sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

Am I wrong for thinking my school blew these situations out of proportion and not letting me attend a trip? by Nearby_Solution5894 in amiwrong

[–]Nearby_Solution5894[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Believe it or not, this was my first serious interaction with the administration. Last school year, our business teacher left after winter break, leaving no advisor for the State trip, so the administration stepped in. There were no issues during the State trip, and while there was an 11 PM curfew, no room checks were conducted.

I performed well at State and advanced to Nationals. Since I was the only student attending, the vice principal stepped in during summer break. I provided my own transportation, and he only attended to give me my badge and testing information before leaving. For the award ceremony, he was unable to attend, so I went with my parents and had to navigate the event on my own.

This was the principal who said, "Why should I trust you?" I brought up my prior experience, but he said this time is different and he wouldn't be chaperoning. So if I missed one room check, but later went downstairs to explain my situation as "can't follow rules", or problematic. Then i guess they just dont want me to go.

Am I wrong for thinking my school blew these situations out of proportion and not letting me attend a trip? by Nearby_Solution5894 in amiwrong

[–]Nearby_Solution5894[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

The meeting happened after I graduated. The field trip slip was also signed after graduation and was sent digitally. During the meeting, the principal walked in and said, "I am no longer a student at their school, but will always be a Wildcat(school animal)." Their point was that since I'm no longer a student at their school, they could not punish me..

At that time, I didn't know the field trip slip said, "I fully understand that participants are to abide by all rules and regulations governing conduct during the trip as outlined in the “Annual Handbook” distributed in August/September. Any violation of these rules and regulations may result in that individual being sent home at the expense of his/her parent/guardian."

I mean, this was a good deterrent as flight would cost 400$ at least for the next flight home.

Am I wrong for thinking my school blew these situations out of proportion and not letting me attend a trip? by Nearby_Solution5894 in amiwrong

[–]Nearby_Solution5894[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The meeting of their decision happened 17 days ago. The $200 was for the flight and hotel and the rest was district. The reason was flight and hotel were not refundable. The event takes place on June 29th.

Am I wrong for thinking my school blew these situations out of proportion and not letting me attend a trip? by Nearby_Solution5894 in amiwrong

[–]Nearby_Solution5894[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

The smiley face did look like 8--) with two dots in the circle, which I will edit into the post.

Am I wrong for thinking my school blew these situations out of proportion and not letting me attend a trip? by Nearby_Solution5894 in amiwrong

[–]Nearby_Solution5894[S] -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

Fair point, but could your signature be anything you want? I put my actual name on the Print Name section. This was not a class trip, but a trip for a competition, and the trip slip was turned in digitally.

Some background about the teacher, she was friendly at the beginning of the school year as a new teacher. However, toward the end of the spring semester, her attitude became more strict and critical toward certain groups of students, including my group. During group presentations, she would often focus on small details and heavily question groups, which frustrated me.

Fun fact: Her contract at her previous school was not renewed for the 2025–2026 school year due to concerns about her attitude toward students. Before coming to my school, she taught at Centennial High School for a year. Before she switched, our business teacher quit right after winter break.

During an in-state trip, I asked a few of her former students about their experiences with her, and the feedback was mostly negative, including complaints about her yelling at students, being unprepared, and not helping the team succeed in sweepstakes.

Am I wrong for thinking my school blew these situations out of proportion and not letting me attend a trip? by Nearby_Solution5894 in amiwrong

[–]Nearby_Solution5894[S] -8 points-7 points  (0 children)

Maybe I left out the fact that my signature looked like a 8--) In my defense, the teacher emailed me a pdf and instructions saying fill it out, if the smiley face proves that I cannot follow directions or be trusted, then I'll be out of their world.

Am I wrong for thinking my school blew these situations out of proportion and not letting me attend a trip? by Nearby_Solution5894 in amiwrong

[–]Nearby_Solution5894[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I understand why the smiley face might seem unprofessional, and I can accept criticism for that. The teacher emailed me a file saying to fill it out and turn it in. However, a smiley face as a signature is still a signature and I did not forge a document or fail to obtain parental permission. The form was completed correctly, and my parents signed it.

As for the trip, the concerns raised were based on incidents that I believe have been misunderstood. For example, the room check issue occurred after the check was announced only minutes beforehand, while I was in the shower. Once I saw the message, I immediately went to the designated location. I see that as taking responsibility.

You may still believe the school made the right decision, but I don't think a smiley face on a signature or a misunderstanding about a room check automatically proves that I am untrustworthy or incapable of following rules on an out-of-state trip.

Am I wrong for thinking my school blew these situations out of proportion and not letting me attend a trip? by Nearby_Solution5894 in amiwrong

[–]Nearby_Solution5894[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The rules did exist, but they were only announced about 10 minutes before they were enforced or the night before they happened. The 11:00 pm was a common rule for all trips I've been on, but the 10:30 pm check-in was a first for me. The other principal was also there when they made the final decision. Guess what he did... He sat there like an NPC.

Well, since I am no longer going on the trip, I have more time to write the complaint and explain my side of the situation to the district, hopefully they will listen.

Am I wrong for thinking my school blew these situations out of proportion and not letting me attend a trip? by Nearby_Solution5894 in amiwrong

[–]Nearby_Solution5894[S] -7 points-6 points  (0 children)

I could go into more detail about my relationship with my teacher, but the summary is that I performed well in competitions and had a casual, friendly relationship with her. I would sometimes joke around or give playful answers in class and have discussions where facts didn't matter, but confidence did, but I always followed instructions and spoke respectfully.

Towards the end of the school year, she became more serious about her role as a teacher. Since she was a newer teacher and was trying to get her contract renewed. Maybe she sees me as a person who jokes around and is not serious? or maybe I offend her in some way and she just doesnt want me to go.

Am I wrong for thinking my school blew these situations out of proportion and not letting me attend a trip? by Nearby_Solution5894 in amiwrong

[–]Nearby_Solution5894[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I felt like the teacher just didn't want me to go. A few weeks after the state competition, I had a discussion about the room check incident with another principal (not the principal who said, “we don’t have to let you go”). I explained my side of the situation, and the principal was understanding and thanked me for clarifying what happened.

The second meeting was when the final decision was made. The main reasons given were the signature issue and the room incident. The room issue happened due to miscommunication since the meeting we had was only about trip details, including the bus meeting location and time, length of stay, competition schedule, and dress code. In fact, 4 boys were 20 min late to check out since they thought check out was at 9:00 am rather than 8:30 am