Undermining

I hate being undermined by my own colleagues. I can't stand when I work with a student, convince them to tough whatever the issue is out and stay at school, and a teacher walks into my office and pours on the pity for the student, reducing them to tears, and sometimes even suggests that they go home.

Once I found the doctor's note, I told Pink Eye student's teacher (below) that he could stay at school. I explained that I knew the kiddo, and that it's a recurring issue, but not to worry unless it shows other symptoms of pink eye, which I spelled out for her. What does she do? Send him to my office to "look again" and emailed me a list of phantom symptoms I guess she thought she saw. Ugh. Why ask my input if you won't listen to it?

Then this morning, a tearful student came to my office complaining of the classic stomachache. I asked her if she'd had breakfast, she said no, I asked her if she'd be able to stay at school if I found her something to eat, she said yes. I was taking her down to the office when the psychologist intercepted us, asking what was wrong. I let the student explain, and the psychologist told me she'd go talk to her, because, "There's more to this." They had a talk in an office, and when they emerged, the secretary said she's been going home for stomachaches all the time this year. She rolled her eyes at the sight of the student, and let her call home, knowing her mom would come pick her up. The psychologist left us, clicking her tongue, and telling me, "I knew there was more to that issue." Excuse me? I take pride in how many students I can get back to class when others can't, and am totally confident I could have with this one if given the chance. I didn't bother asking the psychologist why letting her go home was better than giving her a snack and having her stay in school, or how a student wanting to go home during school becomes a "bigger" issue.