Answer the Phone!

I have trained my students to answer the phone when it rings. The phone is in a very inconvenient location. The students can usually get to it faster than I. They say "Hello Miss Carpenter's Room how can I help you?"  They do a great job for the most part. They sometimes forget to ask who was on the phone and what they wanted when they hang up. However, the majority of the time they relay the information. I also have my students trained to not interrupt when I am doing one on one assessments with their classmates. They have to wait till I have finished with a student to ask a question. The other day the phone rang when I was assessing a student. They answered politely as usual. Then they said "I'm sorry she can't come to  the phone she is testing a student." She listened for a bit and hung up the phone. I almost giggled out loud, I was so surprised.  I finished my assessment and said "Who called? " The principal."  ACCK um "What did she need?" "She needs a copy of the paper you are sending home."   I have to think for a minute about what paper. I'd already sent it to her so I thought maybe she doesn't need a print copy but a digital copy. Anyhow I got that figured out and sent it.  I couldn't believe she told the principal  that I couldn't come to the phone. Sometimes your training is a little TOO effective. This was my giggle of the day. I never had a conversation with the principal about this so I am not sure what she thought.