Do you thank other parents for chaperoning field trips?

[Anonymous]

I think in the high participation schools, where parents pay to chaperone, any parent who wants to chaperone should be allowed to.

Sometime there is an artificial limit on number of chaperones and that means that one parent is toting the packed lunches for 4 and 5 kids. This is ridiculous. Are you listening MCPS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think in the high participation schools, where parents pay to chaperone, any parent who wants to chaperone should be allowed to.

Sometime there is an artificial limit on number of chaperones and that means that one parent is toting the packed lunches for 4 and 5 kids. This is ridiculous. Are you listening MCPS?

I do not have an issue paying. We chaperone every trip. I am not trusting some parent I do not know with my five year old. I would rather buy a few kids lunch than drag theirs around. Never been thanked and do not care. I have thought about sending pictures to the parents but they can ask if they want them.

[Anonymous]

It is exhausting! I'm grateful I work part time and can move my schedule around to chaperone. The teacher thanks us, but not the other parents, but that doesn't bother me in the least. I'm not there for the thanks.

[Anonymous]

I thank any parent volunteer -- chaperone, coach, scout leader, religious ed teacher, etc. I have volunteered a lot and some kids are just awful so it is always nice to hear a thank you.

[Anonymous]

I appreciate the parents who actually chaperone. Some are so busy socializing that the kids are running amuck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thank any parent volunteer -- chaperone, coach, scout leader, religious ed teacher, etc. I have volunteered a lot and some kids are just awful so it is always nice to hear a thank you.

I chaperone a lot and am always surprised by how poorly some kids behave. I definitely then judge their parents for their behavior for it is obvious the child is not just excited or showing off but being raised poorly. Chaperoning a field trip is very eye opening.

[Anonymous]

I received a signed thank you note from the kids in my DC's class. It was really sweet, and very unexpected. At my kids' school, there are always more volunteers than spots, and I am appreciative that I get to go and feel like I should be the one thanking. Most of the field trips are fun.

[Anonymous]

never crossed my mind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Huge parent involvement at my kids' school so there are always way more volunteers than chaperone slots. I think that those that do get to chaperone are considered fortunate so the opposite seems to be the case. Parents that chaperone are the ones that are thankful.

Same here. And I enjoy the field trips. Other people's children are not a pain.

[Anonymous]

Well, the parents in our classes so far have mostly just tagged along, doing not much of anything. About half bring special treats for their kid only and/or watch their kid and a cousin or something. So, not really. But if I knew someone had my kid in a group of pair I would say thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Huge parent involvement at my kids' school so there are always way more volunteers than chaperone slots. I think that those that do get to chaperone are considered fortunate so the opposite seems to be the case. Parents that chaperone are the ones that are thankful.

Same here. And I enjoy the field trips. Other people's children are not a pain.

+1 I've always been impressed by how well the teachers manage their class/how well the kids listen, stay together. By the time they were mid/late elementary I felt that it was a real privilege for me to be able to be there.

[Anonymous]

Not when they send nannies in their place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thank any parent volunteer -- chaperone, coach, scout leader, religious ed teacher, etc. I have volunteered a lot and some kids are just awful so it is always nice to hear a thank you.

I see parents struggle with a child and I will take the child they are having issues with, that child never has issues in my group. I wonder what it is about those parents.

[Anonymous]

I volunteer to chaperone a lot because my kids want me to and one of my kids is likely to hang back looking at something that interests him and get himself lost. I do it for the sake of my own kids, and I don't expect anyone to thank me, though the teachers always do.

That said, it is a lot of work, not easy, and I definitely don't do it because I enjoy it. I am at a school where the chaperone slots fill up within minutes of the teacher email appearing, but I don't think the chaperones actually enjoy it! I know I personally find it quite challenging and I am always very nervous about keeping track of other people's kids. I have three boys K-third grade.

[Anonymous]

As a parent, no. I rarely see the other parents of students in my son's class. I'm at work. I am a teacher so I always thank parent chaperones even when they are terrible. I make sure to find responsible chaperones which isn't always easy.