CONSTANTLY

Ok, this is what was really said on Februrary 9 in the meeting with Principal P.

PRINCIPAL P: Madelene’s mother called and said that you CONSTANTLY call the children animals. I spoke to the Madelene and she wrote a statement saying that you called her an animal. I asked her if there was anyone sitting around her who could substantiate what she said, and she said yes and gave me their names. They wrote statements saying that you constantly call them animals.

MORIAH: (repeating as I write) Madelene Benders' mother wrote a letter saying that I CONSTANTLY call the children animals. CONSTANTLY, meaning all the time? So every period, every day? Did the mother write a statement? (NO) Did the child write a statement?

PP: Would you like to see the child’s statement?

M: No, actually, I would not because I am not going to sign a confidentiality agreement.
(continues writing) OK, so, CONSTANTLY called the children animals….. So, let me get a sense of this. So I am in the classroom, and they walk in and I say, “Hello, animals”???? I mean, do I call them dogs, do I call them cows….?

M: That is what the mother is saying. The children are saying that the other day in science somebody was making noises like a monkey and you said they do not behave like people they behave like animals.

M (writing out loud)… monkey noises…So when they made monkey noises, I said that they behaved like animals?

THOR HEYERDAHL: Could I just clarify something for a moment? The mother spoke to you by telephone—would that be on January 24, 2009?

PP: She came in.

M: Ok, so Madelene's mother said that I CONSTANTLY call the children animals. So this was one time, that they said that they were making monkey noises and that I said that they were behaving like animals. Did they always make monkey noises?
They say that they CONSTANTLY make monkey noises so that I CONSTANTLY say they are behaving like animals?

PP: No she called and said that you were CONSTANTLY calling them animals. You started getting mad and yelling at them.

M: So that was one day…one day. But the mother said that I CONSTANTLY call the children animals.

I think that I understand the charges. The mother is saying that I CONSTANTLY call them animals and the children are saying that one day they were making monkey noises and that I said that they behaved like animals.

That is completely false. I never said that the children were animals or even behaved like animals. I say they are scientists, and I always call them scientists. If they are misbehaving…

PP You say that they did not say….

M. I said that I never said that they are animals or are behaving like animals. I don’t recall 7B making monkey noises at all. I don’t recall that ever happening. This is 7B right? So if they made monkey noises, I didn’t even hear them making the monkey noises.

PP So you say that you did not say that the children are animals or behave like animals.

MORIAH No, and I did not hear monkey noises coming from 7B

PRINCIPAL P ended meeting.