I ran into a neighbour today in the supermarket. She has a couple of slightly older children and she asked how Middle School was going for us so far. When I pulled a face she looked concerned, until I explained that the Girl is completely fine with school.
It's me that can't cope - with the blizzard of letters home, filled with details of complex grading systems and threats of penalties for tardiness, that I'm required to read, "discuss with my child" and sign; with the additional school supplies which keep being added to the list, necessitating yet more trips to the shops (the Man was scavenging for graph paper last night in Walmart: "You must be the tenth person to ask me for that tonight," said the assistant, handing him their very last book); with the fundraising requests (already?! She's only been there five minutes! And how about asking me when I haven't just shelled out a small fortune for bloomin' school supplies?); with the fact that every after-school event at the Middle School seems to clash with an equally important event at the Boy's elementary school - how am I supposed to decide which one to attend?
The neighbour laughed: "But your daughter's ok? Well, that's the main thing, isn't it?" And she's right, of course - but have schools always made such onerous demands on parents? Readers out there in a similar position, with kids moving up the school ladder - how's it going for you?
I think we've got off lightly. I've had the merest glance around WH Smith for supplies. Perhaps you need to mount a protest, armed with a retractable pencil and the pointy end of a set square.
ReplyDeleteI don't remember all that kerfuffle when I was a nipper....a new pencil case and some oddly scented erasers maybe. Sounds like school life is a whole lot more complicated these days. If all the new demands lead to the quality of education being better and/or more fun, then thats good...if not...hmmmm
ReplyDeleteI gather notebooks etc used to be supplied by schools, as in the UK, but at some point it was decided that farming out the responsibility for school supplies to parents would be the way to go to save on school taxes (voted on each year and paid by the local community). The environmental cost of everyone buying their own supplies and therefore making multiple car journeys to Walmart, Staples and Target was never factored in, of course - is it ever?
ReplyDeleteThat does sound ridiculous - don't think we'd manage it here - I'm just now buying the new shoes and uniform stuff, couldn't bear the rush before!
ReplyDeletePerhaps you could suggest that your school set up a supplies shop on site? As a fundraiser and opportunity to foster student entrepreneurs?
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