‘I don’t have to hear my kid whine’; well, your kid’s chaperone does

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are sweet to buy rain ponchos. Did they have sweatshirts for sale there? Kids should have brought enough money but maybe not.

The sweatshirts are really expensive. OP, thank you for looking after these kids. The parent who posted this didn't think their comment through. But honestly, yesterday, I didn't expect it to be so cold! And I checked the weather! It's only because I walk the dog in the morning that I actually felt the temp and told DD to change into long pants and long shirts before going to school. It's not surprising to me that multiple parents did not realize how cold it was going to get.

They still had to drop their kids off at the middle school early in the morning, right? You walk out to your car and see that it is cold and rainy, you send them back in for at the very least a rain jacket or a sweatshirt to bring with them.

The kids also walked out in the same conditions and could have made a different choice

Yes, but as parents of middle school kids, we have a duty to override the “I’m fine” and “it’s fine” and “whatevers” and prepare them for the day. Chaperones, teachers, coaches, directors, all these people have likely taken off work and are making an effort in order for your kids to have a special opportunity. The literal least you can do as a parent to make the day a success is…parent.

Letting them deal with the consequences of bad decisions is parenting.

This. I tell my kids the weather and let them decide what to wear.

That’s great but you don’t have to hear their whining all day. The volunteer chaperones and teachers do. Do better.

Such fragile flowers don’t do well as middle school chaperones. Try and do better .

I’m the teacher. If you want to teach your kids life lessons, do it on the weekend so you can hear how effective it is.

No, I'm going to raise my kids every day of the week and if you're too fragile to hear a child complain get another job. You won't be missed.

Most great middle school teachers are tough and resilient and tell kids to get their stuff together. I can’t imagine them being unable to deal with whining.

Come in and sub for a few days. Then we will talk. My colleague of 18 yrs up and walked out in February. Everyone has their limits. Her class is being “taught” by a woman who nobody can understand. Her accent is so thick and she spends most of her classes having kids copy stuff out of books she brought in. The girls tell me that she doesn’t believe girls should go to school past age 13. This is what you get when your kids’ behavior is too much. Enjoy.

Your former colleague doesn’t sound like a teacher who is good or cares if she walked out mid school year. Just as the quality of parents vary, the quality of teachers vary. Crazy you think parents don’t notice this.

NP and I have a friend who was a middle school teacher who couldn’t take it any more when the kids were animals, the parents were entitled enablers, and her mother was dying. That doesn’t make her a low-quality teacher; it makes her a human who gave until she couldn’t. It sounds like you’re a taker, so we get that you don’t understand.

That’s convenient explanation, isn’t it? It makes it so you don’t have to look much more closely at teacher conduct.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are sweet to buy rain ponchos. Did they have sweatshirts for sale there? Kids should have brought enough money but maybe not.

The sweatshirts are really expensive. OP, thank you for looking after these kids. The parent who posted this didn't think their comment through. But honestly, yesterday, I didn't expect it to be so cold! And I checked the weather! It's only because I walk the dog in the morning that I actually felt the temp and told DD to change into long pants and long shirts before going to school. It's not surprising to me that multiple parents did not realize how cold it was going to get.

They still had to drop their kids off at the middle school early in the morning, right? You walk out to your car and see that it is cold and rainy, you send them back in for at the very least a rain jacket or a sweatshirt to bring with them.

The kids also walked out in the same conditions and could have made a different choice

Yes, but as parents of middle school kids, we have a duty to override the “I’m fine” and “it’s fine” and “whatevers” and prepare them for the day. Chaperones, teachers, coaches, directors, all these people have likely taken off work and are making an effort in order for your kids to have a special opportunity. The literal least you can do as a parent to make the day a success is…parent.

Letting them deal with the consequences of bad decisions is parenting.

This. I tell my kids the weather and let them decide what to wear.

That’s great but you don’t have to hear their whining all day. The volunteer chaperones and teachers do. Do better.

