Day in the life of a teacher

So one of my kids has never turned in his homework before. He comes in today telling me that his mom throws his homework away so that is why he doesn't have it. I asked him if I needed to call his mom and tell her not to throw it away. He just kinda stared at me like... Uhh... I dunno..... So before he leaves for the day I pinned a note on his shirt (this works fabulously in first grade since they can't read upside down, and this they will keep it on).

Here is what the note said:

I have never turned in my homework and today I told my teacher that my mom throws away my homework so I can't do it. Please help me get my homework done and turned in every Monday. Thank you!

About 10 minutes after school gets out his mom comes in with him about the note. She tells me that she didn't know he had ever gotten homework because she has never seen it and that he always tells her he doesn't have any. I proceed to give her a new one for the week and explain my homework packet. When I asked the student if he still had his new folder I gave him yesterday in his backpack (because he lost his) he didn't know, so we checked.

There in his backpack was his new folder with this week's homework, his old homework folder with a previous week's homework, along with a zillion other papers I have sent home. Needless to say, I think she felt like an idiot. Oh and did I mention that this was the same parent that I had a big confrontation with at the beginning of the year? I am sure glad I go through the effort to keep my parents informed of everything with a calendar, and a note attached to their homework every week :)

If you are reading this and have a child in elementary school - please I am begging you -CHECK THEiR BACKPACK!!! :)

***comic relief*** watching this student entertain himself in the mirror for like 30 minutes while his mom stayed and talked to me :) they call him "shiny object," haha I am glad this student and I have something in common!