"Mrs. ______, I am Principal ______ and I've asked your son's sixth grade teacher Miss _____ and two others teachers who know him to sit in. We've called you to this meeting out of concern over your son's behavior. He is unruly and disagreeable. He gives a cold and distant attitude to Miss ______ and recently refused to shake her hand even at my intervention and request."
Well, Principal ______, you've called me from home to join you all at the school today for this meeting. I have heard your concerns. Now I will tell you a story my son told me.
A year ago he returned from school and told me the class had been taken to the schoolyard for a short recess. His classmates were made to form two lines, where one student from each line would race the other to a wall before running back to tag the next runner. When it was my son's turn he now ran. Upon his return, student ______ and the boy he was to tag collided. Perhaps the boy was overanxious for his turn to run.
Anyway, they collided head first before falling to the ground. The point of impact for the two of them was my son's mouth to his classmate's forehead. My son said that both his teacher and fellow classmates rushed to help student ______; asking if he was okay and helping him to his feet. The boy, who was white, had not suffered any bruises, but my son,
who is Black, was bleeding from his mouth. According to him, one student, who could see him holding his mouth finally asked, "What about my son?" He then told me everyone just looked at him in silence before the teacher finally asked if he was alright. Well, Principal ______, you've called me from home to join you all at the school today for this meeting. I have heard your concerns. Now I will tell you a story my son told me.
A year ago he returned from school and told me the class had been taken to the schoolyard for a short recess. His classmates were made to form two lines, where one student from each line would race the other to a wall before running back to tag the next runner. When it was my son's turn he now ran. Upon his return, student ______ and the boy he was to tag collided. Perhaps the boy was overanxious for his turn to run.
Anyway, they collided head first before falling to the ground. The point of impact for the two of them was my son's mouth to his classmate's forehead. My son said that both his teacher and fellow classmates rushed to help student ______; asking if he was okay and helping him to his feet. The boy, who was white, had not suffered any bruises, but my son,
When I asked how he responded, he told me, "I swallowed my blood and told her I was okay."
Now I have no reason to doubt his story because my son is my son. And I know what he can and cannot do. At this age children still act according to how they feel. This occurred just one year ago, when my son was just 10 years old. And what I have noticed from that day forward, is that my son moves as if the whole world is out to get him.
I want you to think about that and how you yourself, at your age, would feel. Now imagine how it must feel for my son who is still but a child.
***SILENCE****
Now I have no reason to doubt his story because my son is my son. And I know what he can and cannot do. At this age children still act according to how they feel. This occurred just one year ago, when my son was just 10 years old. And what I have noticed from that day forward, is that my son moves as if the whole world is out to get him.
I want you to think about that and how you yourself, at your age, would feel. Now imagine how it must feel for my son who is still but a child.
***SILENCE****
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