I Got A Funny Email Today

I sent out a mass email today to the parents of about 100 of my students.  I told them that the most recent test scores had been entered (go check your kid's grades online!) and also mentioned that I'm legally required to notify them if I think their kids might fail, and suggested that if their student currently has under a 75% in class then it might be cause for concern (the final exam, which takes place in 2 months, is 20% of a student's overall grade).

One parent replied to me three times--each time suggesting, using slightly different terminology, that I'm, uh, a part of male anatomy.  The fourth email was apologetic and included what I call a "hummada-hummada", which is the act of trying to explain why you did something you're not supposed to do.  This parent tried to suggest that he/she thought he/she was responding to a different email, to someone with a name close to mine--despite the fact that the email I had sent was at the bottom of the three (three!) replies.  Far more likely is that the parent actually intended to call me such a name, but rather than forwarding my email--with genitalia commentary--to a friend (perhaps one with a similar name), hit "reply" instead.

This event has made for a great laugh.  I don't mind if someone thinks ill of me--I don't like everyone I have to deal with, either.  It's perfectly natural and OK.  What I found hilarious was the attempt to walk the insult back and the attempt at explaining what occurred.  Clearly this parent is mortified at having sent the emails (three of them!) to me instead of to a friend, and now is trying to cover his/her tracks.

And I just laugh.  It's a great story--better in person, though, because I have to clean it up a bit here and not put in any possibly-identifying remarks (hence, the non-gender-specific pronouns).  But this story was the Belle of the Lunch Table Ball today, that's for sure!