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This is a continuation of my journal from my 2001-2002 school year.  Please read the previous posts to give this entry context. 

Monday – May 13, 2002

The Department Chair was waiting for me when I got to work.  She’d been at her father’s service during the weekend and hadn’t been able to return my call.  I gave her a synopsis of the situation, and found the father’s signature in my files.  Hurrah!  I was glad that I’d talked to her because she’ll see the father at Site Council tonight and probably get an earful.

 I ran into the principal on his way to the portables.  Some kids broke in over the weekend and took televisions, VCR’s and tape players. I gave him the lowdown. He knew the father and said he was a “blow hard.”  I followed up our encounter with a note in the principal’s box, so my stipulations were in writing.  My husband had me add a number 4, a request that campus security contact the parent and let him know that I wanted no further contact from him.

In my mailbox I found a note from a counselor asking me to see her as soon as possible.  I walked around the corner to her office and said, “Let me guess.  You are ______’s counselor.”

She smiled.  She had an angry message from the father on her answering machine.  I was glad.  I’d wished all weekend that I’d had a tape of his “conversation” with me.  I didn’t want to hear the taped message.  No need. What a fool he was to provide concrete evidence of his rage.  The message could only have strengthened and validated my position.  The counselor didn’t lead me to believe anything different.

I provided both the counselor and the principal with a copy of my letter home and the parent’s signature to it. 

The parent did not come to see me.  His son acted normal, even though the counselor reported that the dad had armed his son with a cell phone in case there were any more “shenanigans.” 

The counselor could barely keep a straight face saying it.

At the start of sixth period, Raymond showed me a trick with a twenty-dollar bill.  Fold it lengthwise with “The White House” side facing outwards.  Fold vertically in the middle to make a crease and then undo this second fold.  With the open edges facing downward, fold one side of the twenty down along the crease, a bit as though you were making an airplane.  Then fold the other side down along the crease to make the other “wing.”  Turn the “wings” so they are facing up and look at the images where the wings touch.  One side looks vaguely like the Twin Towers bursting into flame.  On the other side is an image of The Pentagon bursting into flame. 

Once we got settled down from all that stimulation, students worked on writing the introductions to their career research reports.