Posted by:
Cheryl
(
)
Date: June 01, 2019 11:31AM
Yesterday, I said I was sorry to an RfM parent under stress and I told them that I'd feel the same in their situation. I knew they were emotionally charged because they had hurled out a banned word at me when I gave advice that I thought was reasonable but they took as insulting.
After I stepped in to say I was sorry for the challenges they faced, a board member praised me for taking responsibility for their upset. They thought it was classy that I apologized when that was not my intention.
Sorry for the misunderstanding. Was it my responsibility how my words were interpreted? I think only possibly and partially.
Some on the board said I was harsh. That also was not my intention. I was trying to be realistic and helpful and I gave the same advice I'd given dozens of times on RfM and never had anyone told me to ----off until yesterday.
It's the same advice I would have given to parents when I was a teacher and some of them might have felt threatened by it but they never said I was harsh or used profanity to try to make me shut up. If they'd done that, I would have told them to leave my classroom until they could come to terms a bit better with their situation.
In my teaching career I've had to talk to parents about many sticky problems. This one of a child toying with mormonism isn't anywhere near the worst.
I just want to make it clear that I did not have that intention of being unfair or harsh or accepting responsibility for their situation. and that words on this board can be interpreted differently depending on the reader's mindset and experience.
Has anyone else had this experience of someone reading your words in ways you didn't intend?