The ol' coat switcheroo

[lizzybennet]

When you send your child to school in a coat, you expect them to come home in that same coat. It's not unreasonable or irrational to expect such a thing. It's a pretty straight forward concept.

Pre-Christmas, we bought Josh a coat from Walmart and after two days of wearing it to school he came home without it. We checked in the class room, we checked in the lost and found but it was no where to be seen. The coat was simply gone. Naturally, the only thing left to assume is that another kid took it home. I'd planned to talk to his teacher about it after the holidays.

Over the holidays, one of my relatives (my husband's half-aunt) gave Josh two coats that her son has outgrown. On Monday Josh wore one to school.

I got a call from his teacher half way through the day asking me if Josh wore two coats to school that day. Turns out he spotted his Walmart coat on another kid and started insisting that it was his. Yay Josh! However, this is a less fortunate kid and one that the teachers had given Christmas gifts too. The teacher called his grandma to ask about the coat. I have no idea what she said, but the teacher didn't feel comfortable forcing the kid to give the coat back to us.

All day yesterday I'd been thinking about it, trying to decide how I felt about the situation. Yes, we bought it. Yes, someone stole it. But now Josh has two other coats and they are both really nice. We no longer need the walmart coat. Plus, its from Walmart; who's to say this kid didn't also go buy one? I know this kid is a trouble maker (he once pulled down his pants and undies in the classroom) but that doesn't mean he should go without a coat. But letting him get away with stealing doesn't teach him anything either.

The teacher decided to resolve the situation in her own way: Yesterday Josh came home wearing a blue Columbia jacket--not ours. Chris took him back to the classroom to find out why. I mean, this is getting ridiculous. The teacher said she found it in the lost and found and gave it to him because she felt bad about the whole coat debacle. Really, this is very strange. Now we own a coat which some other kid at school lost. In essence, we've stolen a coat. But, hey, it's a Columbia which is quite a step up from a Walmart coat, so I shall not complain.

Like I said, strange. And yes. I have started writing his name in all his coats.

Comments

[kimaginethis.livejournal.com]

That is soooo weird! I wonder what happened in the conversation with the grandmother -- I mean, something's going on there. And I agree that it's not ok to just hand out clothes from the lost and found. If they are there in the first place, it's because some child lost it, and won't be able to get it back if someone else has it. The teacher seems to need a bit of help with resolving little problems like that. And it WOULD be a big help if everyone wrote their names on their stuff, yes. LOL

[mysteena.livejournal.com]

She is really an amazing teacher (see my reply to arrctic) but maybe she has a hard time with the organizational side of things? When I walk into her classroom, I feel like I've entered a kindergarten wonderland. Glitter on the floor, beads on the tables, music always playing in the background. She's awesome in many ways. I really shouldn't have left his name off the coat in the first place. On the day she called, she said she was writing everyone's names in their coat and I think she'd already written the other kid's name in the coat in question. Ah well. I do wonder about the Columbia coat though...

[polgaramalfoy.livejournal.com]

Huh? Why not just give the blue jacket to the kid who had Josh's coat?

[mysteena.livejournal.com]

My guess is that when the teacher called the kid's grandma, the grandma claimed it was his coat. Which makes me wonder, did the grandma say to him, "You need a coat. Bring one home from school today." It's sad to think that might be the case, but why didn't she notice he had a coat that wasn't his for the past two weeks?

[missjewell.livejournal.com]

This is the very reason I write the boys names on EVERYTHING!

Must be a sticky situation for the teacher....How would you solve it without accusing you know?

[mysteena.livejournal.com]

Exactly! I need to do as you do and start writing their name on everything. Ha, although I can't see myself writing it in their undies :)

[arrctic.livejournal.com]

that teacher sounds horrible! what a nightmare. she probably started the whole thing by giving josh's "lost-and-found" coat to the other kid.

[mysteena.livejournal.com]

Oh no, don't think that! She's actually the most amazing teacher any of my kids have had so far. When you think "kindergarten", believe me, this is the teacher you want your kid to get. She sings with them, they dance, they do art projects all the time. She has them learning their letters/numbers without simply sitting and doing worksheets. She makes sure they have recess on a daily basis even though the school district as a whole has done away with it. I love her so much, which makes this whole situation even more awkward.

[luvszoe.livejournal.com]

Hey, I deleted my comment because I realized after I posted it that this is a public entry...I don't usually comment on public entries (especially now that I have my real pic as my icon) because of the google factor...

But you got my response in your email, I'm sure...

[mysteena.livejournal.com]

I did get your response...thanks! It's always nice to have perspective from a teacher :) I realize I made the situation much more complicated by not labeling in the first place. Does it count that I thought about it several times but never got around to it? It should!