Such fragile flowers don’t do well as middle school chaperones. Try and do better .

I’m the teacher. If you want to teach your kids life lessons, do it on the weekend so you can hear how effective it is.

No, I'm going to raise my kids every day of the week and if you're too fragile to hear a child complain get another job. You won't be missed.

Most great middle school teachers are tough and resilient and tell kids to get their stuff together. I can’t imagine them being unable to deal with whining.

Come in and sub for a few days. Then we will talk. My colleague of 18 yrs up and walked out in February. Everyone has their limits. Her class is being “taught” by a woman who nobody can understand. Her accent is so thick and she spends most of her classes having kids copy stuff out of books she brought in. The girls tell me that she doesn’t believe girls should go to school past age 13. This is what you get when your kids’ behavior is too much. Enjoy.

Your former colleague doesn’t sound like a teacher who is good or cares if she walked out mid school year. Just as the quality of parents vary, the quality of teachers vary. Crazy you think parents don’t notice this.

NP and I have a friend who was a middle school teacher who couldn’t take it any more when the kids were animals, the parents were entitled enablers, and her mother was dying. That doesn’t make her a low-quality teacher; it makes her a human who gave until she couldn’t. It sounds like you’re a taker, so we get that you don’t understand.

That’s convenient explanation, isn’t it? It makes it so you don’t have to look much more closely at teacher conduct.

And when I said convenient explanation, this is what I was referring to: “ It sounds like you’re a taker, so we get that you don’t understand.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I call fake/exaggerated on all of this. My kids did these music programs in middle school. They had freedom to roam with check in times. This isn’t kindergarten where they are glued to the chaperone.

I agree and I find the assertion that the chaoeron saw multiple parents gloating on Facebook about sending their kids in the trip unprepared nfir rain totally insane. That's probably what she imagined they were thinking but I don't buy it.

I do think OP, if real, seems like someone who regularly makes mountains out of molehills.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are sweet to buy rain ponchos. Did they have sweatshirts for sale there? Kids should have brought enough money but maybe not.

The sweatshirts are really expensive. OP, thank you for looking after these kids. The parent who posted this didn't think their comment through. But honestly, yesterday, I didn't expect it to be so cold! And I checked the weather! It's only because I walk the dog in the morning that I actually felt the temp and told DD to change into long pants and long shirts before going to school. It's not surprising to me that multiple parents did not realize how cold it was going to get.

They still had to drop their kids off at the middle school early in the morning, right? You walk out to your car and see that it is cold and rainy, you send them back in for at the very least a rain jacket or a sweatshirt to bring with them.

The kids also walked out in the same conditions and could have made a different choice

Yes, but as parents of middle school kids, we have a duty to override the “I’m fine” and “it’s fine” and “whatevers” and prepare them for the day. Chaperones, teachers, coaches, directors, all these people have likely taken off work and are making an effort in order for your kids to have a special opportunity. The literal least you can do as a parent to make the day a success is…parent.

Letting them deal with the consequences of bad decisions is parenting.

This. I tell my kids the weather and let them decide what to wear.

That’s great but you don’t have to hear their whining all day. The volunteer chaperones and teachers do. Do better.

Such fragile flowers don’t do well as middle school chaperones. Try and do better .

I’m the teacher. If you want to teach your kids life lessons, do it on the weekend so you can hear how effective it is.

No, I'm going to raise my kids every day of the week and if you're too fragile to hear a child complain get another job. You won't be missed.

Most great middle school teachers are tough and resilient and tell kids to get their stuff together. I can’t imagine them being unable to deal with whining.

Come in and sub for a few days. Then we will talk. My colleague of 18 yrs up and walked out in February. Everyone has their limits. Her class is being “taught” by a woman who nobody can understand. Her accent is so thick and she spends most of her classes having kids copy stuff out of books she brought in. The girls tell me that she doesn’t believe girls should go to school past age 13. This is what you get when your kids’ behavior is too much. Enjoy.

