Your child's laces are shredded/broken so you. . .

Are you serious?! Well, I guess I shouldn't be all that surprised. I pretty much saw it all with JTPA.

Bad news Rae. I love you loads but there is a problem. If you google your name either Ms. or Miss following your last name Skillful Creamery comes up. I think that it's wonderful that you are teaching in the public schools but you should be aware that this information might be considered senstive by some. Sigh. Especially the parents (who has $100 to spend on shoes? i sure don't and I worked all summer). These parents may not be aware that you have a blog but eventually some parent will be. It might be a good idea for you to be in touch with your superintendant about what they feel comfortable with you publishing in a public forum (though, IRB research standards would certainly see Dornbrook.com as a private blog site).

To Nathan, I don't want to limit my readership but perhaps we should consider an update with movable type that allows us to privately publish so that only approved people can view a specific post (Myspace does this and, while annoying, allows for relative degrees of protection of sensitive material).

love to all,

Hey, Rae, I love you. I'm sorry that you were on the receiving end of this one. (It really wasn't your fault!)

Definitely not your fault. I just can't believe that someone would get worked up enough to call a school teacher over a pair of shoe laces. Laces that cost a whopping $2 at the most to be replaced, which no one who'd bought $100 shoes would even bat an eye at. This is not an issue of laces or school or shoes or Rachael. Ridiculous.

Good point. I changed the title of the blog but it still comes up in google- perhaps it will take time to change. I don't think I am breaking any policy- though I can see how parents would be upset. From what I am told most families at my school do not have internet at home.

Ahh, but the laces that go in $100 sneakers probably cost more than $2, or are not readily available. What do you think? I mean, I'm guessing here, but . . . Rae?

Madam Practical, did I just hear that from you? Really? Do we need the exact laces which go to a $100 pair of shoes?

I'm surprised, though, that someone would buy such expensive shoes if they don't have internet at home. Priorities, I guess. And once I think about it, I'm not really that surprised. Just confused.

hmmm. judging from the story, it sounds like the kid wears the pants at home. Kid wants expensive shoes. parent buys expensive shoes. kid damages expensive shoe laces. Parent cannot yell at the kid because the kid runs the house, parent calls and yells at teacher because teacher is a distant person.

You would need to remove all references, by the way, to your name on the blog to keep it from coming up in google, by the way.

I wonder if theres another side of this story and how it would be. What is the parents justification of it all, how was the reaction, the look on their faces when they saw them. Where the shoes 100 or 99.99? is it worth it? I mean the fuss.
: )

Madame Practical is also Madame Realistic. In my world, well, in my world $100 sneekers don't exist, but if they did, they would get whatever replacement laces were available.
But in the world of $100, you have to have the 'right' shoelaces or the value goes down. Sort of like putting Cool Whip on your Schmeeze.

Hahahaha!

Yes, but then there are the strawberry shortcake shoelaces that enhance any shoe.