With school starting in just a few more days I have been shedding a few tears – of joy that is. Oh you know I love my kiddies but seriously they have been driving me a bit batty this summer! It didn’t help that the hubby had to have 2 surgery’s which really screwed up some plans that we had. He is still recuperating but he is a bit better – thanks for asking 🙂 Anyhow as much as I do the happy dance on the first day of school there are some things that happen during the first few weeks of school that really irritate me even more than my children can.
1. School supplies! Holy crap! Whatever happened to the days of needing a pencil, a ruler and an eraser? The cost for school supplies for 6 children is just crazy. What really bugs me though is how some schools have the balls to request that you purchase “name brand supplies, such as Crayola.” Perhaps some school board employees should walk through the aisles of a store and see how much “brand name supplies” actually cost!
2. Indoor and outdoor shoes. HELLO! Do our children’s shoes that they walked to school in (and then there are those who are on a bus or in a car) REALLY make such a mess on the schools floors? Hmmm six children times 2 pairs of shoes each = A LOT OF DAMN MONEY! Again maybe the school board should purchase the “Indoor shoes” if they are so worried.
3. All the permission forms they send home the first few days of school – FOR EACH CHILD! With 6 in school this year that is a lot of signing which isn’t very nice for my arthritis. I did try just sending back one with each of my child’s initials but they didn’t really go for that. My solution now is to sign my name on one form, write in the last name, fill in any required information, and then photocopy 5 more. I then have to just fill in the children’s name on each form.
4. Money for agenda’s. Okay at least my children’s elementary school has a set price of $25 for families with 3 or more children. I also have 2 in middle school this year, so I will have to fork out money for theirs.
5. Re-organization day. This is the most ridiculous of them all. So let’s get the children all settled in to their new classes and two weeks later CHANGE IT ALL! Surely there must be a more simplified method. I recognize that some changes may be deemed necessary, but the majority of times it seems to affect almost every single class! I feel so bad for those poor grade one’s who are trying to adjust to being there full day and then they get wacked with things such as friends leaving to go to another class or themselves being changed to another class, or a totally new teacher coming in.
Personally, I like what the specialized schools do such as the Regional Arts school my daughter is in. Parents pay a set fee of $150 dollars. This fee covers the agenda, art supplies required, workshops, fieldtrips and anything else that is art related. I never have to worry about a memo coming home one day wanting payment for a field trip within the next few days. I hate that! Most schools have their field trips planned out at the beginning of the year so why can’t this be done in the elementary schools? Obviously it wouldn’t coast as much as the specialized schools and it would be so much easier to know ahead of time what types of costs are going to be incurred way before it is actually due.
So you tell me – what things do you hate about the beginning of school?
Until next time,
Chantel, momof8crazymonkeys
Erin – I understand the importance of indoor/outdoor shoes – when necessary. I have one in KG and have never seen dirt or sand by the cubbies when the kiddies come in with their outdoor shoes but our school also has the “Hard top” aka Concrete and then wood chips and grass only – no sand in our school yard although I suppose grass could be somewhat annoying. I am all for the indoor shoes when it is raining and or snowing because then the children should be wearing boots anyway slippery floors are not safe at all. I have no idea what school you are at because I have ALWAYS had to pay for my children’s supplies and have actually had memo’s sent home stating that my child’s glue, pencil crayons etc needed to be replenished! Last year when I was volunteering in the classroom (gr 2) there was a child who had no pencil crayons to work with – I searched high and low and couldn’t find any because there were none. She ended up sharing with another child. We are actually given lists of what we are required to purchase. I sit on the school council and we do fundraising and yes we allocate a certain amount for field trips – but ONLY for those that cannot afford it. Most field trips are not that much (although last year I had 4 children who had trips that cost $22 each!) Apparently the cost of buses to transport them have risen due to the gas prices etc.. Most of our fundraising goes towards improvements to the school that are not covered by the board. We also have a fund that is reserved for any families in need during the holidays. I suppose there will always be paperwork for all but at least I can do my photocopying:) and we also have a system “Youngest Only” so any paper work that is sent home is only sent home with the youngest child in the family so I am not overloaded with excess paper – this is also good for the environment:) Maybe I should move to your area – sounds better!:)
Dudes – I speak from experience. The indoor/outdoor shoes are totally necessary. I will take a photo of the floors in the hallway today to show you why. They are COVERED in sand and dirt. If that came into the classroom it would be gross. And, in the gym it would be dangerous.
We don’t require the kids buy anything for school! We supply everything. Of course, people do anyway but the school has crayons, markers, rulers, calculators, notebooks, lined paper, all that jazz.
