Snow Day Rant Voicemail

When it snowed last week, Lake Braddock Secondary School senior Devraj "Dave" Kori, 17, wondered why they didn't call a snow day. So he called Dean Tistadt, the Fairfax County public school administrator's home (it was a listed number) and left a voicemail.

Lo and behold, Tistadt's wife - pissed at being called at home and at the implication that her hardworking husband wasn't doing his job - called back to leave her own voicemail!

It was a bad move, though - thanks to the long arm of the web, the student got the upper hand: he posted her voicemail on the web!

Here's the story: Link [ABC World News Webcast] | article at WaPo


Yes, perhaps she should have shown a bit more restraint in her reply--but there was no excuse for calling the administrator's home, at any time, for any non-personal-emergency reason, regardless of the "listed" status of their number (which I'd assume they now have to change.) There was then *absolutely* no excuse for posting her message online, and even creating an online group for the express purpose of disseminating her message and stirring up crap, resulting in hundreds of prank calls to that home. (I was a NoVA high-schooler ten or fifteen years ago, and still live in VA, so I've heard a lot about this topic.)
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LULZ!! Lake Braddock was my rival when I was going to school! Snow days are crazy in NoVa... One year we got 3 days off for 3 inches of snow. Once, we got the day off because it *looked* like it was going to snow. Now, I go to school in South Dakota. It was -22 this morning and the accumulated snow measures about 6 inches, and yes, I still have class.
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Where is the kid's voice mail? We have no idea what was said to the principal and his family. For all we know he left a stream of obscenities. At any rate, How rude to call them at home.
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I say good for her. My father is a high school teacher, and it's unbelievably annoying to have kids and parents calling us at home several times per week. The following can be generalized for most teachers, but to give you some real-life examples: He is required to be up at school from 7 until 4, but he often stays later, going to his student's football/baseball/etc games at their request. Students and parents also are encouraged frequently by the administrators to set up parent-teacher conferences through the office. He also has help class at least once a week. They have ample opportunity to speak with him at school. Students need to remember that most faculty also have families who have absolutely nothing to do with their "grievances", and by their calling at home, they're taking away from our family time.
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Sounds like she gave the kid what his parents are unable to give - a good chewing out. There was nothing bad in what she said. In fact, she was extremely polite about it. The little brat deserved a hell of a lot more than what she said on the phone.
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I read the article on this, and the kids response as to why he did it was that his generation has a different concept of privacy, which I thought to be really interesting and probably true.
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i'm sorry, maybe i'm part of that kid's generation too, but i don't understand why it was a huge deal that he called them at home. if it was in the middle of the night and had woken everyone else up, i would understand, but otherwise, she could have just told him what he needed to know(or not) and left it at that, asking him politely not to call them at home again. "the how dare you call us at home" is so uncalled for. he is a teenager, lady. a dumb one, but still a teenager. you're an adult. grow up.
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I can't believe the comments here. Even if the kid was rude on the message he left, he's 17. This woman is a adult and she never should have said the things she did in her message. I would suggest she needs some sort of counseling.

When I was in high school (10 years ago or so) we (my classmates and I) disputed a new dress code. I called the school administrator and principal at their homes to discuss this matter and they were happy to talk to me about it. I see no problem with calling people at home to discuss school matters.

At any rate, this woman was 100% wrong to retaliate the way that she did!
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I'm in college, not too far removed from the age Carrie is referring to as apparently being delicate. For one thing, he can take it. He's not going to develop a complex because she told him to go to school and get an education. He was chewed out, and I think he probably had it coming. She was a little harsh, but nothing a 17-year-old boy can't handle. Also Carrie, you were probably respectful, and it sounds like this boy was a jerk. There's a big difference.
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If you don't want people calling you at home, don't list your phone number.

I have always considered it very unprofessional for anyone to have their spouse call for job-related matters. One time, one of my supervisors had her husband call in to her work and yell at one of the employees under her. She couldn't get on the phone because she was "too upset."

Even worse was that the husband, since he knew practically nothing about the situation, was yelling at our new hire who had no idea what was going on.

The student also probably called him at his home when he thought he would probably not be at the office yet. After all, school hadn't started yet. I think that is perfectly reasonable. Even if the kid was rude or unreasonable, they should have asked to speak to his parents instead.
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I think the kid was unjustified in calling the administrator's home, but the reply was unwarranted. She displayed absolutely no class, no matter what the teen may have said.

As for Tiffany's whining about how her fathers is missing out on family time... get over it. Plenty of people have to work late to pay the bills. Plenty of people are missing out on family time. That's life. Good thing he has the summers off, eh?
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My take on this is......I dont f'ing care. Sounds like the little punk was a smart ass on his message. Lets hear the one he left. Otherwise, the hell with this little baby kid. Tired of this whinny ass generation. Bunch of friggin babies.
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Wow. I realize that we're only given one side of this issue, but I'm on the kid's side. =/

How the wife responded to his message deserves this kind of retaliation. The lady's so immature and unprofessional, especially for an administrator's wife. She's gotta grow up some way or another..
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Her call to his home was an earned payback. She was a bit out of control, but right on target regardless.
How DARE a child be so ill-mannered to pick up the phone and just call their home so casually; if he expects to be treated as an adult, he must learn that this is not how adult business is done. Methinks he has a looong way to go yet.
Unfortunately for our society (which has become very selfish and rude), his way of thinking/behaving is quite common nowadays; someone with authority over him has made a decision, he doesn't agree with it, so he feels it's ok to brush it aside and inconvenience the person with said authority. Great. One more whiney pissant asshole kid to add to the pile.
Don't like it, then go through the proper channels to change it in a professional manner. Call my house & the gloves come off.
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