The other day, a fellow principal hinted that we "always have everything together at Christ Lutheran."  Well, the calendar here reads May, just like yours, and things didn't feel that "together" today.  Perhaps we shouldn't do May next year.
 
Three parents called first thing this morning to tell me of an incident between their child and a classmate that took place last Friday (while I was attending a meeting in Ann Arbor).  Each incident was different and involved different classrooms/teachers/families/kids, but all three parents were able to provide detailed information regarding the altercations, a veritable eyewitness account specifically proving their child's innocence and the other child's guilt.  They also shared a detailed family history on the offending child as well as the offending child's parents' marital infidelities and mental health issues, and the fact that in every case, the teacher did absolutely nothing...AND has been "allowing this to go on" all year, including weekends!
 
None of these parents had contacted their child's teacher yet because their child's teacher (all different teachers remember) "doesn't listen," "sweeps everything under the rug," "is a Cubs fan," "ignores them," and "only cares about..."  I made an executive decision and shared information with these parents about each of my neighboring Lutheran schools, telling them that the principals at those schools are great listeners who like to be contacted at home over the weekend, in the evening and on their personal cell phone during the holidays.  Despite what Diane says, that's not really a sin.  Is it?
 
I did resolve one case this morning involving a 5th grade girl who was "bullying" three boys in her class before school began today.  I prefer to use the word "antagonizing" because I didn't see that she had an unfair advantage over these guys.  Well, maybe one...
 
It turned out that this young lady sat on each boy's desk, farting on purpose, although at first she told me that she was only pretending.  Faux farts...?  Nonscents!
 
Eventually she admitted that these were neither fake farts nor involuntary but the real deal and done purposely.  She also wiped boogers on the boys, although in this case it really wasn't boogers, just Purrell with which she had wet her finger (so in her own defense, "it was a sanitary" offense) but an offense nonetheless and...unfortunately, yes, she admitted that she did mislead the boys, telling them it was real boogers...
 
And you're saying to yourself, "Why?  Why would she do such a thing?  A seventh grade boy, sure...but a fifth grade girl???"  Oh, you sexist people, how I feel sorry for you and your prejudices, to assume only adolescent boys are capable of such behavior.
 
The 5th grade girl apologized, and the boys forgave her.  I suspected that the boys were not all that much offended by her actions as they were eager to tell me this story.  The boys each specifically told their female classmate, "We forgive you."  Several of our teachers have worked with their students on pronouncing forgiveness rather than just saying, "It's all right," and I understand their thinking.  These students have been taught not to merely say, "It's all right"...because farting intentionally on a classmate's desk and wiping boogers, even bogus boogers, on their arms is not 'all right.' 
 
"But(t) still, why did you do this?"
 
"I was bored."  See, I told you that it was May here, also.
 
The boys burst out laughing, one of them laughing so hard that he cried, when this girl's only defense was, "I was bored."  I'm keeping these kids - they know that in Jesus there is forgiveness of sins...and laughter.
 
When you repent and the offended party pronounces forgiveness, the sin is removed as far as the east is from the west; we may even burst forth in laughter and tears may flow because, as God promises, the sin is remembered no more.  Thereafter, things are 'all right' - not that the thing this student did was 'all right,' but things in general are 'all right.'  We are, through Jesus' death and resurrection, forgiven, made right with God and hopefully then, we are able to be right with one another as well.  So when we announce, "I forgive you," things actually are, in every scents (sorry, I couldn't resist), 'all right.'