Wednesday, February 6, 2013

My Close Call in Theft.

     Most followers know that I was a Middle School teacher all my career. Most people know that middle schoolers can be full of mischief.

    Every year there would be a large incident of kids shooting paper wads. Some busy teacher would leave an unguarded box of rubber bands and after that all the bandits would be well armed and war broke out all over the school. You could confiscate rubber bands all day but unless you found the mother lode of rubber bands , paper wads flew for some time. I can remember getting "tips" and I would find somebody with a pocket full of rubber bands and I would make a major confiscation. That usually ended the paper wad fuss. Every year there would be a water pistol event. Usually a couple of stores had brought in a case of water pistols and every little beaner bought a water pistol and of course took it to school. Again , as with water pistols, these were very cleverly hidden. There were wet spots in the class room . Kids complained. There was extra traffic at the water fountain. Either enough armor was confiscated or became unserviceable and the activity ceased.

     For one outbreak of water pistols, the principal became completely frustrated and read the riot act on water pistols. He did announcements just before dismissal on a Friday afternoon. He told kids to take their weapons home. He told the teachers to disarm every water pistol armed kid. After dismissal I was supervising in the hall and a little guy came by with his weapon in his hand all the while admiring it. My jaw dropped. 60 seconds ago this kid had been told to get rid of his weapon. I had no option but to make a confiscation. The kid was a good jail house lawyer and put up a strong argument. 

    Early Saturday morning, before I was up, there was a loud knock on my apartment door. The kid's Dad was there with another guy I knew well and he went ballistic. He wanted his son's water pistol back and he yelled at me and told me what a disgusting human being I was. Since I'd turned the device in to the principal I could not return the goods.  I was shaken up by this encounter. I phoned my principal right away to give him a heads up on what had happened and to let him know what he might expect.

    The guy who accompanied the wild man contacted me later in the day and said he was completely unaware as to what was going on and he wanted me to know that he was no part of it.

    We had a police administration center in our town and the top guy was a superintendent. A few weeks after this incident when I was chatting with him he said, "Say , what was going on with the thing about a water pistol in school?" He said, "The guy came to him and created a big fuss as he wanted the superintendent to lay theft charges on me." He said, "I had an awful time with the guy." the supt. thought it was odd but not serious. So the guy had gone not to a constable to lay a charge but to the very top.

    So this was the only time in my life I came close to being charged with anything. I have often said that I appreciated  the  support I received in all the communities I taught in. However , this was one of the exceptions.

30 comments:

  1. What a nutjob that guy was!! Glad you didn't get charged.

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    1. There was never any danger of being charged but the fact that he attempted to lay a charge shook me up.

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  2. truly sad! borderline nutcase, maybe.

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  3. Oh my gosh! Glad this was the only nasty experience you had! I wonder if his son grew up to be just like dad?

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    1. Don't ge tme wrong, there were other incidents but nothing close to this.

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  4. Some parents are so crazy..obviously you ran into one. Instead of hollering at you he should have been backing you up...and scolding his son. I wonder how the child turned out:(

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    1. 99% of parents would back me up. Yes, I've been curious as to what happened to this poor little boy.

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  5. Today just having a water pistol is grounds for expulsion.
    You have to wonder what your student learned from his father that day. I hope he grew up and chose a better path than what he was being shown.

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    1. This happened in 1965 so long before the conditions we have now.

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  6. There are lunatics everywhere. Fortunately not too many.

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    1. I agree with you that there are not many lunatics. When we do run into them they can be extremely unpleasant.

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  7. These days kids can't even take water pistols or any kind of "weapon" to school. Glad to know you got out of his without any further incident. What a "wild man" he was! I wonder why he was so bent out of shape.

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    1. This happened in 1965 so long before the situation today with safety issues.
      I didn't know this guy well. I know the other two very well and also taught their children.

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  8. At least they were all water pistols and not a real gun among them.

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  9. That guy sure set a bad example of how not to behave. Maybe the boy was embarrassed by his behavior.

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    1. Yes, he was a bad example. Fortunately the boy was not with him but I think this guy performed at other times as well and the boy no doubt was there.

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  10. Pretty funny, this age group never saw that we may have done the same mischief also.Guilty of both.

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    1. Now you wouldn't want to hear some of the stuff I got into. I'm not innocent.

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  11. Interesting. I taught senior high social studies for 25 years and then after a consolidation, wanting a change and some new excitement in my life I volunteered to teach in our new middle school. I loved it and taught there and took up coaching as well for 15 years....

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    1. I spent the whole 37 years with middle school kids . There were days but most of the time lively and satisfying.

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  12. Wow, that's quite the reaction from the kids dad, I wonder if he's over his anger issues. I also wonder if the kid, whom would now be an adult, laughs when he thinks of this. It would be freaky to have an irritate parent show up on your doorstep!

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  13. This happened in 1965 so the boy is not young any more. I've never seen or heard of them since I left that location.

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  14. Wow - nowadays, kids get suspended or in trouble if they even form a gun shape with their thumb and finger and pretend to shoot!

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  15. P.S., and I'm talking 5 year olds! It was on the new the other night.

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  16. It was crazy, wasn't it?!
    Cries of "It's not fair."
    We're both glad to be done with those days!
    I used to confiscate ball caps.
    Cheers from Cottage Country!

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  17. Shish! My Dad would have told me, so sad so bad..you knew you were not to take it to school and you did. Maybe, if you are good, you can ask for it back next month. But you have to earn it back.

    Linda
    http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
    http://deltacountyhistoricalsociety.wordpress.com

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  18. That was a close call, but then the supdt knows who is on the the wrong side :-)

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  19. Red, you are a hero in my eyes. If every adult acted as responsibly as you, the youth of today would have great examples to follow.

    Although in the funny part of my head - I would have loved you to turn the hose on that idiot Dad and tell him to take a hike.

    You are the better man.

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