Teacher Snack Bar

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our ES does this for all TWDs and the SUG for it fills up fast so obviously many people are happy to contribute. Don’t contribute if you don’t want to. No they are not volunteering, yes they are paid to be there, but teaching is a pretty difficult job for pretty crap to mediocre pay. And I for one appreciate my kids’ teachers quite a bit and am happy to show it on any way suggested by the PTA.

I'd be happy with the crap $60K + pay and three months off in the summer as well as most other federal holidays and winter breaks -- even without a snack bar.

So get at it, then.

[Anonymous]

Teachers are more likely to be treated as professionals when others view them as professionals --- these special favors, special caretaking, doesn't help with their image. It's excessive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Teachers are more likely to be treated as professionals when others view them as professionals --- these special favors, special caretaking, doesn't help with their image. It's excessive.

Tell it to the PTA You act like this is teacher driven. I agree with a PP. All I want is for parents to send their kids to school prepared and stop making excuses for them. I don't need gifts or food or anything else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers are more likely to be treated as professionals when others view them as professionals --- these special favors, special caretaking, doesn't help with their image. It's excessive.

Tell it to the PTA You act like this is teacher driven. I agree with a PP. All I want is for parents to send their kids to school prepared and stop making excuses for them. I don't need gifts or food or anything else.

If teachers told the PTA that these things are counterproductive to teachers being viewed/treated as professionals, so please limit them to supply requests, I doubt the PTA would just continue doing this. Also, the PTA isn't going to proactively stop doing multiple days of teacher appreciation week activities because they don't want to appear as if they don't appreciate teachers. Teachers could, however, request that activities be restricted to one day during that week. Do you really want a flower one day, one chocolate another day...While those seem like no big deal, it's a pain. I guarantee, parents would give one nicer gift if there was only one day. Any of this would have to come from teachers. The PTA will never stop this because parents say something. A lot of PTA folks volunteer because they think it will get their kids preferential treatment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers are more likely to be treated as professionals when others view them as professionals --- these special favors, special caretaking, doesn't help with their image. It's excessive.

Tell it to the PTA You act like this is teacher driven. I agree with a PP. All I want is for parents to send their kids to school prepared and stop making excuses for them. I don't need gifts or food or anything else.

If teachers told the PTA that these things are counterproductive to teachers being viewed/treated as professionals, so please limit them to supply requests, I doubt the PTA would just continue doing this. Also, the PTA isn't going to proactively stop doing multiple days of teacher appreciation week activities because they don't want to appear as if they don't appreciate teachers. Teachers could, however, request that activities be restricted to one day during that week. Do you really want a flower one day, one chocolate another day...While those seem like no big deal, it's a pain. I guarantee, parents would give one nicer gift if there was only one day. Any of this would have to come from teachers. The PTA will never stop this because parents say something. A lot of PTA folks volunteer because they think it will get their kids preferential treatment.

I wouldn't want to be the teacher who tells the PTA to stop. PTA parents who really drive these activities are often at doing it to feel like they are making a difference in their community. If you tell them that their contributions are unwanted, they get their feelings hurt and can get resentful.

[Anonymous]

I'd have no problem asking the PTA to do a school supply drive for a Title One school. I work in one (not in Northern VA) and teachers spend a lot of their own money to fill in the gaps. We would love to get donations from wealthy schools so we don't have to buy these items ourselves. That might be a suggestion so that parents won't have their feelings hurt. Do it anonymously if you are worried about parents being pissed off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Teachers are more likely to be treated as professionals when others view them as professionals --- these special favors, special caretaking, doesn't help with their image. It's excessive.

My non-teacher husband gets special meals, treats and gifts at work all the time as do many other professions

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd have no problem asking the PTA to do a school supply drive for a Title One school. I work in one (not in Northern VA) and teachers spend a lot of their own money to fill in the gaps. We would love to get donations from wealthy schools so we don't have to buy these items ourselves. That might be a suggestion so that parents won't have their feelings hurt. Do it anonymously if you are worried about parents being pissed off.

I think you’ve missed the point of the post entirely. You’re suggesting that a wealthier school ask, yet again, for a donation of something else - school supplies - to be donated to another school OR maybe your last sentence means to ask for the donation but don’t tell the parents it’s for another school. Wealthy school or not, asking and asking and asking for donations is out of hand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers are more likely to be treated as professionals when others view them as professionals --- these special favors, special caretaking, doesn't help with their image. It's excessive.

My non-teacher husband gets special meals, treats and gifts at work all the time as do many other professions

So true. My husband is always going out to lunches and dinners with clients. He’s a paid professional and receives gifts, alcohol and sports tickets at random times throughout the year.

But seriously, as a teacher I do not want these snacks. I’d love tissues. Please donate tissues if you want to send something. We are buying cases for our classrooms all year. Food often sits in the teachers lounge and no one goes in there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers are more likely to be treated as professionals when others view them as professionals --- these special favors, special caretaking, doesn't help with their image. It's excessive.

My non-teacher husband gets special meals, treats and gifts at work all the time as do many other professions

So true. My husband is always going out to lunches and dinners with clients. He’s a paid professional and receives gifts, alcohol and sports tickets at random times throughout the year.

But seriously, as a teacher I do not want these snacks. I’d love tissues. Please donate tissues if you want to send something. We are buying cases for our classrooms all year. Food often sits in the teachers lounge and no one goes in there.

I love the fancy hand sanitizer sprays from bath and body works. I use them to clean paint/dry erase markers and it’s nice to smell something nice (we have an attached bathroom and it can get gross!)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers are more likely to be treated as professionals when others view them as professionals --- these special favors, special caretaking, doesn't help with their image. It's excessive.

My non-teacher husband gets special meals, treats and gifts at work all the time as do many other professions

So true. My husband is always going out to lunches and dinners with clients. He’s a paid professional and receives gifts, alcohol and sports tickets at random times throughout the year.

But seriously, as a teacher I do not want these snacks. I’d love tissues. Please donate tissues if you want to send something. We are buying cases for our classrooms all year. Food often sits in the teachers lounge and no one goes in there.

I personally hate the snack cart and I refuse to donate brownies or cakes or whatever else to teachers. You're an adult. Bring your own snack to work. BUT I would happily donate tissues or whatever else teachers need to support their classrooms. Parents just don't ever hear about those needs. I wish there was some way to get the word out...I bet you would get a ton of useful donations! A SignUp genius for Ms. Smith who needs glue sticks and pencils? I'm in!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers are more likely to be treated as professionals when others view them as professionals --- these special favors, special caretaking, doesn't help with their image. It's excessive.

My non-teacher husband gets special meals, treats and gifts at work all the time as do many other professions

How are these paid for? Do they come from solicitations for donations or does the employer pay for them? That makes a difference in perception. If the employer pays for it, it's a perk. We only ever solicit donations/contributions for gifts/treats for nonprofessional staff.

[Anonymous]

We do the snack cart at my school and it's always filled with junk food! Do teachers really want this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our ES does this for all TWDs and the SUG for it fills up fast so obviously many people are happy to contribute. Don’t contribute if you don’t want to. No they are not volunteering, yes they are paid to be there, but teaching is a pretty difficult job for pretty crap to mediocre pay. And I for one appreciate my kids’ teachers quite a bit and am happy to show it on any way suggested by the PTA.

I'd be happy with the crap $60K + pay and three months off in the summer as well as most other federal holidays and winter breaks -- even without a snack bar.

What profession has 3 months off int he summer?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We do the snack cart at my school and it's always filled with junk food! Do teachers really want this?

Generally, no.

PTA's need to start cluing in.