The May Baby is going to a new school this year and repeating second grade. We were completely angst-ridden over this decision and ended up springing it on her about a week before school started. In our defense, I must point out that it would have been a disaster to inform her of the pending change in her life before we'd made a final decision ourselves. And it took a while for us to make a decision.
She misses her friends at PCS dreadfully and for the first couple of weeks that's all she could talk about, even though by all reports, she seemed to be behaving well and doing her work just fine at her new school. Then last Monday, when I picked her up from school, she got in the car and said to me, "My day was great!" I was so thankful! So relieved! So happy! I quickly began texting Kiper and all our parents as I asked her what had made her day great. They'd done art; they'd made patterns; they'd gone to the Treasure Chest. Great!
The next morning, I walked her upstairs as usual to the school and the director was in the common area. Ella walked on to her class room and I exchanged a few pleasantries with the director. Before I turned away to go back downstairs, she said, "Can I talk to you for just a minute?"
Yikes!
But, it's okay, I reminded myself, Ella had had a great day yesterday.
Mrs. H led me into the little computer room off the office area and asked earnestly, "Did Ella tell you what happened yesterday?"
My heart began to sink. "What could it be?" I thought. "But, wait, it can't be anything awful; she had a 'great' day!"
So, I responded, "Um, she said she had a great day yesterday."
"Well," Mrs. H said, "Betty Lou got kicked in the face...and it was Ella."
If I hadn't been in a school full of innocent little ears, I would have cursed on the spot. In point of fact, I am not completely confident that the words, "You have gotta be sh!++!ng me!" did not escape my lips. I hope not. But I assure you that's what I was thinking.
So, the story unfolded. Betty Lou accused Ella of kicking her (in the FACE!) but as Mrs. H delved deeper into the events, it transpired that Betty Lou, having an impulsive moment, was smacking Ella repeatedly in the arm with her snack bag. Ella asked her to stop, but the child did not, so Ella kicked her. The whole incident was cleared up, turned into a Bible Story, hugs all round, and things were fine, but Mrs. H (rightly) thought I should be informed.
I refrained from pointing out that the kid was obviously begging for it, but thanked her for handling it so wisely, apologized for my child, and laughingly mentioned that I had to reckon it progress in the right direction, considering the fact that Ella had actually asked the child to stop hitting before she kicked her.
I left the school trying to decide whether to send a follow up text to our families recanting my praise from the previous afternoon, but I was too demoralized even to talk about it. My baby girl...a violent scofflaw! (Even though, as I said, the child was clearly demanding to be kicked.)
I feel that I showed great restraint in not bringing it up as soon as Ella got in the car when I picked her up that afternoon. I waited until we got home and I could put my arm around her and ask her about it. She immediately began defending herself: "We were standing on steps and I wasn't trying to kick her. I was just...I was stomping my foot...and it slipped!"
"Now, I know that she was annoying you and wouldn't stop even when you asked her to," I said. "But are you sure? You didn't mean to kick her?"
"Yes! And besides..." said the May Baby as she pointed at a spot near her hairline on the left side of her forehead and drew her finger diagonally down across the bridge of her nose and under her right eye, "...today you couldn't even see the mark..."
No comments:
Post a Comment