Who Are You Calling A Bully?

Today, I had my first IEP meeting with a parent. I had to present results from my evaluation. I prepared my presentation, but the parent didn't show. At first I was relieved, but then I was disappointed because I spent 25 hours writing that report, and I wanted the payoff. Well, I got the chance to do a mock presentation, and I'm glad it wasn't for a real parent because I made a little mistake.

I was giving my interpretation of the behavioral scales and I was mentioning some of the ciritical behaviors that the teacher noticed. I made the statement that the child sometimes bullied other children. The social worker, who was playing the mother, flipped out on me. "Who are you calling a bully? Are you calling my child a bully?" Shit! Now what? I had to stop the presentation and ask what to do. Basically I never call someone a bully, unless the parent has mentioned that before as well. Of course that all makes sense now, but I would have had my ass handed to me if I had said that to the parent. I guess that's why I'm an intern. I still have a lot to learn.

BBC