I think Mr. P could beat Jackie Chan in a fight, too.
I’m so relieved to hear the update on the parents’ meeting. I hope that now you can settle into your job and do what you’re there to do—teach!
A little human? You mean a little cliched, ugh. He sounds fabulous as it is; can’t we just give him a messy office and a combover or something instead of messing with the motivations?
Congratulations, Kaitlyn, and good luck; this sounds like it may be the start of an, erm, interesting year but it also sounds like you’re well-equpped to handle whatever it throws at you.
Since I have nowhere else to put this:
Mr. P.,
I have had your actions conveyed to me by Miss Kaitlyn via an internet message board. I must commend your actions as those that I wish every school principal, and, indeed, every person was capable of. You have shown great grace, tact, understanding and restraint when dealing with a situation that many would find overwhelming. I have seen what is possible when an educational community is full of caring, hard working people; I have also seen what happens when that community is full of apathy and pettiness. I am glad to see that even in Texas there are people who go beyond what is required of them and reach out to make our world better, happier, and more trusting place. Again, you have my sincerest thanks.
Yours,
TR
Lynn, MA
07 January 2005
07 Janurary 2005
I found this story and the first thread from the Pit thread. I just want to say that this principal totally rocks. I’m picturing the guy from “Boston Public”, whose name I can’t remember. I figured there’d be at least one or two jerks in the parents’ meeting, but I wasn’t expecting one to use the word “freak”. What a great response the principal and VP made!
Good luck to you, Kaitlyn, I’m completely in awe!
You could probably leace that part out. We aren’t ALL red-necked, homophobic, mullet-wearing, pickup-driving, morons.
We have another two hour delay due to weather conditions. The weather gods hate me.
I can’t spend a lot of time, so I’ll just drop a note and come back later for an update if necessary.
Casting information: Mr. P is a Jewish man in his mid-sixties, about 6’ 4" tall, with gray hair. He seems to have one gray suit that he wears every day with a different colored tie to provide variety.
Jerry Orbach would have been perfect.
Upon rereading some of what I wrote last night, I noticed a mistake I need to correct. Mr. P was doing the Deniro delivery during the teacher’s meeting; at the parents’ he was straightforward deadpan.
There was a brief section that was supposed to follow the “expert on all sexually related matters” intro that somehow got deleted. The gist of it was that some parents were asking some truly bizarre questions that had no bearing on our situation whatsoever, such as whether a particular contestant on the previous night’s episode of Jeopardy! was a transsexual.
Gotta go, will update as I have time.
Me three! (Except I am neither gay nor dead…)
Let’s snag from screencaps from the new L&O series and CGI Jerry Orbach in! Why not?
James Cromwell (with a yarmulke?).
Kaitlyn, thanks for these posts. Hang in there. Too bad I don’t have any kids, or live in Texas.
I know the meeting wth the parents was only last night, and you’ve got a weather delay today, but do you think any of the parents are going to pull their kids?
Brilliant! applauds
Now we still need a supervillain and some evil ninjas… and a love interest! We gotta have a love interest…
The height issue and race aside, I think Ben Kingsley is perfect for Mr. P. He’s the perfect mix of mild-mannered deadpan with an ability to make me quake in my boots while being ever-so-polite. Then, of course, he can go totally ape-shit like no man ever. Chilling. (I’m thinking recent Kingsley especially, SexyBeast and House of Sand and Fog.)
I mean, can you imaging being that sixth grade boy and making a stupid comment and then being called into Ben Kingsely’s office? I’d be peeing myself.
…Ben Kingsley. Ben Kingsley.
I can’t decide now! The agony!
That’s Sir Ben to you.
Add a Texas expat to the soggy reaches of the Great Pacific Northwet to the list of impressed posters – Mr. P and Mr. VP both rock, as does Mrs. Six.
Kaitlyn, I salute you for your grace and humor. Make that 140something posts. 
And Ben Kingsley? Dude. Totally could see him as Mr. P, especially given Kaitlyn’s description of the guy.
To **Kytheria **in Canada, probably. But I don’t think you and I here in The Colonies are supposed to use those titles, are we? I thought those went out with the “Lords” and “Majesties” (Although if there was any man I’d call majestic, it’d be dear Mr. Kingsley.) [/hijack]
But if we go with Mr. Kingsley for Mr. P, we need to cast Mr. VP as someone big and hulking, who we might expect to be the heavy, but who is nowhere near as internally powerful as Mr. P. I’m thinking the red-headed giant from ER (Olaf the Troll on BtVS). He seems like a pushover, so I could see parents trying to go through him, but he’s got a loyalty that would be unmatched. Yet he’s not an annoying toady. (Maybe in Act II, we find out he’s gay.)
Lunchtime update.
Three students were pulled from my class today, all boys.
I shall have some rather unladylike things to say in response to this after school, using language I would prefer not to use while posting from a school computer.
One student was transferred in, a girl.
Probably best not to post it at all, regardless of language, from a school computer. IIRC anything written on a school computer can later (I’m not sure of the statute of limitations, but I wouldn’t want to test it) be pulled for court/state use.
Wow - I just read thru this thread and the prequel, and all I can say is Wow.
Kaitlyn - you are one strong, smart & sassy lady & Mr. P absolutely ROCKS!
Poli
We all knew it was too good to be true to hope that all of the parents would’ve been able to accept this. Life, unfortunately, is not a feel-good movie where everyone learns love and acceptance and bigots stop being bigots. Still, it makes me sad that anyone would be so stupid, and I can only hope that those boys will not follow in their parents’ footsteps.
On the other hand, this
is a positive sign that not everyone is as close-minded as those boys’ parents.
F. Murray Abraham as Mr. P.
Frank Langella as Mr. VP.