daughter had turned in the interim, and I told her yes.

From there I reported my concerns for the student, doing my best to be informative and without judgment. Sometimes, when a teacher calls home, parents react as if they are in trouble, too. As cooperative and appreciative as they usually are, there can also be an undercurrent of defensiveness about their parenting. I listened carefully to what she said. Her voice broke when she asked me if her daughter was getting into any other kind of trouble at school.

"No," I assured her. "No." And I promised to let her know if anything changed in the three weeks we have left of school. She thanked me again, and we hung up. I spun my desk chair around to look out the window. At five on a Friday afternoon, the parking lot was empty. I had done all three of the things I considered: I let the student handle it; I consulted the counselor, and I spoke to her mom, but I still didn't feel any better. Why should I? There's nothing to feel good about when nice people are going through hard times.