Just a quick post to follow-up on my previous one on Daisy's school Holiday plans. (See here if you missed it.)
Despite having personally spoken to at least 10 people prior to that post, with the intent of trying to figure out why on earth a gift label needed to be so vague, nobody could provide a reasonable explanation and everyone was just as befuddled as me.
BUT, I forgot to consult the interwebs. Silly me.
My friend, Brandy, through a series of Facebook exchanges, finally made sense of it all for me: if bringing a book for the exchange was optional then so it follows that there may not be enough books to go around, so the school would have to make up the difference. Hence, nobody wants to embarrass the kids who did not bring the book (especially since that was their parents choice, not theirs) and some kids would end up with books from the school and others from school friends.
With a reasonable explanation I send a humble apology out into cyberspace (since I'm sure nobody at the school knows of this blog.) "To: My friend. From: Your friend", it is.
I still stand by not having to pay for school when there is no school. Sorry, you decide to provide no service, I should have to provide no payment. I think my issue with this was exacerbated by the fact that this scheduling information only reached me at the end of November. Fortunately, I have parents who are my back-up child care. Not everyone is so lucky.
Which brings me to the point of this follow-up post.
Once upon a time a wise friend (you know who you are) advised me against solutionless whining. At the very least it's unattractive and the very worst, it's darn right destructive. And as someone who likes nothing better than to get to the bottom of why things are not working right and then fix them (it's my thing, as you'll know if you've ever worked with me) I am going to do something about "this".
I am sending a proposal to the director of Daisy's school by email today and will report back later.
And if "this" is all a bit vague right now, it's intentionally so. Stay tuned...
Friday, December 16, 2011
The rebellion begins
Let me start by saying that I LOVE Daisy's school. She loves it. I love it. I love the teachers. I love the vibe. I'm very happy with it. But a couple of things are irking me right now...
The school is doing a little gift exchange for Christmas and, in keeping with the learning theme, we had to bring in a wrapped book to donate the exchange pile. Cool so far, I like it. Daisy will definitely not say no a new book. The problem is the school's instructions for the label.
TO: My friend
FROM: Your friend
W.T.F!?
I mean, why not just say "To you. From me"? And then, in that case, why even bother with a label at all? I think it's clear to even a toddler that the gift came from someone and is being given to someone; they don't need a label to explain that basic concept.
Then, there is the fact that 2 and 3 year olds can't read, so what the hell does it matter what the label says? Plus, what is the big deal about saying who the book is from? I totally get why it doesn't say who it is "to" but really what's the point in giving and receiving a gift if there is no joy or appreciation derived from either side when the recipient opens it?
Perhaps the intent is to ensure that any crappy book given doesn't reflect poorly on the child who gave it? Well, maybe if the gift had to say who it was from then there would be more pressure to present a worthy choice? And it's not like cost was an issue: we were told to spend no more than $10.
Maybe the teachers are worried that the receiving child will hate it, throw it across the room, and have a toddler-fit, thus upsetting the recipient? Well, what about the opportunity to teach kids the valuable lesson of appreciating gifts for the thought and effort not just whether or not it was on their wish list? Plus, won't most kids know which book is the one their family donated anyway? I know Daisy will. They may be only two but they're not stupid.
Finally, I find it hard to believe that a room of curious preschoolers will not ask the inevitable question: "Who bought me this?" And what will be the teachers' response? Will they say "Santa" delivered it? I'm guessing no or the "From" would have been Saint Nick himself.
So, I'm totally perplexed and quite pissed and the stupidity of it all.
Hence, I left the label off completely. I mean, there was no actual point in the label, so why waste one?
Unfortunately, husband let me down. He dropped Daisy and said, wrapped book off this week and when the teacher took it from him she examined it, determined it didn't have a label, and said she would put one on it for us. And what did Hubby say? Did he say "Actually, we left it off purposefully because we thought the wording made absolutely no sense"? No, he did not. He said "Ok," OK!? OK!!!!??????
Yes, he totally thwarted my rebellion, which is leading me to more drastic measures. I will now spend all weekend prepping Daisy for the gift exchange, making sure she relentlessly demands to know who her book is from and ensuring she loudly identifies the book we donated when it is pulled from the pile.
