Class mom communicates with her law firm work email but forgets to inform teacher's birthday

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s not normal to celebrate the teacher’s birthday

Plus 1

+1 I’ve never once seen this done.

I see this in all my kids private schools. I wonder if this is a public vs private school thing.

No, it’s not. Each school has its own culture, whether public or private. Our public elementary has very engaged parents. There’s a parent liaison who coordinates with all room parents. Each room parent receives communications they’re supposed to pass on to all class parents about grade-specific things. They also distribute a form to room parents for the teacher to fill out at the beginning of the year. It asks when their birthday is, and then asks all their favorites: restaurant, candy, dessert, lunch, stores where they shop, hobbies, things they collect, etc. Room parents then collect money from parents and use the form to celebrate the teacher’s birthday, holidays, teacher appreciation, end of year.

I am a working parent who was room parent for four years - our school just started doing this last year and I find it super annoying. Why does there need to be a room mom organizer?? It is so unnecessary and that added layer of room mom organizer and all of her stupid ideas that she wants every class in the school to do is a LOT of work and really annoying. It's the reason I stopped volunteering to be a room mom. I was room parent in order to help the teacher, not in order to do the PTA's job every week. If they want to send out emails and ask parents to do things across the whole school, they should do it themselves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s not normal to celebrate the teacher’s birthday

Yes, it is.

No. After 10 schools, 19 years with kids in school and being a room mom 4 times myself, never ever was the teacher's birthday celebrated. Not the norm.

Hmm I've been in 6 schools in 3 different states and they all did it. Some schools do, some don't. Why are some people insisting that their way is the only way? Maybe your information is out of date since your kids are older.

It’s OP who seems to be suggesting that this is standard.

Like PP, I have three kids who have gone to multiple schools and no they aren’t older. I have NEVER seen this nor would I find it appropriate to celebrate a teacher’s birthday, any more than it would be the role of the class parent to celebrate the principal’s birthday, or the janitor’s, or the office secretary’s. All of these are very important employees of the school but don’t need their birthdays acknowledged but the students.

Well, I've seen all of that. My kids made cards for the principal's birthday recently. What is so terrible about wishing people happy birthday?

The issue is OP acting as if this class mom has done something wrong. She hasn’t.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our school celebrates teacher’s birthdays. The kids are encouraged to make handmade cards for the teacher. I’m not sure why everyone is hung up on that bit. I’m sure it varies by school.

I have never heard of this. Ever.

Name your school, troll!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our school celebrates teacher’s birthdays. The kids are encouraged to make handmade cards for the teacher. I’m not sure why everyone is hung up on that bit. I’m sure it varies by school.

I have never heard of this. Ever.

Name your school, troll!

NP. That’s silly my school does it too. Both my preschooler and my kindergartener. Just because it is not done at your school doesn’t mean other schools don’t do this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s not normal to celebrate the teacher’s birthday

+1 I’ve been a room mother and we have never done this.

Our school in FCPS always asks us to celebrate the teacher’s birthday. Every grade K-6 they have let parents know and we can choose to send in a card or small gift, or sometimes they collect for a class gift.

Troll. Name your FCPS school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our school celebrates teacher’s birthdays. The kids are encouraged to make handmade cards for the teacher. I’m not sure why everyone is hung up on that bit. I’m sure it varies by school.

I have never heard of this. Ever.

Name your school, troll!

NP. That’s silly my school does it too. Both my preschooler and my kindergartener. Just because it is not done at your school doesn’t mean other schools don’t do this.

Again. Name your school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am surprised by the responses that people don’t celebrate teachers’ birthdays. I am room parent and I was told by the parents association to organize for teachers. So am busy getting cake and snacks and getting the class to write cards. So sucks for me I guess since it is actually a thing at my school.

Name of school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s not normal to celebrate the teacher’s birthday

Plus 1

+1 I’ve never once seen this done.

I see this in all my kids private schools. I wonder if this is a public vs private school thing.

No, it’s not. Each school has its own culture, whether public or private. Our public elementary has very engaged parents. There’s a parent liaison who coordinates with all room parents. Each room parent receives communications they’re supposed to pass on to all class parents about grade-specific things. They also distribute a form to room parents for the teacher to fill out at the beginning of the year. It asks when their birthday is, and then asks all their favorites: restaurant, candy, dessert, lunch, stores where they shop, hobbies, things they collect, etc. Room parents then collect money from parents and use the form to celebrate the teacher’s birthday, holidays, teacher appreciation, end of year.

