Are you kidding me?

Before lunch today, I warned the kids who had not turned in an assignment that I needed it in my hand before recess. I had a crew of kids come to my desk telling me, "Ms. L, I turned mine in!!!"

Me: "I'm sorry. I do not have your paper in the basket. I need you to check again."
Everyone: "No. I put mine in the basket."
Me: "If you put it in the basket, I would have it. I do not have it. Maybe you got distracted before you made it to the basket. Please check your folder/desk again."
Torrie: (tears welling up in her eyes) "I know I put mine in the basket."
Me: "I do not have it."
Torrie: (having difficulty holding back tears) "Well, I put it in there. I promise!"
Me: "I believe that you believe you put it in the basket. Unfortunately, I still don't have it. Could you please look again to see if it didn't make it."
Torrie: (bursting into full tears) "I turned it in!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Another student rushes over and says, "Torrie, come on. I will help you look for it."

Don't get me wrong. I felt for this little girl. I was being as nice as possible, but I have kids tell me all the time that they turned something in and then later find it in their desk. In this case, I will admit a mistake. Turns out that she did turn it in. Another kid had already come up and claimed her paper (because it didn't have a name). I apologized for telling her that she didn't turn it in, but that I couldn't do anything about someone claiming her paper because it was name-less. In my defense, it didn't look like her usual quality of work and she is not one with a distinctive handwriting. Maybe she'll write her name on all of her papers in the future.