Lara in Colo Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 My children are in a public school enrichment program one day a week (today). I really like this school. I have a good school district and I didn't pull my children for education reasons. But I really hated the BS of public school. Websites (when I didn't have a computer at the time) for all communication---- and all the sales of things (yearbooks for first graders???--- popcorn money for Fridays and school spirit shirts?) Today is picture day (I found out today--) It was probably on the website yesterday but still-- no time to get their hair cut. I don't purchase a package so I don't get too uptight about this but I try to make sure they are in a nice shirt for the class picture (and last year they made really nice ID cards and children looked horrible because I didn't know it was picture day). Then, once I put them in nice shirts-- I am told (by the children) today they are PAINTING IN ART!!!!!!!!! ARRRRRGGGGG. Lara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 I hear you. I couldn't stand all that BS when my children were in public school. I listen to my friends kvetch about it and think to myself "If you all hate it so much do something about it" but then I realize they are just interested in complaining and I go back to my regularly scheduled smiling and nodding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2bee Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 No chance of pictures first, painting later? What about a change of shirts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 Yeah, I don't do fundraisers. They have these coupon books that they send home with the kids and you HAVE to pay for them whether you sell them or not! I send them right back! If they need money they can ask me to write a check, so that 100% of the money will go to something that I actually care about. They have different fundraisers at least a couple times a month, not counting the box top drives etc. I also don't buy the photos. I have a camera! So I don't care what the kids look like on picture day. They must think I am the worst mom ever. ;) Meanwhile the vast majority of papers they send home go directly into the recycle bin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMamaBird Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 Preach it! Honestly, all the piddling BS is why we HS too. We also are surrounded by really good schools with great programs and I know my kids would get solid educations. But like you said, the BS is ridiculous! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne in CA Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 All of these things were my experiences when oldest was in ps for four years. She went to what was considered the best public elementary school in Oregon for two of those years and in spite of countless fundraisers, wonderful art classes, and a learning environment that was just flat out beautiful, the bs at the school nearly killed me as a young parent, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lara in Colo Posted November 5, 2013 Author Share Posted November 5, 2013 I think I was a closet homeschooler when my children small. I got in trouble for pulling them out too much to take them to museums. The school threatened to not let them pass to the next grade (first grade) because they had missed too much school? Really? You will hold back a child at the top of her class (as told by the teacher) because they missed 5 days to go to museums? sigh I really like this enrichment program---the children make friends and the district pays for my curriculum, and I get a day off (plus it counts for 1/2 of the required hours for the year--- I go way over anyway-- but still!!) One of the unseen advantages of the program is just enough of a taste of the PS BS to remind me how much I hated it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 Speaking of taking time off to do educational stuff. I approached the 1st grade teacher before the school year and told her we were planning a trip to the girls' mother country and other travel, and I wanted to know her policy on missed days. I promised her the trips would be educational and that we'd read daily and do all the class work if she told us what to do. Well, she thought that would be a disaster. LOL. We ended up doing one trip over Christmas break, and the kids missed 1 day of school. Teacher refused to give me any make-up work in advance, so I downloaded the next LA and math workbook chapters and we worked through them during the flight home. Turns out the kids in school didn't actually do any real work on that day anyway. :P Whatever. We postponed our India trip until July, when the heat about killed us. This year we will miss 2 school days for travel, and I think the kids will be all right. ;) And we'll go someplace cooler in the summer. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJ. Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 My boys also go to a once a week enrichment program. For me it is a reminder of how I would be an awful public school parent, not to mention how much work it all is - snacks, lunches, homework, uniforms, getting up early, remembering the extras (picture day, fundraisers, permission slips). ACK! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
countrygal Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 A local school gave iPads to all the students... even down to kindergarten!! MY goodness, what's wrong with pen and paper. That would really bother me and the parents are suppose to keep up with everything using those. Maybe I'm just old fashioned. I know not everyone agrees with me but what a waste of tax money and let's turn the kids into electronic zombies even earlier. I have a friend whose 3rd grader gets homework every single night and is so burnt out by it. He's gone from 7-4 because of long bus rides. Let the kid play for what little time he has at the end of the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forget-Me-Not Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 Oh I so don't miss fundraising. Once my first grader came home with a form selling sandwiches to fund the EIGHTH grade field trip. Um, NO. The eighth graders can babysit and mow lawns without outsourcing to first grade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 Oh as for the 8th grade field trip, my understanding is that I'm supposedly building a fund to defray *my* individual kids' 8th grade trip, beginning in KG. I'll just pay full price come 2020, thanks. It's nice that they do offer that option to people who would have trouble financing the trip, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berta Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 I think I was a closet homeschooler when my children small. I got in trouble for pulling them out too much to take them to museums. The school threatened to not let them pass to the next grade (first grade) because they had missed too much school? Really? You will hold back a child at the top of her class (as told by the teacher) because they missed 5 days to go to museums? sigh I really like this enrichment program---the children make friends and the district pays for my curriculum, and I get a day off (plus it counts for 1/2 of the required hours for the year--- I go way over anyway-- but still!!) One of the unseen advantages of the program is just enough of a taste of the PS BS to remind me how much I hated it! LOL, I am an awful public school mom too. My daughter went to PS last year for 2nd grade because I had to work. On days where I would be let off early I went to school and picked her up. Then I lost hours and went from full time to part time status so I would pick her up at 1pm three days a week. We live in the sticks and it didn't make sense for me to drive right past the school at 1pm, go home, and then have to come back out to pick her up an hour and a half later. That's 30 miles round trip! She reached her allowable days out and they threatened me with truancy. We already had a vacation planned and they said NOPE. So I un-enrolled her, then re-enrolled her 12 days later when we got back. I also un-enrolled her since our state does not allow us to opt-out of testing. Then I re-enrolled her when the testing was done. I quit my job so we could continue homeschooling. We just aren't cut out for PS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalmia Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 I still remember the "pep rally" meetings for fundraisers from my own elementary school days (over 30 years ago). They got the kids all excited over nothing and wasted an hour or two of classroom time for each one. You can refuse to participate. Speak to the principal, teacher, and secretary at the beginning of the year. Hand them a check, if you wish. Schools make a teeny tiny percentage off each sale. These fund raising companies are what you are really supporting, not the school. Spread the word among the other parents. A critical mass of parents opting out may turn the tide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalmia Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 She reached her allowable days out and they threatened me with truancy. We already had a vacation planned and they said NOPE. So I un-enrolled her, then re-enrolled her 12 days later when we got back. I also un-enrolled her since our state does not allow us to opt-out of testing. Then I re-enrolled her when the testing was done. I love this. Already planned to opt-out of testing if the youngest one goes to school (state allows opting out), but I like your clever approach. Must have made them sputter and spit in indignation! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrookValley. Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 Yep, I would be the crappiest public school parent ever. :laugh: I'm very grateful we get to do what we want, when we want, on no one's schedule but ours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lara in Colo Posted November 5, 2013 Author Share Posted November 5, 2013 For our enrichment program (which is funded by the county and thus a "public school") -- I am on the parent oversight committee and I see the finances (which anyone can see-- I just get a printed out folder and a meeting four times a year) so when there was fundraiser last week-- I was sort of :confused1: . For what ?? I didn't know we needed money for anything. We voted to cancel the fundraiser-- mostly because it was not sanctioned and was being run by one mom. Now we do--- because we are planning some cool activities-- like outdoor lab. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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