Sabrina Needs 
Your Help
Dear Friends,
I need to explain why I haven’t been around so much and ask if you can help me. I’ve never been so mad in all my life and I’m confused because Faith’s dad says I am being unreasonable. I don’t think I am.
It started a month ago when Faith didn’t get off the school bus. I knew I should have kept her home that day. She complained of an upset stom
ach and I told her to go back to bed. But she wouldn’t hear of it because that was the day she was supposed to give her report on Argentina. She said she was just nervous because Evan was her partner on the project and she was afraid he would forget to bring the pictures so I gave in and let her go.
Figuring she just missed the bus, I gathered up Hope and Charity and took off to go pick her up from school. When I went to sign in at the office, they had Faith in there with a bunch of girls I didn’t know, and she was crying. In case you don’t know, Faith is my strong one who never cries, so of course I was immediately frantic.
The principal said she was just getting ready to call me. I lost my temper and said she should have done that before school let out instead of letting me worry when my daughter didn’t get off the bus and she just looked at me real mean. I didn’t let that stop me from going over to give Faith a hug.
“Your daughter was involved in an act of vandalism,” the principal said.
I said I didn’t believe her. My daughter isn’t like that. But the principal ignored me and went right on telling her stupid story – Faith was in the bathroom with these other girls. They stuffed toilet paper rolls in three commodes, flushed, and ran them over.
I looked at my daughter and asked if she did that. She just shook her head and cried harder. So I asked her to tell me what happened. The principal told me she was conducting the interview and I could just take a seat and be quiet.
I held my tongue and tried to do it her way until she stopped Faith and wouldn’t let her tell her side of the story. Then, I jumped out of my seat and said something I shouldn’t have said. “Shut up and let her talk.” She said she understood why my daughter couldn’t behave, which is not the truth. My daughter always behaves. I suggested she look at Faith’s report cards or call up her teachers and ask them. She didn’t.
When I finally got Faith out of there and she told me her side of the story, I wanted to go back and smack that principal but I controlled myself. I drove home, called Faith’s father, and asked him to go with me to the principal’s office the next day and straighten out this mess. It didn’t do no good because Faith said she was never going back to school and her father said I was only making things worse by causing a stink.
Faith missed the bus because her tummy was gurgling and she knew she wouldn’t make it home without having an accident. She ran into the bathroom, where the other girls were goofing off, went to the last stall and was in there doing her business while the made the mess. A teacher came in, rounded them all up –including Faith – and took them to the principal.
Nobody would admit to flushing the toilet paper down the commodes, so the principal threatened each of them with suspension, with telling the rest of the school what they had done, with making them clean the restrooms, with not allowing them to participate in field day. She threw out multiple threats and Faith cried so hard she vomited. Finally, the principal said she was going to call the police unless someone told who flushed the toilet paper.
Faith insisted she didn’t know who did it because she was in the last stall with the door locked. The principal wouldn’t listen.
That night, I noticed bruises on Faith’s arm. She said that happened when she told the principal she needed to use the bathroom again, and the principal twisted her arm and shoved her into a seat. I went back the next day alone, since Faith’s father said I was over reacting and would only make things worse if I caused a stink. I told the principal my daughter was afraid to come back to school because she had threatened to embarrass her in front of the entire school and to call the police. All Faith had done was sneak into the bathroom to keep from having an accident on the bus and that ain’t a crime as far as I know.
She rolled her eyes at me and said she did not manhandle or frighten my daughter. She only used enhanced interrogation practices and I was the one threatening her since I said I was going to the school board.
The school board backed up the principal since after she threatened to call the police the other girls all said Faith had flushed the toilet paper. They backed her up on the three-day suspension and no field day activities she dumped on my daughter.
I’m a basket case. I ain’t ready to let this drop just because they think the got the information they wanted. Please tell me what you think I should do.
Thanks for your help.
Sabrina Thompson
tags: funtue13, writing essential, wee we
groups: Gather Writing Essential, Wee WE, Your Character group
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Comments: 37
You know, this brings up a burning question for me. Something I've been hoping and hoping you'd discuss ... how the @#$#@ do we collaborate? How is it done? How do you handle POV?
