More of the same...

Jason's comment on the entry below caused me to think of another mispronounced word that drives me nuts. I'm very lucky that I don't have to hear it on a daily basis any longer because I don't have the pleasure of being an attendance clerk for a high school these days. I swear that I would cringe every time I had a parent call in and tell me that their student wouldn't be at "skoo" for what ever reason they made up at that very moment. "Skoo"? It gives me the willies even to write it!

On the subject of being an attendance clerk the couple of memorable excuses I received from parents that I remember....

I was completely taken aback the first time I got a call from a parent excusing her son from school that day because he was witnessing the birth of his son. What a green horn I was!

In the 14 years that I was an attendance clerk I got several calls from moms telling me to excuse their student simply because they said so. I tried to explain that I had to have a reason, no matter how vague, so that the state could determine if it was an allowable excuse and thus still pay us for the student. These moms all apparently went to the same school of etiquette because they were not to be deterred. They all stuck to their "because he/she is my child and I said so" declaration. I just love it when people cooperate.

I will never forget the "harumph" of indignation when a parent would call in or write a note to excuse a student because they were needed at home for baby sitting purposes and I had to tell them that not only did the state not consider that a valid excuse for being absent but it was also illegal. Of course suddenly these students would all of a sudden have many appointments with the doctor or a sudden rash of illness. High school grades be damned.

Anyway, just in case any one is still reading at this point...I saved my most memorable phone call for last. One morning I had a very nice lady call in and tell me, "My daughter won't be at skoo today because she's...you know..."atministrating". I was gracious. I didn't laugh. I just took her excuse, wrote it down and knew that I would remember that call forever.