Post 175: QD: "What is the funniest reason you have been sent home from school?"

Recently I saw a question come through on Quora that asked "what is the funniest reason you have been asked to pick up your child from school?" After that I started to think about the reasons I was sent home from school when I was younger.

Three, in particular, stood out. Though, I don't know if any of them would be considered funny. All stories are based on a combination of my memory of the events and what I've heard about the event. I cannot guarantee that they are 100% factual, as memories from when I was young are not always clear.

The first is when I was relatively young and still had some of my baby teeth. One of them was starting to come out and I could tell it was loose. I told the teacher but she didn't believe me and wouldn't let me go to the nurse. I didn't leave it alone and eventually ended up sort of just...pulling it out all the way. Which led to a fair amount of blood coming from my mouth. So, I remember walking towards the teacher with my tooth in hand and blood dripping out of my mouth, because I was a drama queen, and asked to go to the nurse. I don't remember if I was sent home, but I know I didn't go back to music class that day.

I don't know what it was about music class, but the second story also happened in music class. I think, even the same class, which explains why the teacher might not have believed me when I said I didn't feel well. To be fair, my tooth actually did come out, so it wasn't like I lied about that. Anyway, I said I didn't feel well, and once again I was not allowed to go to the nurse. So, about five minutes later, I threw up on the xylophone that I had been assigned to play. After that, I was allowed to go to the nurse. I remember the teacher practically dragging me by the collar down the hall while shoving a garbage can into my stomach as we went. They sent me home for sure after that.

To be clear, I didn't choose to throw up on the xylophone. It was a music circle and we randomly got instruments and I was playing and then...it just sort of happened without much warning.

If I remember correctly, I was fairly sick and my mom had an event so I just slept underneath the registration table. But that might have been a different time I was sick.

My mom says I used to say I was sick a lot, in particular on school days. But that was before I knew I was lactose intolerant and the school only had the option of a tiny like 1/4 cup juice box or a pint of milk. And I liked milk and there was more of it, so I got that. And sometimes I would trade some of my fries or food for my friends' milk because they didn't want it. So, it could be that I was suffering the effects of lactose intolerance, but it could just be that I didn't want to be in class because I had ADD and got bored easily.

The third time that I remember being sent home, I was not sick. I was on my way to school, I'd been riding on a scooter and I guess I fell in a puddle? I don't even really remember falling. But apparently I arrived at school (on time) but covered in mud and so the teachers/nurse insisted that I had to go home and change if not also shower. At the time my mom worked pretty far away and could really just leave to take me home to change, especially because we lived like five blocks away at most. So, she gave them permission to take me home and (I think) it was an office aid who ended up driving me home. I vaguely remember the car, but mostly I remember thinking the entire way home, "I hope the door isn't locked, because I don't have my key and how am I supposed to explain that". Thankfully, it wasn't locked. I think my stepdad was home but had been on a conference call or something so I couldn't call him? I don't really remember. But it worked out because after I changed I was able to actually find my key and then the lady from school drove me back.

My clothes were pretty messy, but it was not all that bad and I probably would have dried just fine. Meanwhile, one day on my way home I was so drenched it looked like I jumped in the pool fully dressed. Which I ended up actually doing just because by the time I got home it was like, "why not? And then I can say I've done it". Part of the reason was because the crosswalks were low and curbs were high and the city didn't usually get much rain so they were backed up pretty high with water. Like up to my knees. A lot of people walked in the road to try to avoid some of the water.

If I had been on my way to school, they definitely would have sent me home to change again. But I wasn't, so it worked out. Those are really the main times I remember being sent home that aren't just a very basic "was sick, was sent home".

I do remember being sick for like a week and I missed school because I had bronchitis and then when I went back, for three days following my return I wasn't allowed to cook in Foods class. And if I so much as coughed or sniffled or yawned the following week and a half, I wasn't allowed to cook that day either. But I wasn't sent home. I just had to sit at the table and do nothing. It was not unlike study hall or detention, which was so frustrating because it was the last class of the day! I'd have much rather gone home.