Am I being a jerk

[janetpa]

End of the school year and a teacher decides she wants to play an end of the year joke on me. She stayed after an hour and a half after school to wrap my entire desk and work space in plastic wrap. This includes not only my med log but also the key to medications, bandaids, annual release log, basically everything I need to work. I wasn't happy when I saw it but fortunately I had a meeting off campus before I could clean it off. teachers were texting me asking for various things but they were on my desk so no one could get to them due to the plastic wrap. I finally referred all requests to the principal as I was not on site and she made sure my work space was cleared off when I got back. Was I being a jerk for thinking how stupid this joke was and for referring people to the principal???

[tining, BSN, RN]

I am all in for a practical joke, but this was a practical NOPE. I bet your principal agrees.

[JenTheSchoolRN, BSN, RN]

I don't think you were being a jerk. They definitely did not look at the big picture when trying to come up with a prank. Reminds me a little of the senior prank our class did way back in the dark ages...A small group of seniors broke into a farm and stole a bunch of pigeons. Broke into the teacher's lounge and released the pigeons in the teacher's lounge. Sounds funny, even now. BUT when the teachers arrived Monday morning, there was mass chaos. Bird poop everywhere, ruined a bunch of student's papers and exams, damaged some of the computers...one of those things that I am sure at the time we just thought they would walk in Monday morning and find some pigeons in the lounge and get a good laugh about it, not realizing the mess and destruction. Also, the poor birds had been bred in captivity and were apparently some special type of pigeon. No survival skills I am sure. Teachers shooed them out the windows with brooms. The senior class ended up having to come up with a hefty amount of money to pay for the birds and hire a special clean-up crew, as well as replace the damaged computers. No one was laughing then...

Not mentioned stealing. You're lucky the police weren't involved! (Or were they?)

Bird poo is never fun. We had a bird get trapped overnight in one of the dressing rooms at the local theater I volunteer at. Poor thing was terrified and pooped EVERYWHERE. That was not fun to clean up at all.

OP, you did what I would have done. Yes, it is nice that a teacher wanted to "include" you, but makes me think about common sense and what they do to other teachers.

Once I had a teacher take copies of my STI charts from my health class out of recycling, highlight everything they found funny, and tape several copies all over another teacher's desk and laptop. Okay, fine, laugh at it. But I will say it didn't really help the stigma of STI teaching for me that week when the students I hadn't taught the lesson to yet got wind of the prank done to their teacher (yep, news of all kinds travels).

[MHDNURSE]

Not mentioned stealing. You're lucky the police weren't involved! (Or were they?)

Bird poo is never fun. We had a bird get trapped overnight in one of the dressing rooms at the local theater I volunteer at. Poor thing was terrified and pooped EVERYWHERE. That was not fun to clean up at all.

OP, you did what I would have done. Yes, it is nice that a teacher wanted to "include" you, but makes me think about common sense and what they do to other teachers.

Once I had a teacher take copies of my STI charts from my health class out of recycling, highlight everything they found funny, and tape several copies all over another teacher's desk and laptop. Okay, fine, laugh at it. But I will say it didn't really help the stigma of STI teaching for me that week when the students I hadn't taught the lesson to yet got wind of the prank done to their teacher (yep, news of all kinds travels).

Yeah the students got in trouble big-time for stealing as well, but luckily the local farm decided not to press charges and just asked for them to pay back the money. I think they had to do community service hours at the farm as well, I can't remember now.

[Jedrnurse, BSN, RN]

Rule of thumb: Anything that makes your job more difficult (which this definitely would have done) is not funny.

[caliotter3]

Perhaps the joker in the OP was expressing professional jealousy in a passive aggressive manner. I've noticed not-so-subtle mild hostility from some throughout the years. If they envy nurses so much, someone should tell them they are welcome to attend nursing school, even at an advanced age. Then they too, can be the focus of not-so-funny jokes.

[scuba nurse, BSN, MSN, RN]

Are you friends with this teacher? I would say something to her/him.

[Orca, ADN, ASN, RN]

A turd memed pillow is funny. What they did to you is not. I think you need to borrow OldDudes shovel.

Absolutely this. A rubber turd on top of the desk or a rubber snake in a drawer is a prank. Cutting off your access to things that you might have needed in an emergency goes well beyond that.

[ruby_jane, BSN, RN]

Nope. You referred people who were calling you when you were off campus to the one person who could have done something. None of the callers volunteered to un-shrinkwrap your desk?

[3ringnursing, BSN]

Since you were off campus I don't see that you had any other choice but to refer to the principal.

What are some people thinking (or not thinking) is the question.

On a side note, the prankster clearly likes you enough to try to elicit a smile - a cup of Starbucks, or home baked cookies would have done the job though.