They Don't Train You for This...

When I got back from the gym I had four voice mails on my phone. I checked them and heard the muffled, frantic voice of one of my students. She was crying and the few words I could make out were "I don't want to go..." So I tried not to freak out, and returned the call.

When I called, my student picked up the phone. I asked what was wrong and she explained that she didn't want to take the attendance down to the office anymore. She was practically in hysterics earlier, because of this. Apparently, her friends told her they saw a spirit in the bathroom and she was scared that she could die. When she told her mom about it, her mom told her she had seen a spirit before too. How exactly do you respond to something like this?

I told her first off that she didn't have to take the attendance down if she didn't want to. Ordinarily it's a reward for students who are on task and get settled quickly in the morning, but obviously I never would have asked her to do it had I known how she felt. After I told her someone else would take the attendance down, I explained to her there was nothing to be scared about at our school and that she was always safe. Now I'm not sure if there's a wrong way to handle a situation like this, but hopefully I did alright.

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