Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy Feedback on letter to principal/teacher...

JonLaw...

I do think an apologetic letter might be jazzed up with a nice P.S. "I might sue you." I think it would the most effective if written with impossibly small font at the bottom of the letter - that way, when they don't comply, it'll be like, "Surprise!".

Everybody loves surprises.

I have seen a lot of good advice in this thread.

With regard to threats of suit, a soft touch might be the best approach. In some situations a postscript might not be soft enough. Like it or not, sometimes people do get defensive. Lots of people who would otherwise settle shut down when openly threatened.

So much so, in fact, that it might be best to disguise a legal threat in a way that only dawned on the target after reflection. Unsettling dreams might reveal litigatory acrostics to sweat-soaked school admins, who would suddenly cave to all demands in the knowledge that their petty bureaucratic pretensions were outmatched by truly Machiavellian guile. Even slightly awkward wordings or phrasings might serve a useful purpose, in tipping off the reader that there was more than met the eye.

That might work if you point them to a YouTube video with subliminal messaging.

Dancing ponies, fluffy clouds, happy children, and the words "I will sue you!" flashing every tenth of a second.

I'm in...but I'd like to add the phrase, "dance like a chicken when the school bell rings"...you know, to help the kids.

Update...

Sent a clearer version to teacher and received a very kind email back asking for feedback on the supplemental work she sent home. Yay...a dialogue!

The work is way too easy, so that opened up the door to discuss this without complaining. She also asked what math would be helpful for him, so I was able to let her know where ds is (waaaaaay past tally marks, counting, number lines, and basic addition).

Hope this is progress. I'd like to think it is - she had not yet asked for any feedback previously.

Excellent news!