Your former colleague doesn’t sound like a teacher who is good or cares if she walked out mid school year. Just as the quality of parents vary, the quality of teachers vary. Crazy you think parents don’t notice this.

If you haven’t taught, you don’t understand. Sorry, but that’s true.

Know how your own child can frustrate you? How you have days where you need to go to another room to take a quick break from parenting because the job can be frustrating and thankless?

Times that by 30 and remove the opportunity to take breaks.

Teachers burn out, just like parents do. And when teachers burn out, they are allowed to leave. Ultimately, this is just a job… a thankless and impossible one at that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are sweet to buy rain ponchos. Did they have sweatshirts for sale there? Kids should have brought enough money but maybe not.

The sweatshirts are really expensive. OP, thank you for looking after these kids. The parent who posted this didn't think their comment through. But honestly, yesterday, I didn't expect it to be so cold! And I checked the weather! It's only because I walk the dog in the morning that I actually felt the temp and told DD to change into long pants and long shirts before going to school. It's not surprising to me that multiple parents did not realize how cold it was going to get.

They still had to drop their kids off at the middle school early in the morning, right? You walk out to your car and see that it is cold and rainy, you send them back in for at the very least a rain jacket or a sweatshirt to bring with them.

The kids also walked out in the same conditions and could have made a different choice

Yes, but as parents of middle school kids, we have a duty to override the “I’m fine” and “it’s fine” and “whatevers” and prepare them for the day. Chaperones, teachers, coaches, directors, all these people have likely taken off work and are making an effort in order for your kids to have a special opportunity. The literal least you can do as a parent to make the day a success is…parent.

Letting them deal with the consequences of bad decisions is parenting.

This. I tell my kids the weather and let them decide what to wear.

That’s great but you don’t have to hear their whining all day. The volunteer chaperones and teachers do. Do better.

Such fragile flowers don’t do well as middle school chaperones. Try and do better .

I’m the teacher. If you want to teach your kids life lessons, do it on the weekend so you can hear how effective it is.

No, I'm going to raise my kids every day of the week and if you're too fragile to hear a child complain get another job. You won't be missed.

Most great middle school teachers are tough and resilient and tell kids to get their stuff together. I can’t imagine them being unable to deal with whining.

Come in and sub for a few days. Then we will talk. My colleague of 18 yrs up and walked out in February. Everyone has their limits. Her class is being “taught” by a woman who nobody can understand. Her accent is so thick and she spends most of her classes having kids copy stuff out of books she brought in. The girls tell me that she doesn’t believe girls should go to school past age 13. This is what you get when your kids’ behavior is too much. Enjoy.

Your former colleague doesn’t sound like a teacher who is good or cares if she walked out mid school year. Just as the quality of parents vary, the quality of teachers vary. Crazy you think parents don’t notice this.

NP and I have a friend who was a middle school teacher who couldn’t take it any more when the kids were animals, the parents were entitled enablers, and her mother was dying. That doesn’t make her a low-quality teacher; it makes her a human who gave until she couldn’t. It sounds like you’re a taker, so we get that you don’t understand.

That’s convenient explanation, isn’t it? It makes it so you don’t have to look much more closely at teacher conduct.

“Teacher conduct” is hard work for not enough pay or recognition, and some parents failing to do even the bare minimum to help their kids succeed. Anyone who doesn’t appreciate teachers—especially middle school teachers—is likely a negligent parent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are sweet to buy rain ponchos. Did they have sweatshirts for sale there? Kids should have brought enough money but maybe not.

The sweatshirts are really expensive. OP, thank you for looking after these kids. The parent who posted this didn't think their comment through. But honestly, yesterday, I didn't expect it to be so cold! And I checked the weather! It's only because I walk the dog in the morning that I actually felt the temp and told DD to change into long pants and long shirts before going to school. It's not surprising to me that multiple parents did not realize how cold it was going to get.