I will undo this P.C. insanity one way or another.
And while I'm ranting about the school... it's all but closed next week. Of course, there is no reduction in tuition which, over the Holidays, would be much appreciated. Sure, it's open on Monday (when Daisy doesn't attend anyway) and Tuesday, but Tuesday is basically a throwaway because school is only from 9am to 12:30pm and the whole day is dedicated to the Christmas concert, puppet show, and Santa visit... all of which we parents are expected to attend (which, of course, I will... happily.). What's even more annoying is that there is a sign-up sheet for parents to provide the food!
Let me get this straight: I pay you $700 a month; you eliminate one week of school and force me to find alternative care for my child but provide no refund; and THEN you want me to bring food to your Christmas celebration which, incidentally, I had to take time off to attend!?
Where's the Holiday spirit in that!?
----------
And yes, I fully intend to pay no mind to the fact that this is my first post on here in months. Move along. Nothing to see here.
The school is doing a little gift exchange for Christmas and, in keeping with the learning theme, we had to bring in a wrapped book to donate the exchange pile. Cool so far, I like it. Daisy will definitely not say no a new book. The problem is the school's instructions for the label.
TO: My friend
FROM: Your friend
W.T.F!?
I mean, why not just say "To you. From me"? And then, in that case, why even bother with a label at all? I think it's clear to even a toddler that the gift came from someone and is being given to someone; they don't need a label to explain that basic concept.
Then, there is the fact that 2 and 3 year olds can't read, so what the hell does it matter what the label says? Plus, what is the big deal about saying who the book is from? I totally get why it doesn't say who it is "to" but really what's the point in giving and receiving a gift if there is no joy or appreciation derived from either side when the recipient opens it?
Perhaps the intent is to ensure that any crappy book given doesn't reflect poorly on the child who gave it? Well, maybe if the gift had to say who it was from then there would be more pressure to present a worthy choice? And it's not like cost was an issue: we were told to spend no more than $10.
Maybe the teachers are worried that the receiving child will hate it, throw it across the room, and have a toddler-fit, thus upsetting the recipient? Well, what about the opportunity to teach kids the valuable lesson of appreciating gifts for the thought and effort not just whether or not it was on their wish list? Plus, won't most kids know which book is the one their family donated anyway? I know Daisy will. They may be only two but they're not stupid.
Finally, I find it hard to believe that a room of curious preschoolers will not ask the inevitable question: "Who bought me this?" And what will be the teachers' response? Will they say "Santa" delivered it? I'm guessing no or the "From" would have been Saint Nick himself.
So, I'm totally perplexed and quite pissed and the stupidity of it all.
Hence, I left the label off completely. I mean, there was no actual point in the label, so why waste one?
Unfortunately, husband let me down. He dropped Daisy and said, wrapped book off this week and when the teacher took it from him she examined it, determined it didn't have a label, and said she would put one on it for us. And what did Hubby say? Did he say "Actually, we left it off purposefully because we thought the wording made absolutely no sense"? No, he did not. He said "Ok," OK!? OK!!!!??????
Yes, he totally thwarted my rebellion, which is leading me to more drastic measures. I will now spend all weekend prepping Daisy for the gift exchange, making sure she relentlessly demands to know who her book is from and ensuring she loudly identifies the book we donated when it is pulled from the pile.
I will undo this P.C. insanity one way or another.
And while I'm ranting about the school... it's all but closed next week. Of course, there is no reduction in tuition which, over the Holidays, would be much appreciated. Sure, it's open on Monday (when Daisy doesn't attend anyway) and Tuesday, but Tuesday is basically a throwaway because school is only from 9am to 12:30pm and the whole day is dedicated to the Christmas concert, puppet show, and Santa visit... all of which we parents are expected to attend (which, of course, I will... happily.). What's even more annoying is that there is a sign-up sheet for parents to provide the food!
Let me get this straight: I pay you $700 a month; you eliminate one week of school and force me to find alternative care for my child but provide no refund; and THEN you want me to bring food to your Christmas celebration which, incidentally, I had to take time off to attend!?
Where's the Holiday spirit in that!?
----------
And yes, I fully intend to pay no mind to the fact that this is my first post on here in months. Move along. Nothing to see here.
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