Something Rotten in the State of Denmark

The title of this post is the title to an email I sent to my students' families today. One of the most awkward and hilarious notes I've ever written, in fact. I thought I'd post it on the blog for posterity's sake. Enjoy...




Hello again,

I am super hesitant to send this note out, but I am moved to let you in on a persistent classroom struggle. Unfortunately, some members of the class are passing gas with both regularity and pungency and it’s really distracting to our learning.

We don’t think the afflicted are doing it for attention as after many, many direct classroom discussions and invitations to use the hallway and restroom, we continue to have to stop what we are doing, open windows, and grab the Lysol. It really is disruptive.

Linda and I suspect that the children are too embarrassed to talk to us directly about it. SO…this is probably the weirdest thing I have ever asked of parents, but would you be willing to check in with your child about his or her digestive health?

As always, know that we adore each and every child in our classroom community and there is absolutely no judgment at play in this…we are just at a point that we need to figure out a way to reduce the disruptions caused by gas. Should you discover that your child is having a problem, we are happy to provide any support needed with discretion.

Thanks for your grace in reading this email – hopefully your cheeks aren’t as red reading it as mine are writing it. :)

Loving life in the fifth grade (even when it’s smelly),

Emily and Linda