We don’t have them pay (much) for field trips either. There is fundraising for that. Which brings me to what I hate from a parent perspective (other than missing my kids).
Fundraising. I don’t want to buy a bunch of crap! I’d rather pay for the trip. Of course, I understand that not everyone can afford to so I send in $20 instead of buying pizza kits, or whatever it is.
I’m with Wendy on the paperwork, it sucks as a parent, and it sucks even more as a teacher. You have six sets Chantel, we have 26! Luckily, I don’t have a homeroom this year so I don’t have to do it! Whoot whoot!
My daughter was kind enough to inform me that when the twins start school she will be close to starting University – wow that added on yikes!
The cost of the start of the year is just nuts. The supplies, the clothes, indoor/outdoor shoes… holy crap. And times SIX? Yikes!!
Lori I don’t even want to start about the Art work situation – I will leave that for another post;) As for the lunches – I am so with you! I hate making them and so that is why I love Pizza day and Hot lunch days! That is something I am willing to hand over money for. Usually if I don’t mind having to clean up the kitchen (who am I kidding? I am always cleaning it) then I let the kiddies make their own lunch the night before – who cares if there is a few junk food items in there? This way I don’t have to do it and they are more apt to actually eat it.
Love it Wendy! I wish you were my children’s teacher! I believe you about the parents coming in this week. Our school is both English and French Immersion and I sit on the schools council so I was in our school this week and was amazed at the number of people coming in to register last minute! I can’t imagine doing that – Crazy, crazy. As for the re-organization I can’t even begin to understand what it must be like for the teachers to get settled in only to have it all changed! I am sure it is just as hard on you as it is for the kids.
Thanks for the first day welcome, I have my pen (and photo copier ready) and the cash….well I am not ready to hand that over yet lol!
Jen that was you who gave the permission form in so late? I knew it! LOL! A few of mine have had to walk around school in socks and then they had to be replaced due to the holes in them…. My children have also been known to wear slippers in school because they wore out their runners and I wouldn’t buy them new ones. Yeah I am that bitch mom ha, ha
Sara a pail full of sand in his shoes is not a good thing;)
Aileen I think having the option of updating online would be fantastic. As for fundraising money I couldn’t agree more! I thought when my daughter was in Private school it was bad – until I entered the public school system. I really despise the fundraisers that use prizes as incentives! With 6 children it just doesn’t work – I only have so many family members that are willing to put up with that. We now have a new rule and I don’t allow them to participate in any. As a family we do many things that contribute to society and help those less fortunate.
All the paper! Whether it’s forms or notices or finished assignments/artwork, there is a constant barrage of paper coming into the house. I also hate making lunches – it always takes longer than I think it should.
I’m totally doing the photocopy method for filling out the forms this year.
As a parent, I hate signing all those forms. As a teacher, I hate having to collect them. I know I have to give out 4 very important forms that require signature, and one requires a payment. Headache for me tracking all this paper and money!
Yes, the floors get very messy when they don’t change their shoes. It’s actually dangerous when it’s slippery. I wait until winter to make them bring indoor shoes, and they are usually the ones they wore outside in the fall. That’s ok, as long as they’re dry!
Nobody likes reorganization day. I’m making up name tags and my marking and homework tracking sheets now – will not like it if I have to change lots of names.
Believe it or not, there have been lots of families coming in this week, looking to register their children, new to the school. Why now? It’s people like this that create re-organization days. Where are we supposed to put these kids when the classes are already full?
Welcome to first day!!!! Get your signing pen ready and keep some cash handy!
I HATE the indoor outdoor shoes! My 12 year-old has been wearing man-sized shoes for the last 2 years and 2 pairs are costly. Especially now that he is getting to the age where he doesn’t want to just wear “any” shoe. Plus, my daughter tends to forget her indoor shoes because she has forgotten the day before to change out of them and then they make her wear her socks ALL DAY around school. Add $$ for new socks!
I love the idea of one administrative fee at the beginning. I would also love one permission form for all field trips. I am very busy and not very organized and my kid has been the one who nearly missed a trip because we lost track of the form or didn’t pay (see – my daughter comes by her “forgetting” honestly!)
Good luck, Chantel. I can’t imagine this for 6!
I loathe the indoor and outdoor shoes….what good is it when he comes home with a pailfull of sand in his shoes every night????
It’s the paperwork! The same 15 forms every year for each kid (though I only have two) to provide information that has not changed in 6 years. Can’t we just update online if we have changes?
That, followed closely by the immediate requests for fundraising money and volunteer time. Gah!