We had our winter concert and activity night last night.  4th grade was singing.  So, I told the students to leave their coats behind my desk to be safe.  One little girl didn't listen.  Then she got hot on the stage and had another student bring her coat to me.  I was busy keeping students in line and from talking.  I put the coat on a pile of other coats.  The kids were supposed to pick them up on the way out of the MPR.

Much later, at the end of the evening, the parents came to me and accused me of losing their daughter's coat.  I told them that I had given the students directions on where to put their coats.  They said that I was the one who took it and so I was responsible.  ME???  I didn't lose her coat.  She did.  I left my activity with only one teacher on duty and went to look for the coat.  We couldn't find it anywhere either.  They chewed me out, went and complained to the office staff, then went to the principal and complained.  I in the meantime, found the coat in another teacher's room, safe and sound.  The other teacher was the one who was on the clean-up committee.  They were gone home by then so I gave the girl the coat this morning. 
I so badly wanted to say, "If you had listened to me in the first place, this wouldn't have happened."  but I didn't.  It really upsets me that parents blame teachers instead of putting the blame where it belongs.  How fair is it that parents blame teachers instead of holding their children responsible? 

I think I am over tired and need to go home.