One Heck of a Day

Ah. Today was a pure hellish day, and I'm not even sure how to start! I guess from the beginning? It's seriously, one of those days.

I had a sub job for this morning, and I was glad for it. As I said before, money is a bit tight right now, so having the time to work on Fridays is a big plus. Now, of course this morning when I woke up at a quarter to seven, I wasn't so keen on going to work. But as soon as I got up and moving around, I got out of my mood from being up early, and I was ready to go to work.

Well... yeah. About that. Be prepared for a little bit of TMI here! On the drive to the school, I notice my stomach was rumbling a bit. I really didn't think it was that big of a deal... I figured my stomach was probably a little gas-y (see the TMI, yeah right here!) and that it was nothing to be concerned about. I got to the school and was ready to go for my morning with kindergartners.

So enter the kids, being the typical five year olds that they were, bouncing around but eager for the day. It seemed like it was going to be a really good day, too! There were no real troublemakers in the group, and there was a parent helper and a parapro as well. Except of course, my stomach. Remember how I said it was rumbling? Well, about half an hour in to school, I started having horrible, horrible stomach cramps! To the point where, not only was my stomach in horrible cramps, but I was nauseated, too. I was starting to have cold sweats, and I just felt awful.

I was trying my best to work through it, but it just got to be more than I could handle. Finally, at about a quarter to 10, it was time to take the kids over to the library. At that point, I quietly explained to the parapro that I was feeling ill, and I walked next door to the office. I explained to the very friendly and understanding secretary that I wasn't feeling well, and that I really didn't think I could make it through the day. At this point she said it was fine, she'd grab the principal to let her know, and that she'd call the district and see about getting another sub.

The principal came in, and even though the secretary told her I needed to speak with her, she wandered in to the teacher's lounge. I followed her in to the lounge, and told her I was sorry to interrupt her, but that I needed to talk with her about leaving due to being ill. I apologized profusely for the situation, and even though I was feeling horrible, I offered to stay for another hour until they could get another sub. At this point, it was as though the principal wasn't even hearing me! She said something about how they'd have to call to get another sub (duh), and then she asked me, "Why did you accept a job if you knew you were ill?"

Now, am I dumb, or is that a stupid question? I already explained to her that I was feeling suddenly ill... after the kids arrived. If I knew I was going to be feeling sick, would I have inflicted the stress of little children on myself? I politely tried to explain to her again that I didn't feel sick this morning, and that I was very sorry. She then told me to go wait in the office, and she'd be in a bit to "deal with it."

Okay, did I forget to mention that earlier, when I was ushering the kids in to the library, she asked me if I was a student? Yes, a student. At an ELEMENTARY school. Yes, I know I look young, but I DO NOT LOOK 12. So this condescending attitude was just reminded me of the fact that she apparently, thought I was a student.

So, I waited in the office, while the secretary was lecturing a boy about his behavior. (Shouldn't that be the principal's job?) The secretary then decided to go ahead and start the process of getting a new sub, without waiting for the principal. After a few minutes when she got off the phone, the principal called her in to the lounge.

And that's when it happened... that's when a bad day turned horrible.

The principal and the secretary were standing very close to the door of the lounge, and I was standing about 20 feet from the doorway. I was not trying to eavesdrop! I couldn't help that I was close to the door and the principal was not whispering. I heard her clearly say to the secretary "I want you to go out there and choke the shit out of that sub for coming in here and accepting a job for today when she knew she was sick!"

I stood frozen in place, completely shocked by what I just heard. Who the hell did this woman think she was? There was this small, scared little girl in me that almost wanted to stand in place, but the adult in me stormed in to the lounge. I was very upset, but I knew that if I reacted by yelling, I wouldn't be helping myself in the long run. I very quietly, but firmly said "Excuse me, ma'am. I have already explained to you that I am ill. I have explained to you that it hit me very suddenly. If you have something to say in regards to that, you need to speak to me, and not your secretary."

The principal realized that she had been overheard saying something incredibly inappropriate. But of course, like the arrogant wench that she was, instead of apologizing (that would be admitting what she had done), she says to me "Look, I'm sorry. It's a bad day for us all, so it seems. If you're ill, you should just go on home, okay?"

I turned on my heel and was out the door. I was so angry, and I was feeling so horrible I wanted to cry. During this whole time, my stomach just continued to hurt worse and worse. I got to my car, called the principal a bitch, and tried very hard not to throw up or cry.

Yes. This is the example of professionalism in the Flint schools. My stomach is still hurting (though thankfully not as bad as earlier), and my mother wanted to go to the school and give her a piece of her mind. Thankfully, I reminded her that I'm almost 27 and can fight my own battles.

I've emailed the head of human relations that I want to file a grievance report for being threatened and intimidated... I'm waiting to hear back. If I don't get a reply by Monday, I'm going to the school board personally to make my complaint. It may get me nowhere, but I am going to make a formal complaint anyhow.

What a freaking day.