Lies

That one ought to be really easy.

I was vindicated today. And it felt so sweet.

A few months ago, I helped the school nurse with hearing screening. I take that seriously, so when I noticed her doing something that could inadvertently tip off a child as to when to indicate he heard the sound, I called her on it. I didn't do it in the most positive way, and I feel badly about it to this day.

At the same time, screeners ought to reduce "interference" as much as possible, and I don't feel badly about bringing it up.

At about this time, there was an issue with the fundraising chair over how to record deposits. That ended up with the president taking me aside and giving me a lecture on how, if I were to become president, I needed people to like me.

Yeah.

At the end of that lecture, she brought up the nurse. I thought she'd address the way I brought up the testing integrity issue. Instead, she informed me that she had been told this: that I had contacted a parent and told the parent to forget the nurse's test. I reportedly told this parent the nurse didn't know what she was doing, and the kid needed retesting. Also, according to the nurse, the kid passed the original test.

This is bovine excrement.

I have been leery of getting involved again in testing because of the whole hearing screening issue. Yesterday, when the nurse asked me to help out again, I was shocked. So after testing the kids today, I grabbed a friend to witness the conversation and talked to the nurse. I told her what the president had said, and she immediately said "Oh, no! That's not what happened at all! What was said was much more of a general statement, and I know who said it and it surely wasn't you!"

So all this extra stuff was a fabrication, someone just making things up. One friend remembers that around this time the resident bigmouth S made broad general statements about the nurse's competence at screening, which she also attributed to me (surprise.) It was S who suggested that we call the parents and tell them they needed to have their kids independently screened. Several people heard this, and it was the following Tuesday that the president brought it up. One of those people happened to be the fundraising chair.

Now I have proof someone slandered me, and I'll be bringing it up to the president and asking her for her source. I've overlooked a lot this year, but this is my reputation, my integrity. I got called on the carpet for something awful that I never did, and have had people thinking that I did do it all this time. Sure, there are people who know me and know better, but they had to have experienced a bit of doubt, too. Most people, however, know I would never "steal" a phone number and contact a parent to undermine the school.

I'll report back on the outcome, but at least today I had the satisfaction of being vindicated in front of a witness, and to have her know for sure means a lot to me.