Why can't parents follow simple directions?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Because they are too busy to read the directions.

It's impressive that you only got 3 families who messed up!

It takes seconds to read a sentence that includes “maximum 4 pictures.” They’re not too busy to do that. They’re too self-important.

Oh honey. You may have a small life with nothing happening and time to devote to reading every last word, or you may have a preternatural superhuman focus, but believe me, it happens to nearly every parent at some point.

If you're checking emails on your phone while walking to pick up your kid, pushing the stroller and preventing the toddler from trailing his snack in every puddle and wondering whether you need to pop into the grocery store on the way home and composing a grocery list in your head, all you see on the small screen is "send blah-blah photos", and all of sudden your eye has read 30 instead of 3-4. Or you're scrolling through hundreds of emails at lunchtime (beg pardon, Zoom meeting with blow-hard for what passes as lunchtime, camera artistically avoiding the sloppy fast food you ordered because you're frenzied at work), trying to remember every directive for every last stupid email from the three schools plus one preschool your children go to, and you file away 40 instead of 3-4 photos, and don't check again because the day just gets crazier from there.

This is the life of many a parent I know.

[Anonymous]

Why my school asked for 1 pic

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish this was my biggest problem at work.

Agreed. Elementary promotion ceremonies are stupid anyway.

+1. 5th grade promotion ceremony??? For doing what? Existing through 5th grade? How many people failed to make it to the end to make this actually worth something??

Seriously OP, if you're volunteering for something this dumb, expect dumbness to follow.

[Anonymous]

So for all of you saying that parents don't have time to read all these emails, does that mean teachers can stop using their time to write them and send them out? Because that would be great.

Just kidding, kind of.

I realize that not everyone has time to read all my emails. But I do wish before emailing me a question they would check the newsletter first.

This is what I do with my kids/their teachers. I admit I don't read all the newsletters. But if I have a question, I look for the answer first before asking. My time isn't more valuable than theirs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish this was my biggest problem at work.

Agreed. Elementary promotion ceremonies are stupid anyway.

+1. 5th grade promotion ceremony??? For doing what? Existing through 5th grade? How many people failed to make it to the end to make this actually worth something??

Seriously OP, if you're volunteering for something this dumb, expect dumbness to follow.

For lots of kids, it's a big deal. You might not care, but most kids do. Sorry if your kids are too cool for it. Are you opposed to birthday parties, commemorating anniversaries, or celebrating a kid's first steps? The transition from elementary school to middle/high school IS a big deal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Because they are too busy to read the directions.

It's impressive that you only got 3 families who messed up!

It takes seconds to read a sentence that includes “maximum 4 pictures.” They’re not too busy to do that. They’re too self-important.

Oh honey. You may have a small life with nothing happening and time to devote to reading every last word, or you may have a preternatural superhuman focus, but believe me, it happens to nearly every parent at some point.

If you're checking emails on your phone while walking to pick up your kid, pushing the stroller and preventing the toddler from trailing his snack in every puddle and wondering whether you need to pop into the grocery store on the way home and composing a grocery list in your head, all you see on the small screen is "send blah-blah photos", and all of sudden your eye has read 30 instead of 3-4. Or you're scrolling through hundreds of emails at lunchtime (beg pardon, Zoom meeting with blow-hard for what passes as lunchtime, camera artistically avoiding the sloppy fast food you ordered because you're frenzied at work), trying to remember every directive for every last stupid email from the three schools plus one preschool your children go to, and you file away 40 instead of 3-4 photos, and don't check again because the day just gets crazier from there.

This is the life of many a parent I know.

Oh, honey. The odds are EXCELLENT that I have more kids than you do, and what you just wrote was a ridiculous pile of excuses.

[Anonymous]

Nobody cares about those things anyway, if you want a slideshow take pictures throughout the year

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish this was my biggest problem at work.

Agreed. Elementary promotion ceremonies are stupid anyway.

+1. 5th grade promotion ceremony??? For doing what? Existing through 5th grade? How many people failed to make it to the end to make this actually worth something??

