The Carpenters: Irony At It's Finest

Earlier this year Josh was asked to help with screenings at a Kindergarten in Mennifee by a Pediatric Dentist that He's been working with. He made arrangements with the offsite clinical director and Got all the paperwork he needed to go. However, When it came time to go, the head clinical director did not want Josh to go and wouldn't sign the form. He had told Josh that another student could go but since Josh had an assignment in the Radiology department he couldn't miss. So Josh found a replacement student to take his place during both clinic sessions but still didn't get approval from the dean. So, He decided that he could learn the most and do the most good for the most people if he went to do the screenings. I helped him and it went quickly. The kids were so cute and we had a great time.

Then the drama came... When he got back, his clinical instructor asked how it went and he said it was great and told her all about it. She was so proud of him she boasted about it to the other faculty and it came out that Josh had gone without proper permission. He received a letter saying he needed to meet with the dean of student affairs. She is not a very nice person and cares only about her own power and ego. She accused Josh of stealing the form that he needed to go and told him that he was unethical and unprofessional and that he would need to go before the student performance committee. The off site clinical Dean Martinez urged the other 2 deans not to go forward but they ignored his plea and Josh had to go anyway. He then decided to do a survey to show the administration that the students were unhappy and that there was a problem with the authority. This didn't go over very well and Josh was thrown under the bus by his fellow student government and the survey was thrown out and people were told not to participate. 1/3 of the college had already filled it out and expressed concerns however but no one that mattered would do anything about it.

He and my dad put together a letter stating all the facts of how other students had been allowed to do similar things, the school policy (including the mission statement and promise that all students would be treated as professionals from day 1) and specific times and dates. Apparently the letter wasn't apologetic enough and Josh was given 1 year of professional probation. This meant that he would lose his CDA leadership position and student government position. BUT, If he were to write a letter of apology to everyone on the committee and the 2 deans that he disobeyed, he would be allowed to keep his positions during the probation.

Meanwhile, the whole thing has pretty much blown over and they just tried to make an example out of Josh. Nothing has really changed, besides the fact that they are inspecting his every move to make sure he doesn't slip up. All of the faculty who actually know and work with Josh on a daily basis adore him, respect him, and feel that he is an excellent student and clinician. Josh is very well respected in the CDA dental community and all who know him are impressed with his talents, skills, abilities and personality.

So even though Josh was living up to the school's mission statement and trying to reach out to the community and make a good name for himself and the school and helped over 100 kindergartners, He was punished for being "unethical and unprofessional". A couple of months later there was an honors and awards ceremony and Josh received notification that he would be honored there. So we got dressed up and went to the banquet. He was given the Excellence in Leadership award for exemplary leadership and professionalism which included $250. Then he was sponsored by the tri-county Dental Society to be their representative at a national new dentist conference in Washington D.C.

What a Joke!!

Josh has handled it all with grace and dignity and has upheld his integrity and upbeat, positive spirit. He continues to thrive in his leadership positions and is improving tremendously as a clinician. He is an amazing example of humility and respect and I'm so proud of him and all his accomplishments. He never lets anything get him down and never treats others poorly or holds grudges even when he has been wronged. He does so much for others and I'm so impressed with the man that he is. I'm grateful to be his wife and to know that we are sealed for time and all eternity. I hope that our children will take after him and learn from his incredible example.