Thanks, Mrs. P
Teaching is all about connecting
Barney Peterson, Northwest ESD 189 Regional Teacher of the Year
Everett School District | James Monroe Elementary School
I
t was early September of 1995 as I took
the class list from my office mailbox and
hurried back to the classroom, fleeing wellmeaning offers by fellow teachers to review
my student names and tell me all about them.
I try to form my own first impressions, but
somebody had already blown the whistle on
Jerry: “Oh, you’ve got that kid. Well, good luck
with him and that father of his!”
The next six weeks were punctuated by angry
phone calls from Jerry’s dad, Mr. B. First the
assignments were too long, and then the books
weren’t “stuff kids can read.” Or there were too
many math facts to be practiced. Something
seemed to come up at least once each week.
Finally, I told Mr. B that I would not talk to him
again unless it was a conference call. He got too
angry and I wanted a witness to the things that
were said.
Two days later the school secretary called my
room after dismissal, saying that Mr. B was on
the phone. I requested that she transfer the call
to the principal’s office and I would go there to
take it.
I picked up the phone in the office and said,
“Hello, Mr. B, this is Mrs. Peterson. How can I
help you?”
“Am I on a speaker phone?” he blurted angrily.
“Yes sir, you are. I told you I would talk with
you only by conference call from now on.” The
sound of the phone crashing down rattled in
my ear!
That I arrive at
school very early
in the morning is
well-known in our
community, and
sometimes parents
take advantage of
the opportunity
for an informal
confe ɕ