Student's Snow-Day Question Causes Internet Brouhaha

I see no winners here. A bunch of bad behavior regardless of generation. Do they normally shut schools down in Virginia if it snows? Calling a personal residence was unwarranted...the tirade and namecalling was unwarranted...making a mockery of this person on the internet is unwarranted. Who wins? I guess the voyeurs getting their jollies at someone else's expense.

I think this kid should be suspended at the very least. He is disrespectful on so many levels. Who does he think he is? I am sick of kids today. They are rude, combative, and are held to low standards of behavior. If I were his mother, he would be terrified right about now.

He's a punk; acting so innocent ("Who me? I just wanted to ask a question.") I hope he gets drummed out of the school. I would bet that he is and has been an A-1 troublemaker at school all the way back to junior high.

The kid was wrong. I'd scream at him too. Problem in this country is that our kids do not spend enough time in school...too many vacations... and when they are there no one teaches them basic manners and courtesy. Go to school kid, try to learn something. I hope your parents take away your cell phone

I cannot believe that nobody here is discussing the message left by an ADULT to a CHILD. Children will make mistakes, probably due to a huge lack of experience or moral guidance, maybe even both. What is the excuse of an adult who is married to someone with the job that mostly exists for the guidance of minors? Is this what you want your children to learn? The person who needs to grow up and go to school is this woman.

This woman needs some lessons in anger management. Does her husband still have a job?

Yes, the child shouldn't have called the private telephone number. However; to yell at someone like that was totally uncalled for. But, I bet you this woman learned her lesson. I also smell a law suit coming out of this one. People need to calm down. Go to www.emarital.com and maybe you can find someone to help you relax.

I think she should not have yelled back, if she thinks of kids as being so low then that should not her job. Also, why do some people hate kids, i dont understand that, adults do sometimes bad things, kids dont hate adults....

I cant believe they took this off, AOL you should remove it also if its nolonger available to watch, why would they remove it anyways? Is the internet getting WEAK?

I don't believe this kid. I have a 16 year old...most of the kids in her groups of friends NEVER talk on the cell phone...they text and IM one another. My concern is that they will all grow up and not be able to converse.

While the woman was clearly agitated....we don't know what message the kid left. I am curious about that - further it was disrespectful of him to call the guys home and intrude on his family.

The kid should be suspended and his parents should teach him to respect his elders.

I live in Springfield, VA (Fairfax County). I for one completely understand the woman's frustration. There is a real sense of entitlement in this county when the first snowflake falls.

I grew up in Kansas and I dare say the winters there are harsher than those in Virginia. We had no school bus system. It was your responsibility to get to school.

In the time I was there, grades 4-high school and 1 year of community college, school was only closed one day. That particular storm caused 20 foot drifts on the side of houses.

So, I second the motion. Kid, shut up and get on the bus!

I love how people comment about how no one at school teaches kids manners. Well, guess what, teachers should only have to reinforce what the kids learn at home, and parents are teaching there kids to feel entitled to everything and instilling them with an, "I don't take crap from anybody" attitude. When teachers do try and teach kids manners, respect for themselves and others, and how to live a life fit for society, they get into trouble because they are violating someone's civil rights. You know what, there are some very basic ways of living that have nothing to do with culture or religion or anything else. I used to be a teacher but I had to get out. Not only do they get a bum rap, but they get no support. If people think that kids should be in school more then you are going to have to put your money where your mouth is because teachers will need to be paid more. They do not make enough money and saying that it's easy because the have all of the vacations is a grave injustice to those that give their heart and soul to education your children only to be grossly under appreciated. FYI, on their "vacations," teachers are attending more schooling and classes to maintain their certification. They work second jobs so they can pay the bills. They advise student groups through the summer and coach and tutor their students. If you think that being a teacher is easy or great just because of the vacations then I recommend you volunteer in a school setting for a few weeks straight and see what they have to put up with on a daily basis. And, you know what, talk to a teacher, and see how much they owe in student loans from undergrad and how much they have to take out for continuing certification.

I agree with the comment that kids will be kids. It was my understanding that the young man was respectful in his request. I feel the he should have waited till the principal was at school to obtain this information. Having said that, shame on this woman. She is the adult here and should definitely know better. The fact that it's all over the news and internet should be a lesson to us all. Any one of us could easily end up on YouTube and the evening news. I agree with the other comment regarding there being no winners here. I hope the parents explain to the young man as to where he went wrong and I hope the woman is big enough to extend an apology.

I think Mrs. Tistadt was well within her rights to blast the kid for calling her home. Apparently this was not the first such call these people had gotten - some even in the middle of the night. As a former high school teacher, I can tell you that it's disgusting the feeling that teens have today re: their "rights". When I was a teen it would never have crossed my mind to call the CEO of the county to complain about ANY policy; that would have been up to my parents. And they sure as h--- wouldn't have called anyone at HOME. Yeah, teens today are more savvy than we were, but they are still c-h-i-l-d-r-e-n. It's all about them and what they have the "right" to do; no wonder our society is so eff'd. I hope the Tistandts stay strong.

I agree the child should not have called a private residance.. However Candy had NO right to call and leave such a horriable message. She needs to learn manners and respect.. I bet that child's parents taxes pays for that mans salery.. Candy you need to learn retraint and manners.
Maddie

Freakin go to school. 3 inches - what a wuss. Obviously this kid has no idea what it is to live in the western part of the country. You get that much snow in Utah - you go to school. School is not closed for snow! It amazes me how many "snow days" are given for so little snow in the midwest and beyond.

You all seem to be forgetting that the phone number was LISTED..it was NOT private. That kid was NOT out of line calling to see why school wasn't cancelled. That is what a phone is FOR!! The nasty wife was completely out of line with her response and she over-reacted! All of you who think this kid was wrong are wrong, and
I think the woman owes that kid a public apology. She should be ashamed of herself, and if she is embarrassed right now..GOOD!! By the way, I am not a kid...I am a grandmother with several grandchildren in their teens.

This message is a response to Shannon. I am 33 yrs old and when I was going to school, the teachers at that time were caring and did everything they had to do for their kids. The teachers were in contact with the parent if the child was unruly in class, is homework wasn't being done, etc. Nowadays, the teachers don't do anything in class except their lesson plan. They don't want to be bothered. They want robot kids who come in sit down and do their work. But they forget kids are kids and some kids have their problems. If the teacher is not communicating with the parent cause he/she don't want to be bothered, then is the parent supposed to be psychic?? I have two children in school one is level headed, a decent student who never gets into trouble and then there is my other son. Who is hyper, likes to chit chat in class and such. No matter how many times I ask the teachers to contact me the same day of the occurrence, they won't. Then at parent teacher conference they get upset because I'm not pyshic enough to know what is going on in their classroom.
As for this article. I don't see why the wife got all upset? Maybe she was having a bad morning. Maybe she didn't get any the night before. Maybe she was pmsing. Who knows. The kid was only trying to do what every kids wants to do......have a snow day. Maybe he was wrong to call the home. But really it's not necessary to string him up. Hope everybody has a great day

I graduated from high school 34 years ago and even back then principals weren't stupid enough to list their numbers in the phone book. The kid had a legitimate question and Candy is the one that needs to learn a few things. At the very least she's incredibly naive, but more likely, she strikes me as arrogantly stupid.