When to stand your ground

I love the fact that I am not in the classroom right now. I desperately needed some time away from teaching and this position, though temporary, is beginning to give me just that 'vacation' I craved. However, I can't believe how some teachers are quickly seeing how far they can go. I know that when kids are growing up they are constantly testing the limits. They don't come when you call them the first time, second time, and then learn that when you get to the third time they are in trouble. Kids try to not wear a coat outside when it is cold just because you told them they needed to and when their little hands and noses are bright red with cold and they are shivering and you mention that coat again to them they say, "nope, not cold, don't need it." They push their curfew as they grow older and see if they can get out of their regular chores. All these tests are lessons they learn and help them move into adulthood. But then why do adults push the envelope too? I mean, really, didn't they learn when they were younger that the babysitter told the parents everything anyway and that they would just get into trouble later?

I come to my point: two of the teachers today tried to push the envelope. One said to me,

"You were so busy this morning that I didn't have a chance to tell you that I have to leave early on Friday, so I asked Mr. So and So to cover my last period class."
I respond, "oh, okay, thanks for asking him. Sometime today fill out a leave form and stick it in my box."
"It is just 45 minutes!", she screams at me(more tone than volume). "It isn't even enough time to put in for. Mr. (principal out sick) wouldn't have worried about it and just let me go."
"Fine", I say, "just fill out the form and I will ask him what I should do about it. If he says rip it up I will but if he says send it in I will need the form to do so."
"No, I will just take a half a day then", she says. "Just fill out
the form", I say.

Please, lady. Do you really think I am going to just let you go without any documentation? Did you think because you had already gotten the class covered that I would say "oh thank you for doing MY JOB and I will let you go early and just keep my mouth shut."? PLEASE, give me a little credit here. I am not new to this position or the authority. I am NOT going to just let you do what you please and turn a blind eye. AND if I HAD let her do that then who else would be trying to take advantage of me.

Well, I knew I would be tested and I was prepared but what blew me out of the water we when she half stomped into my office to fill out the form, she said, (and I quote), "don't worry about it. It actually works out better to take a half day and it isn't like I don't have any time to take I have 92 days sick and annual leave." OH MY GOODNESS! You did not just say that you had 92 days leave and you were bitching about a freaking hour!

So it doesn't end there. We had parent/teacher conferences tonight during visitation so we are all there this evening and one teacher is complaining because he had to get up and go have blood drawn today and he is so tired because he couldn't sleep in like he had previously arranged to do (another story all together) and come in late to work today. So his sleeping in time was taken up by going to get blood drawn. He says that because of this he will just not set his alarm clock tomorrow and wake up when he gets up and not worry about it. So I say,

"you'll be late then." He doesn't really respond so I figured I was correct. Then he goes on to say something about writing in a kid's file on Friday when he gets here and I say "you mean Thursday (tomorrow) when you get here."
And he says, "no, Friday! I am not coming in at all tomorrow."
"Oh", I say, and then say, "just fill out a leave form when you get in on Friday then."
He says, "oh no, I have a deal with [the sick principal] that he doesn't turn in those forms to human resources because they wouldn't give me all my time I didn't use when I had my heart attack in the fall."
Oh here it goes again. "I remember you saying something about that and I will ask [the sick principal] what he wants me to do with it."

And then he moves on to say that when he gets home tonight he will take his water pill and then until 4 in the morning he will be running back and forth to the bathroom and he won't have any sleep at all and he isn't coming in. I asked him if he could take his pill earlier in the day so it doesn't keep him up so late. Oh boy did I open up a can of worms. He goes on and on and on and there was something about a little stream of yellow on the floor and on and on and on.... The whole time I just wanted to put my fingers in my ears and say "TMI!!!!! TMI TMI TMI!!!"

Just because I wanted him to follow the rules...