They still had to drop their kids off at the middle school early in the morning, right? You walk out to your car and see that it is cold and rainy, you send them back in for at the very least a rain jacket or a sweatshirt to bring with them.

The kids also walked out in the same conditions and could have made a different choice

Yes, but as parents of middle school kids, we have a duty to override the “I’m fine” and “it’s fine” and “whatevers” and prepare them for the day. Chaperones, teachers, coaches, directors, all these people have likely taken off work and are making an effort in order for your kids to have a special opportunity. The literal least you can do as a parent to make the day a success is…parent.

Letting them deal with the consequences of bad decisions is parenting.

This. I tell my kids the weather and let them decide what to wear.

That’s great but you don’t have to hear their whining all day. The volunteer chaperones and teachers do. Do better.

Such fragile flowers don’t do well as middle school chaperones. Try and do better .

I’m the teacher. If you want to teach your kids life lessons, do it on the weekend so you can hear how effective it is.

No, I'm going to raise my kids every day of the week and if you're too fragile to hear a child complain get another job. You won't be missed.

Most great middle school teachers are tough and resilient and tell kids to get their stuff together. I can’t imagine them being unable to deal with whining.

Come in and sub for a few days. Then we will talk. My colleague of 18 yrs up and walked out in February. Everyone has their limits. Her class is being “taught” by a woman who nobody can understand. Her accent is so thick and she spends most of her classes having kids copy stuff out of books she brought in. The girls tell me that she doesn’t believe girls should go to school past age 13. This is what you get when your kids’ behavior is too much. Enjoy.

Your former colleague doesn’t sound like a teacher who is good or cares if she walked out mid school year. Just as the quality of parents vary, the quality of teachers vary. Crazy you think parents don’t notice this.

NP and I have a friend who was a middle school teacher who couldn’t take it any more when the kids were animals, the parents were entitled enablers, and her mother was dying. That doesn’t make her a low-quality teacher; it makes her a human who gave until she couldn’t. It sounds like you’re a taker, so we get that you don’t understand.

That’s convenient explanation, isn’t it? It makes it so you don’t have to look much more closely at teacher conduct.

“Teacher conduct” is hard work for not enough pay or recognition, and some parents failing to do even the bare minimum to help their kids succeed. Anyone who doesn’t appreciate teachers—especially middle school teachers—is likely a negligent parent.

I appreciate good and great teachers. My children have had many. I am not going to pretend that all
teachers are good or great, while you try to draw distinctions between parents. I am not going to pretend that quitting mid year is ok.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t disagree with you OP. But I also am annoyed with you. Some of those parents probably argued with their kids to dress better, bring a raincoat, etc. Kids probably refused. So parents decided to let them suffer the natural consequences! You completely undermined that! Let them be cold. Let them be wet. Will they die? No. And next time they’ll listen to their parents and bring a raincoat.

You totally undermined and “rescued” those kids. Bad choice.

OP here. My daughter was fighting me about clothes the night before because she wanted to wear shorts and Crocs. I told her she would be wearing proper shoes and long pants, or she would be going to school for a regular school day and I would attend the trip as a chaperone without her. This is called parenting. There is no such thing as an 11yo “refusing” me when it comes to a special privilege like Hershey Park.

So you raised a kid who doesn't understand how to dress themselves in middle school and now you're lecturing other people? Sounds like you did a very bad job parenting her when she was younger.

NP. What a nasty response.

OP, thanks for being kind to kids, and thanks for trying to get the various defensive shitty parents of DCUM to look at things from another perspective. It’s a lost cause. These special people have biggish careers by their own deluded telling, no sense of humor to be found, and a functional wine habit, they don’t have the TIME to deal with their actual offspring. That’s what teachers are for!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've had kids in public school long enough to know that if this was a widespread problem, then it is the fault of the organizers. Sorry.