Name of your private or public school. Also tell us if it is in DMV or any big city.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What makes her seem like a not-nice person? It sounds like you're intimidated that she's a partner at a law firm. I grew up going to school, my mother was a teacher, my grandfather was a teacher and I worked in schools for a few years. Students never celebrated teachers birthdays. So tell me again, what is your problem?

Don't know how you can extrapolate intimidation from this, but the biggest problem I see is that most companies actually forbid work email for personal use especially in a law firm that could have legal ramifications. I see no reason for her not to communicate with her personal email.

I would let the mom worry about this. Weird anyone else cares.

Also, what are the legal ramifications? Please be specific.

Partner at a law firm here (and room mom, ahem). No "legal ramifications" to using your work email for school communications. We do celebrate teacher birthdays, but it's just the room parents' job to organize a treat/thank you on behalf of the class. The other parents are not involved. What a weird thing to spend your time caring about.

[Anonymous]

I’ve never heard of celebrating a teachers birthday.

I don’t see why the fact that she is a partner at a law firm is relevant. Are you a sahm who is jealous or resentful of her career?

That said, maybe she just wanted to be class mom to help her get her kids into private school down the road. Apparently private schools care about that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am surprised by the responses that people don’t celebrate teachers’ birthdays. I am room parent and I was told by the parents association to organize for teachers. So am busy getting cake and snacks and getting the class to write cards. So sucks for me I guess since it is actually a thing at my school.

Name of school?

Private school in california.

[Anonymous]

Today I learned some schools celebrate teacher birthdays. Very weird if you ask me! It's far from the norm and maybe lawyer class mom is like the rest of us who have only ever been in school environments where teacher birthdays are not mentioned.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s not normal to celebrate the teacher’s birthday

Plus 1

+1 I’ve never once seen this done.

I see this in all my kids private schools. I wonder if this is a public vs private school thing.

No, it’s not. Each school has its own culture, whether public or private. Our public elementary has very engaged parents. There’s a parent liaison who coordinates with all room parents. Each room parent receives communications they’re supposed to pass on to all class parents about grade-specific things. They also distribute a form to room parents for the teacher to fill out at the beginning of the year. It asks when their birthday is, and then asks all their favorites: restaurant, candy, dessert, lunch, stores where they shop, hobbies, things they collect, etc. Room parents then collect money from parents and use the form to celebrate the teacher’s birthday, holidays, teacher appreciation, end of year.

Name of your private or public school. Also tell us if it is in DMV or any big city.

MCPS, upcounty. Economically diverse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s not normal to celebrate the teacher’s birthday

+1 I’ve been a room mother and we have never done this.

Our school in FCPS always asks us to celebrate the teacher’s birthday. Every grade K-6 they have let parents know and we can choose to send in a card or small gift, or sometimes they collect for a class gift.

Troll. Name your FCPS school.

You sound crazy. FCPS is huge and every school does things differently. My kids have been in two FCPS schools - one of them had room parents who volunteered in the classroom, sent out supply requests, collected money for a holiday gift, sent out PTA reminders. I never heard anything about birthdays when we were at that school. The one we are currently does what one of the above PPs mentioned. This year, for both kids' teachers, we've received an email a few days before the teacher's birthday suggesting we send a card or buy her a flower. We also got a list of their favorite things (color, flower, candy, even restaurant) before the holidays, and during teacher appreciation week last year there was a sign up genius asking us to bring in Starbucks with each teacher's favorite Starbucks drink. Overkill, if you ask me, but it happens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What makes her seem like a not-nice person? It sounds like you're intimidated that she's a partner at a law firm. I grew up going to school, my mother was a teacher, my grandfather was a teacher and I worked in schools for a few years. Students never celebrated teachers birthdays. So tell me again, what is your problem?

Don't know how you can extrapolate intimidation from this, but the biggest problem I see is that most companies actually forbid work email for personal use especially in a law firm that could have legal ramifications. I see no reason for her not to communicate with her personal email.

I would let the mom worry about this. Weird anyone else cares.

Also, what are the legal ramifications? Please be specific.

Partner at a law firm here (and room mom, ahem). No "legal ramifications" to using your work email for school communications. We do celebrate teacher birthdays, but it's just the room parents' job to organize a treat/thank you on behalf of the class. The other parents are not involved. What a weird thing to spend your time caring about.

I hope that you are the room mom that OP is typing about!