Friday, May 9, 2025
It was 11:20 this morning when the phone rang in the 6th grade social studies room I was in. I answered. A pleasant voice that I didn’t recognize said, “Could you please send your attendance?” I know the attendance keeper at this school, so it was a sub. I spurted, “I’m sorry. I will send it right away.”
Attendance is very important, of course, but at this school it borders on nuts. Taking attendance today had been tricky because the seating chart looked like it had been stretched before it was printed. The kids were unrecognizable, and the names were illegible. I had to ask for someone’s help each hour to look around the room to figure out who should be in the empty seats. The class rosters were readable, but they did not say which hour each was for, and they were stapled together not in chronological order. I had to ask one kid their name, then find it on the list to assume that was the class this hour. First hour was fifth out of sixth. I gave up on that.
When I stood up and looked at the kids, they looked like kids I had accounted for. I asked, “Did I take attendance?” Many nodded. “Did I send it down?” A girl in the second row said, “Yes. I took it. I put it in the basket and the lady said thank you.”
I sat back down and dialed the attendance lady. “Hi. We just talked. I did send the attendance down. Did you not get it? The girl who took it said she put it in the basket and someone said thank you.”
“Oh, yes. I did say thank you. But that was for third hour. It is fourth hour now.”
My brain squeezed a little bit. Fourth? Huh. I thought it was third. I looked at the clock. It seemed like it should be third. But this lady (a sub, who for all I know was in this building for the first time) told me (who has worked in this building for over TWENTY YEARS) believed her.
“Oh! Okay. I will do it now.”
I always believe Keith. I ask him ridiculous things (like what I should pack?) and then I believe him. I always regret it, but I don’t stop doing it.
I looked at the nearest kid. “What hour is it?”
“Third.”
“The lady told me it was fourth. I believed her.”
“You shouldn’t.”
I called back. “It’s only third hour. Do you have my third hour attendance?”
“Yes, I do. But I want your fourth hour attendance.”
“They aren’t here yet. I can’t do that.
“Well, it is fourth hour now, but if you don’t want to take attendance, I can work around it.”
“But it really is only third hour.”
“Thank you.” Click.
When fourth hour actually started, I told them about the odd conversation. Then I took attendance and sent it down to the office.
I didn’t take a picture today, so the potd is from my sister – of her sisters.