Schools are horrible communicators. If lots of kids were poorly dressed, then the organizers did not adequately communicate to families what the event would be like -- how much walking would be involved, whether it was outdoors or indoors, whether the kids would actually be spending time at the park having fun or they would just be performing and attending an awards ceremony.

Parents aren't mind readers. Most kids would be fine at school on a rainy, 55 degree day in shorts and crocs. I see them do this all the time. In fact my kids who are not allowed to wear shoes like that to school at all complain to me about being too hot in socks because they are indoors and buildings are not heated or cooled well.

Lesson to the organizer -- next year, specify that all kids should wear closed toed shoes with socks regardless of weather, and bring an outer layer in the event of rain. I wouldn't dictate pants or shorts and if kids wore shorts and complained, I'd just let them complain.

When it's a few kids, it's on those parents or kids for not planning well enough. When it's tons of kids, then this should be part of the planning process and it means the kids and families were not adequately informed about the event.

OP here and nope. Communications were thorough, frequent and great. INCLUDING a night-before warning about the weather. Sorry, if you don’t get that amusement park = outdoors and walking, you are ridiculous. It takes 20 seconds to check a weather app or Google the weather and tell your kid to prepare for cold and rain. Sorry, you tried it, but nope.

Look, I've never sent my kid to Hershey park without a raincoat. But if the majority of kids were not prepared for the event, the communications were bad. That's it. Like dud everyone get that night before message about the weather? Was it clearly worded? Was it sent at 7pm or 11pm?

And honestly, there shouldn't be a night before message. I'm telling you if I was planning this event, my takeaway here would be that all students are required to wear closed toed shoes and socks and bring a jacket, regardless of the weather, and I would put this in all caps in the permission slip with the note that kids who are not properly attired will not be permitted to board the bus. Problem solved.

This is an organizer problem. Yes, planning events like this is like herding cats. But then brush up on your cat herding skills because that's the gig.

And this is not even unique to parents or middle schoolers. I've planned events for executives. People can be dumb and sometimes you have to spell it out for them. If most of the people at your event have the same issue, it's no longer their fault, now it's yours.

Nope, checking weather before preparing for an event is a grown-up thing, not an organizer thing. I’ve been to numerous outdoor weddings. I didn’t need the bride and groom to tell me to check the weather. I know not to wear spike heels at an outdoor wedding, I know to always have a rain jacket or an umbrella, at least in the car. They don’t even have to tell me to wear sunscreen and bring sunglasses on a sunny day! I’m a Big Girl Now!

OP is not interested in making sure the kids aren’t cold and wet. She doesn’t care, otherwise she wouldn’t keep fighting these points about communication. She’s here to slam other parents and to get us to tell her wonderful she is.

Wrong. She bought them rain ponchos out of her own wallet.

And she posted about it here to get gold stars.

She deserves one for that, IMO.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are sweet to buy rain ponchos. Did they have sweatshirts for sale there? Kids should have brought enough money but maybe not.

The sweatshirts are really expensive. OP, thank you for looking after these kids. The parent who posted this didn't think their comment through. But honestly, yesterday, I didn't expect it to be so cold! And I checked the weather! It's only because I walk the dog in the morning that I actually felt the temp and told DD to change into long pants and long shirts before going to school. It's not surprising to me that multiple parents did not realize how cold it was going to get.

They still had to drop their kids off at the middle school early in the morning, right? You walk out to your car and see that it is cold and rainy, you send them back in for at the very least a rain jacket or a sweatshirt to bring with them.

The kids also walked out in the same conditions and could have made a different choice

Yes, but as parents of middle school kids, we have a duty to override the “I’m fine” and “it’s fine” and “whatevers” and prepare them for the day. Chaperones, teachers, coaches, directors, all these people have likely taken off work and are making an effort in order for your kids to have a special opportunity. The literal least you can do as a parent to make the day a success is…parent.

Letting them deal with the consequences of bad decisions is parenting.

This. I tell my kids the weather and let them decide what to wear.