Seriously OP, if you're volunteering for something this dumb, expect dumbness to follow.

For lots of kids, it's a big deal. You might not care, but most kids do. Sorry if your kids are too cool for it. Are you opposed to birthday parties, commemorating anniversaries, or celebrating a kid's first steps? The transition from elementary school to middle/high school IS a big deal.

No, it's not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s a sign. Stop doing these. You just reminded me that we never watched the one for my oldest that the PTA put together when they left elementary school. He’s in high school now. Sorry if I sent in the wrong number of photos for that.

Don’t stop doing it. I love these. People don’t have to look if they aren’t interested.OP, just pick the first 4 submitted and move on. In fact, that’s what the directions shoukd say (for anyoneAccutane.

+1subsequent years). “Parents, send in 4 pictures; if more than 4 are submitted, we will use the first 4.”

OP here. This is what we will do but its just rude and inconsiderate as it makes more work for the volunteers. It also screams "my child is more important than the other children and should be featured more heavily in the slideshow due to their level of importance." Its exactly the parents you would expect - the ones who think the moon shines out of their average kid's butt. Instead I'd love to say "If you send in more than 4 pictures, none of your pictures will be used." We are not talking 5 or 6 photos here. Some parents (and it wasn't just one or two people) literally sent in 30+ photos.

Settle down, Gladys! Maybe it just means they couldn't decide which pics were best so sent the whole lot and are letting you decide. So just pick four and move on. The extra work should take you about 30 seconds - surely you're not THAT busy.

Holy sh!t talk about entitlement! Can’t decide which pics so let’s make someone else do it? So pick 4 and move on?
Who the hell are you people that think like this?!?

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anecdotal at best, but I was trying to submit for yearbook pictures, and for whatever reason, the program started downloading all the photos on my phone. And I think they probably got sent. So, I was mortified.

OMG!

[Anonymous]

OP- parents like you, who step up to the plate, and do these extra things for the kids are valued! I always am thankful to the people who donate their time to make our kids time at school memorable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish this was my biggest problem at work.

Agreed. Elementary promotion ceremonies are stupid anyway.

+1. 5th grade promotion ceremony??? For doing what? Existing through 5th grade? How many people failed to make it to the end to make this actually worth something??

Seriously OP, if you're volunteering for something this dumb, expect dumbness to follow.

For lots of kids, it's a big deal. You might not care, but most kids do. Sorry if your kids are too cool for it. Are you opposed to birthday parties, commemorating anniversaries, or celebrating a kid's first steps? The transition from elementary school to middle/high school IS a big deal.

No, it's not.

Definitely not. What IS a big deal is your child being held back.

[Anonymous]

Stop asking parents to do so much extra crap. It's out of control.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish this was my biggest problem at work.

Agreed. Elementary promotion ceremonies are stupid anyway.

+1. 5th grade promotion ceremony??? For doing what? Existing through 5th grade? How many people failed to make it to the end to make this actually worth something??

Seriously OP, if you're volunteering for something this dumb, expect dumbness to follow.

For lots of kids, it's a big deal. You might not care, but most kids do. Sorry if your kids are too cool for it. Are you opposed to birthday parties, commemorating anniversaries, or celebrating a kid's first steps? The transition from elementary school to middle/high school IS a big deal.

To them or to you? Perhaps it's a big deal b/c YOU make it one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish this was my biggest problem at work.

Agreed. Elementary promotion ceremonies are stupid anyway.

+1. 5th grade promotion ceremony??? For doing what? Existing through 5th grade? How many people failed to make it to the end to make this actually worth something??

Seriously OP, if you're volunteering for something this dumb, expect dumbness to follow.

For lots of kids, it's a big deal. You might not care, but most kids do. Sorry if your kids are too cool for it. Are you opposed to birthday parties, commemorating anniversaries, or celebrating a kid's first steps? The transition from elementary school to middle/high school IS a big deal.

To them or to you? Perhaps it's a big deal b/c YOU make it one.

I teach 5th grade. The kids feel like it's a big deal. It's a very emotional period for them, for a myriad of reason.