She only used enhanced interrogation practices truly made me laugh out loud... I loved how you tied the asinine attitude from the far right, Cheney supporters into the story. It took me off guard.
btw, I gave you a 10 in retaliation for the low rating you immediately received. (not that it really matters, it's the principle that motivated me)
You could create a character to represent the principal, another student or parent and tell your side.
Sabrina could use a 'real paid lawyer' if that character wants to come in. A best friend. She doesn't really need anyone to tell her how stupid she is, but she would deal with that if a character took that role ;-)
(Since I'm spending very little time here, I thought I'd try to combine this project and my political message - two birds, and all that.)
Aniko, sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. Your character seems like he might have a political statement to make on this topic.
Sandy, I will revive Amanda, if you decide to leave WE... and the rules of engagement improve within (or without) those who are causing a rift.
Hon, I sure as hell hope you took pictures of those bruises on your baby's arms. If I were you, I would talk to some of Faith's other teachers, and if she truly hasn't been in any trouble before, they should back you up. I would go ahead and call the school board, and ask them to investigate the records of the three "witnesses"..Dollars to donuts, they have a file as big as my tits! Good luck, kiddo, I was wondering about you.
Dixie
Oh, and Tee wants a questioned answered, (although he only gets involved in certain situations, but he's "just saying") - "does the principal know karate, and, if so, does she have a 40teen black belt?" (Yes, that word was spelled as well as I could, given Tee's verbal abilities, which also indicats why he probably won't be getting involved, like he thinks. lol)
Personally, my Mom was a piston, and this would have been resolved in my favor, before she left that prinicipal's office. On the other hand, it was always an adult-to-adult conversation, so done behind closed doors, thus I have no idea how she did it. lol
Do I dare ask - how big are your girls? lol
Lets just say, more than a mouthful, less than a load...lol.
Dixie is rather indisposed at the moment. She is in an old farmhouse patching up Launa.
Dixie is rather proud of her "girls". Remember, she is 50, and never had plastic surgery..lol
Brian's email. (I hope supposing that Sabrina uses email is not too much liberty.)
Peter has written a letter to Sabrina. You can find it here: Peter and his letter to Sabrina. This is a new character for the Wee WE group. I'll probably make a group for him, depending on whether or not Sandy agrees to what I've proposed.
Dixie's TaTas?
Sandy, why are there question marks everywhere? I don't mean the one at the end of my question but the ones interspersed throughout your article (not to mention the one I seem to have acquired in my name!) .
Sabrina, I'm thinking you may need to do a little "Research" on the other girls involved, sounds like poor Faith ran afoul of the Clique mentality that seems to infect middle and high school.
Kathleen, I suspect they are an artifact from the upgrade. You probably need to re-do your name to get it to appear correctly. They changed something pretty basic in the messages and posts, and I suspect it's more standard HTML, but I don't know fer shur. :)
donna, I'm on the other side of 50, never had plastic surgery, but am getting really tired of kneeing myself at every step. Good thing I never added rings there. Give me a few more decades, and I'll be tripping myself. lol With that, if Dixie is like me, the records are a lot longer than thick. ;)
Oh, just added my article to the mix - just don't feel like figuring out how to add links into comments again, now. lol (First tag should do it.)
Sabrina, this is a perfect example of dictatorship that is the antithesis of the democratic progress we want our children to embrace. It is an example of do as I say not as I do. That is why schools do not need principals or idealogists.
Philosophy aside, take your case to the school board AGAIN, call the ACLU and the local newspaper and DEMAND an apology for that is the example your daughter needs. I know it works becaause I did it when the principal demanded I tear off the last page of the newspaper during Newspapers in Education Week when there was an article about a local family's trouble. He wrote me up for insubordination and the ACLU was on his case for a year and all records were expunged. These principal sorts get too much power and an inflated view of themselves. Take him down and go for home schooling.
I didn't realize you were just "jerkin' my chain" unitl it was too late. I kept telling myself that you were more litterate than this...SLAP me upside the head.