Vacationing teacher panicked after getting an email marked 'Medical Emergency' — what he found inside made his blood boil

Teachers have the right to go full vacation mode during their summer break. However, some parents fail to understand this. A middle school teacher who goes by u/Disgruntled_Veteran took to Reddit to share an infuriating story about a parent who tricked him into opening a work email using a jarring header. He was supposed to be enjoying his summer break, but the email quickly ruined his peace of mind. The post was shared on June 15, and more than 12,000 Redditors have upvoted it, and 393 commented. 

Clickbait header

The teacher said he does not usually check his work emails during vacation. However, since he was staying in on a rainy day, he decided to clean out his mailbox while watching an old film, as part of his monthly routine. However, when he logged into his work email, the first thing he saw was an email with the header 'Medical Emergency' from a student's mother. Worried that something had happened, he opened the email without thinking twice. What he saw next made him see red. The mother followed with, "Now that I have your attention," and continued to rant about how her daughter did not deserve the 'B' that she got in English class.

All because of a 'B' grade

Furious, he forwarded the email to the principal of the school. He wrote on the post, "What an a**hole thing to do just because of a 'B' in a 6th-grade class." He was tempted to respond to the mother with an equally shocking header, something along the lines of 'Mr. Teacher's Horrific Car Accident,' but he chose not to because it would cause more complications for him later. He concluded, "Probably won't do it since it can come back to bite me later, but it's such a happy thought."

Not always about grades

Education Week conducted a poll on LinkedIn to see if teachers checked their work mail during their summer break. The majority of respondents (61%) said yes, while only 10% said they totally unplug. 19% admitted to checking their mail only if it was urgent. That was what the author did too. He thought the email was an emergency, only to be fooled by the student's mother.

On another note, an EdChoice survey revealed that parents believe that the success of a school year is based on their communication with their kids and their communication with their children's teachers (48%). Report cards (35%), grades (34%), and standardized test scores (19%) come later. 

Let the principal handle it

The majority of the people in the comments advised the author not to respond to the email and let the principal handle her complaint. u/AlternativePoet3943 wrote, "There is one thing parents like her hate, silence. Give her the silent treatment." u/monsieurgrand02 suggested a hilarious reply. They wrote, "Reply with 'If this is a medical emergency, please dial 911.'"

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