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“Or do you prefer that I go to their place of work and tell them in person?” Rigley was bluffing, doing his best to shake some sense into the teens. “Better to give them the news in the comfort of their own home, don’t you agree?” Mr. Rigley asked calmly. “You wouldn’t want them to be humiliated, would you?”
Henry knew his father was going to hit the roof. If he heard about the suspension in his office, he would go ballistic. There goes my allowance. “No.” He gave Rigley a sour look, while Mrs. Chesterfield phoned the boy’s custodians.
* * *
Rigley turned toward the Drakes. He’d never had an issue with Justin while he was at Hamilton, and Melanie was a straight-A student. He wondered at the reason for this unexpected visit. “Please come in.” He gestured toward his office. Once again, he closed his door. “Have a seat.” The Drakes sat in the two chairs facing Mr. Rigley’s desk. “What brings you here today?”
Dorothy and Peter looked at each other. Dorothy spoke first. “Melanie came home with a very disturbing story last night. ”
Peter spoke next. “Mr. Leonard slammed a yardstick over Melanie’s desk, and it broke into several pieces.”
Mr. Rigley looked alarmed. Peter continued. “From what I understand, it wasn’t the first time.”
Mr. Rigley let out a big sigh. “Do you know what brought on Mr. Leonard’s behavior?”
“According to Melanie, Mr. Leonard was discussing Treasure Island and Melanie closed her eyes for a minute. After the drama, he demanded she stand up and tell the class what the book was about,” Peter said.
“Melanie read the book over the summer and had no trouble reciting the story. When she was finished, Mr. Leonard ordered her to have us call him,” Dorothy explained. “But we told her to let him know if he had an issue, he should call us.”
Peter continued. “The next morning, she approached Mr. Leonard and conveyed our sentiments about the phone call. Apparently, he got angry and flung the lesson plan across the desk, and it landed in the trash can. The students thought it was funny and laughed.”
Dorothy picked the tale up from there. “That infuriated Mr. Leonard further, and he gave the class a punishment assignment. They were to write I must behave one hundred times. We told her not to do it. And this is why we are here.”
“This type of hostile behavior by an adult, a teacher no less, has no place in school,” Peter added.
Mr. Rigley took a few more notes. “Students often exaggerate, especially if they don’t like the amount of homework they’re given.”
“With all due respect, Mr. Rigley, our daughter Melanie does not exaggerate, nor does she shirk any of her assignments,” Dorothy observed.
“Point well taken,” Mr. Rigley said thoughtfully. “What I would like to suggest is that I interview some of her classmates privately and ask them what they’ve experienced in Mr. Leonard’s class.”
“That’s a very good suggestion. How long do you think this process will take? We do not want our daughter being exposed to more severe conduct.” Peter Drake was firm.
“I’ll handle it right away,” Mr. Rigley promised. “Today.”
Dorothy let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Mr. Rigley. You know we are not nagging, helicopter parents.”
Peter added, “Melanie is bright and astute. She didn’t come running to us with this issue. We simply asked how her day went, and then she told us what transpired.”
“I completely understand.” Mr. Rigley stood behind his desk. “I’ll get to the bottom of this before lunch,” he reassured them.
With that cue, the Drakes stood, shook hands, and conveyed their appreciation. They bid adieu to Mrs. Chesterfield, wished her a good day, and left the building. Dorothy locked arms with Peter. “I’m glad we did this in person.”
“So am I,” Peter replied. “I wonder what will happen to the explosive fifth-grade teacher.”
“I don’t really care, darling, so long as he leaves Melanie alone.” She pecked her husband on the cheek as he opened the passenger door for her.
* * *
Mr. Rigley walked to Mr. Leonard’s class carrying a clipboard. “Sorry to interrupt.” He glanced at his notes. “May I have a word with Mark Tucker, Maggie Sullivan, Keith Parent, and Yolanda Fleming?” Mr. Rigley chose four different students to give him a mix of points of view. Granted, they were ten and eleven years old, but they were still their own people with their own opinions.
“What’s this about?” Mr. Leonard asked suspiciously. Mr. Rigley motioned for the students to accompany him. “This won’t take long,” he replied, purposely ignoring the question.
Once they were out of earshot of the classroom, Mr. Rigley let the students know they were not in trouble. He just wanted to ask them a few questions.
The four kids sat in the same four chairs in the vestibule previously occupied by Ross, Henry, and the Drakes. One at a time, they were called into Mr. Rigley’s office. Each one was warned not to discuss the matter with anyone, and then he proceeded to ask questions about Mr. Leonard’s vitriolic behavior. Initially, all of them were intimidated and concerned about the consequences of being a tattletale, but they knew it was important to tell the truth. Within forty-five minutes, Mr. Rigley had gleaned enough information to know he needed to explore Mr. Leonard’s behavior further. But not at the expense of the children.
* * *