That’s great but you don’t have to hear their whining all day. The volunteer chaperones and teachers do. Do better.

Such fragile flowers don’t do well as middle school chaperones. Try and do better .

I’m the teacher. If you want to teach your kids life lessons, do it on the weekend so you can hear how effective it is.

No, I'm going to raise my kids every day of the week and if you're too fragile to hear a child complain get another job. You won't be missed.

Most great middle school teachers are tough and resilient and tell kids to get their stuff together. I can’t imagine them being unable to deal with whining.

Come in and sub for a few days. Then we will talk. My colleague of 18 yrs up and walked out in February. Everyone has their limits. Her class is being “taught” by a woman who nobody can understand. Her accent is so thick and she spends most of her classes having kids copy stuff out of books she brought in. The girls tell me that she doesn’t believe girls should go to school past age 13. This is what you get when your kids’ behavior is too much. Enjoy.

Your former colleague doesn’t sound like a teacher who is good or cares if she walked out mid school year. Just as the quality of parents vary, the quality of teachers vary. Crazy you think parents don’t notice this.

NP and I have a friend who was a middle school teacher who couldn’t take it any more when the kids were animals, the parents were entitled enablers, and her mother was dying. That doesn’t make her a low-quality teacher; it makes her a human who gave until she couldn’t. It sounds like you’re a taker, so we get that you don’t understand.

That’s convenient explanation, isn’t it? It makes it so you don’t have to look much more closely at teacher conduct.

“Teacher conduct” is hard work for not enough pay or recognition, and some parents failing to do even the bare minimum to help their kids succeed. Anyone who doesn’t appreciate teachers—especially middle school teachers—is likely a negligent parent.

I appreciate good and great teachers. My children have had many. I am not going to pretend that all
teachers are good or great, while you try to draw distinctions between parents. I am not going to pretend that quitting mid year is ok.

It is if going on is going to make someone sick or suicidal. It’s people like you who are always like, “Why didn’t she ask for help” when something bad happens; meanwhile “it’s not OK” to quit vs. get sick, burned out or dead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps don’t chaperone again.

This is your takeaway from this? Mine was "some people are terrible parents". My child would have been prepared.

[Anonymous]

Try to prompt as others have suggested but that is largely what you can do. I may give DD, 13, a heads up on the weather forecast and ask her what she thinks she needs but she has to make the final decision and deal with the consequences. Guess what? She carries an emergency poncho in her school backpack and when I mention the possibility of rain, she gets a compact umbrella or rainjacket out. Why? Because she distinctly recalls the two times she got soaked on the way to or from school because she ignored my advice. Lesson learned.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Try to prompt as others have suggested but that is largely what you can do. I may give DD, 13, a heads up on the weather forecast and ask her what she thinks she needs but she has to make the final decision and deal with the consequences. Guess what? She carries an emergency poncho in her school backpack and when I mention the possibility of rain, she gets a compact umbrella or rainjacket out. Why? Because she distinctly recalls the two times she got soaked on the way to or from school because she ignored my advice. Lesson learned.

Yeah, this works for normal school days but for an all-day, out-of-state trip where volunteers and teachers and directors have given of their time and energy to provide a special day, you go a little more hands-on to make sure they are fully prepared. No one is saying you have to force a middle schooler into a rain jacket on a normal school day when the only consequence would be 10 minutes of rain exposure to and from the bus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have chaperoned kids who were visibly sick and miserable. Their parents send them to school knowing they are sick because they actually hate their children and would not care if they are in pain or if their child actually dies.

Once you understand this abuse and injustice, you become compassionate and as a chaperone provide these unfortunate kids with food, drinks, umbrellas, rain-ponchos, tissues, sanitizer, insect repellant etc. If I could give these kids tylenol without getting into trouble, I would.

Unfortunately, jerks do become parents and then they try their best to kill their unwanted offsprings from 0-18 yrs of age. By giving occasional charity to these children, you are giving them a chance to become a kind human and not become a monster who shoots up other children in the school.

