She’s an expert in her field and decided to give back to the community by sharing her knowledge. But when a group of kids challenged her authority she let them fail.
She’s Giving Back to the Community
Katy is a well-respected member of the IT community. With years of experience under her belt, she decided to give back to the community by mentoring young minds interested in technology.
While she primarily mentored adults, she also wanted to take on the challenge of mentoring kids.
Growing Fields
It was no secret that the fields of IT and STEM were growing in popularity, and more and more people wanted to get into these fields. There were several boot camps, hackathons, and mentoring programs available for all ages.
She Decided to Mentor Some Kids
Katy signed up as a mentor in a program that taught kids how to code with blocks, what AI was, and how to develop an MVP.
It may sound complicated, but for an educated professional with years of experience, explaining these concepts to children was not be too difficult.
A Good Opportunity for the Youth
The program was designed to give kids credits that could help them get into better schools or be eligible for university scholarships later in life.
Katy felt that this was an excellent opportunity for these young minds, and she was excited to get started.
Her Two Teams
Katy was assigned two teams; Team A consisted of primary to early middle schoolers, while Team B consisted of high schoolers.
Both teams had five members, and Katy had to mentor them on how to develop an MVP project.
The Smart Kids
Katy was excited about mentoring Team A, but she was worried about mentoring high schoolers in Team B.
These were not ordinary high schoolers; they were the cream of the crop, the ones who had more on their plates than most people could handle. She felt that they were going to be difficult to work with.
Oh, Dear!
Her worries only got worse when she found out that the parents of the Team A members were required to attend the meetings.
Parents could be overbearing, often interfering with the mentor’s work.
Team A Were Great Students
Surprisingly, Team A showed great promise. Despite their age, they were eager to learn, and they were receptive to Katy’s teaching.
They attended all meetings and responded to Katy’s assignments. Katy was pleased with their progress, and she felt that they were on track to submit their MVPs before the deadline.
Team B Was Not
Team B, on the other hand, started well, but they gradually stopped showing up for meetings. They read assignments, but they did not respond to them.
Katy understood that they had exams and other commitments, but she felt that they were disregarding her time. Katy was a professional, but she was also a volunteer.
She had no incentive to work with these kids other than to see them succeed.
She Was Doing Her Job
Katy sent several messages asking for updates on the project. She warned them of the upcoming deadline and urged them to submit their projects before the deadline.
She reminded them that the program required them to submit their MVPs before the middle of April. She sent these messages because she felt that it was her responsibility to remind them of the deadline.
They Said What?!
Sam, the self-appointed leader of Team B, replied to one of Katy’s messages, “Uhm, Hi, Katy! I know that you probably mean well, but you only bother the team with those deadline messages. Can’t you, like, chill out? When we need you, we will contact you. Just get off our hair and let us do our job. I’m sorry if that hurts your feelings; it is what it is. <3”
What an Insane Message
Sam’s message took Katy aback. She had never experienced someone speaking to her in such a manner. She was a professional and wanted respect.
She responded politely, informing Sam that she would stop messaging the team if that caused tension within the group. Katy was not one to cause unnecessary tension, but the deadline was fast approaching.
They Just Didn’t Care
Sam replied, “Just stop, OK?? Geez, X” Katy was disappointed by Sam’s response, but she decided to comply entirely with their wishes.
So She Decided to Follow Their Demands
Katy responded that she would stop messaging if it caused tension within the team, but she reinforced the deadline was still on the 15th, and the site would reject any application after that date.
Team A Knocked It Out of the Park
After Sam’s message, Katy did not write anything to Team B.
She had scheduled no meetings, updates, or checkups about the curriculum/their understanding, and definitely not a written reminder of the deadline once.
The deadline came, Team A uploaded their project with no issues, and their parents even bought Katy a nice box of chocolate as a “Thank you” gesture.
Team B Shot Themselves in the Foot
However, Team B started bombarding her with messages, asking for help because “something is wrong with the site! We can’t upload our project!”
She’d Warned Them, After All
Katy entered the chat and said, “Yes, it will not upload. No, it is not an issue with the site. The deadline has passed, so if you try to upload, it will only show you an error message. I warned you, kids!”
They Were Salty
Team B ended up with no extra credits, no nothing. The rules of the program were simple, and there were no exceptions for any reason!
Team B tried to blame Katy, saying that as a mentor, it was her job to ensure they would succeed.
She’d Just Done What Was Asked of Her!
Luckily she had all their communication in writing, so they didn’t have a leg to stand on. She reminded them all that her job as a mentor was to provide support and guidance, keep track of their progress, and remind them of the deadlines – which they’d requested she not do!
Katy was simply respecting their boundaries and doing what they wanted; they’d simply shot themselves in the foot. A fantastic tale of Malicious compliance gone right!
What do you think about this tale of malicious compliance? She was simply following orders!
A Fun Day Out
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She Was Getting Married
Weddings can be stressful enough without dealing with entitled family members who want to make demands. Unfortunately, Lily’s cousin is one of those people. Let’s find out how Lily dealt with her cousin. Her Entitled Cousin Invited Herself to the Wedding and Then Starting Dishing Out Her Demands. She Was in for a Rude Awakening!
She Had a Big Yard
Have you ever had a neighbor who thinks they’re entitled to your property because it’s adjacent to theirs? Well, Izzy sure has, and it’s not a pleasant experience. Let’s take a look at her situation. Her Nextdoor Neighbor Thought She Had the Right to Use Her Garden While She Was Away…
A Plastic Dream
Heather, a 35-year-old plastic surgeon, was at the center of a family drama after snapping back at her aunt, who disparaged her profession. Her Aunt Thinks Her Career Is a Joke and Keeps Insulting Her, So She Finally Retaliated! Was She in the Wrong?
A Second Family Home
A frustrated father recently asked Reddit for advice after he threw his son and future in-laws out of a house he was paying for when they uninvited the family from their wedding. Here is the whole story. Dad Threw Out His Son and Future In-Laws After They Uninvited His Family from the Wedding
The post When Her Students Told Her to Back Off, She Did Just That! Now They’ve Missed Their Deadline and Are Blaming Her for Their Failure! first appeared on Mama Say What?!
Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / Cookie Studio. The people shown in the images are for illustrative purposes only, not the actual people featured in the story.
Source: Reddit