Reply #6: Since when does my kid have to hawk shit to get a public education?

[davsand]

Pisses me off to no end when the school sends this crap home with her. We also do the Girl Scout Cookie thing every year, and that is enough of a tradition I'm able to deal with it. I don't feel like I'm putting anybody out. The candy, cookie dough, butter braids and candles, on the other hand, annoy the crap outta me because they are asking my kid to go sell stuff so some corporation can make a profit for the sake of some token donation they'll give to the PTA or the school in return.

I am equally unthrilled with all the sheets that come home for fundraisers for national charities. I give money to the charities we support and ignore the rest after we have the debate about the REALLY neat (cheap ass crap) prize she can get if she'll only raise ____ amount.

I had a fairly intense discussion just this year with the band teacher after she sent home some sales thing that said my kid was "required" to sell at least $150 of the products if she wanted to go to band contest. Did I remember to mention that particular contest was "required" for all band kids? That teacher threatened that any kid who did not go would get a failing grade in band!

I explained that I considered that particular contest to be an optional thing if it was something we had to pay for out of pocket, and that I did not expect that my kid was gonna have any problems with her grades if she failed to peddle that overpriced crap. I went on to explain that in my opinion they couldn't "require" anything that the school was not willing to fund.


Laura