This. A lot of people should not be parents, but either they were pressured, had kids to fit in or by accident, or are just overwhelmed.

The kids have to learn earlier in life how to look out for themselves, and it's good there are caring people out there who will help them.

Agreed. It is an act of compassion and charity to give a helping hand to neglected kids. There are a lot of terrible parents who dislike being a parent but could not keep their legs closed or their dick in their pants.

[Anonymous]

I was a chaperone for the 8th grade trip to Busch Gardens Williamsburg a few years ago.

It was one of those very hot, humid May days that we're prone to having in VA. It was chilly when we left early that morning, so it was understandable that kids were in hoodies, but I could not believe how many kids ONLY had hoodies on. As in, no shirts underneath. These kids were ROASTING. The kids were all issued a specific color neon shirt to wear that day, and I guess the person checking kids in as they boarded the busses didn't ask to see proof of those shirts. They only asked the kid if they had the t-shirt on underneath and took their word for it. Huge fail.

Also, so many kids showed up without water bottles, bags, sunscreen, proper shoes, or money. How do you send your kid on the trip with no money? And no, these were not the kids who were FARMS kids. We chaperones had lists with FARMS kids marked and school provided cards to use for them with reasonable limits.

Here's a pro tip for anyone who may be chaperoning a trip to Busch Gardens in the near future: sandals that do not strap on your feet are not allowed on rides. Kids were shoe sharing all day to be able to ride the rides. Crocs, if put in sport mode, are allowed as long as the kid can shake their foot with the strap down and have the Croc stay on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are sweet to buy rain ponchos. Did they have sweatshirts for sale there? Kids should have brought enough money but maybe not.

The sweatshirts are really expensive. OP, thank you for looking after these kids. The parent who posted this didn't think their comment through. But honestly, yesterday, I didn't expect it to be so cold! And I checked the weather! It's only because I walk the dog in the morning that I actually felt the temp and told DD to change into long pants and long shirts before going to school. It's not surprising to me that multiple parents did not realize how cold it was going to get.

They still had to drop their kids off at the middle school early in the morning, right? You walk out to your car and see that it is cold and rainy, you send them back in for at the very least a rain jacket or a sweatshirt to bring with them.

The kids also walked out in the same conditions and could have made a different choice

Yes, but as parents of middle school kids, we have a duty to override the “I’m fine” and “it’s fine” and “whatevers” and prepare them for the day. Chaperones, teachers, coaches, directors, all these people have likely taken off work and are making an effort in order for your kids to have a special opportunity. The literal least you can do as a parent to make the day a success is…parent.

Letting them deal with the consequences of bad decisions is parenting.

This. I tell my kids the weather and let them decide what to wear.

That’s great but you don’t have to hear their whining all day. The volunteer chaperones and teachers do. Do better.

Such fragile flowers don’t do well as middle school chaperones. Try and do better .

I’m the teacher. If you want to teach your kids life lessons, do it on the weekend so you can hear how effective it is.

No, I'm going to raise my kids every day of the week and if you're too fragile to hear a child complain get another job. You won't be missed.

Most great middle school teachers are tough and resilient and tell kids to get their stuff together. I can’t imagine them being unable to deal with whining.

Come in and sub for a few days. Then we will talk. My colleague of 18 yrs up and walked out in February. Everyone has their limits. Her class is being “taught” by a woman who nobody can understand. Her accent is so thick and she spends most of her classes having kids copy stuff out of books she brought in. The girls tell me that she doesn’t believe girls should go to school past age 13. This is what you get when your kids’ behavior is too much. Enjoy.

Your former colleague doesn’t sound like a teacher who is good or cares if she walked out mid school year. Just as the quality of parents vary, the quality of teachers vary. Crazy you think parents don’t notice this.

For Chrissake, just teach your own kids. What a miserable wretch.