Why can't parents follow simple directions?

[Anonymous]

If you have time to send pictures in for a slide show, then you have time to spend 5 seconds reading the guidelines.

Yes, those parents are inconsiderate. The parents who step up to the plate to help organize these events are typically busy people with excellent time management skills and should not be forced to delete 40 pictures of Johnny because a parent could not follow a basic instruction.

On the upside, OP, at least you're getting pics.

[Anonymous]

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

Presumably you get paid at work, yes?
This is a volunteer trying to do something nice, who most likely has her own bigger problems at her own job.
Just follow the damn directions.

[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.

You can't read an email because you're *thinking* about going grocery shopping? I think you need to work on your life skills a little. This is crazy-cakes.

[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.

I would not include your child at all in the presentation. You can't follow simple requests - you are out. We are busy too. Good lord. It's really really not hard.
You are probably way to busy to notice the omission too. Even better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

Every classroom has a webpage on the school site. Post everything there and let it ride.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just pick the first 4 and tell people that is what you will be doing. Do not sort through them.

send them back and tell the parents to pick 4 by cob or not be included. You can move along to the next kid while you wait. The end.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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

+1000

Thank you! Send in photos for this or that. Donate money for every holiday party, Teacher Week, end-of-the-year celebration. Buy your kid's art on a mug for $40. Donate books. Amazon wish list for the teacher. Buy t-shirts for every occasion. Raffle tickets. Bring lunch, coffee, donuts for the teachers. No candy at Halloween but bring a non-edible gift for each kid (????)

And this entire year parents have not been allowed to enter the building except for a conciliatory "Tour the School" event at night at which teachers weren't present (because parents of K through 1 had never stepped through the doors of the school.) I have never met my child's teacher or seen his classmates. We had one zoom conference in October. There seems to be no urgency to change these policies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

You can't read an email because you're *thinking* about going grocery shopping? I think you need to work on your life skills a little. This is crazy-cakes.

Crazy-cakes is now an important part of my lexicon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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

+1000

Thank you! Send in photos for this or that. Donate money for every holiday party, Teacher Week, end-of-the-year celebration. Buy your kid's art on a mug for $40. Donate books. Amazon wish list for the teacher. Buy t-shirts for every occasion. Raffle tickets. Bring lunch, coffee, donuts for the teachers. No candy at Halloween but bring a non-edible gift for each kid (????)

And this entire year parents have not been allowed to enter the building except for a conciliatory "Tour the School" event at night at which teachers weren't present (because parents of K through 1 had never stepped through the doors of the school.) I have never met my child's teacher or seen his classmates. We had one zoom conference in October. There seems to be no urgency to change these policies.

These are all optional - you don't have to do any of them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

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

I wish some people didn't belittle other people's work.
-not a teacher, but a parent