Class fund non-participants: where do you think the party food comes from??

[Anonymous]

You all really, really should be room parents. Really. You understand it so much better.

And while I didn’t lay out every detail of the budget, no more is definitely spent on our kids: paper products, drinks, a vegetable or fruit and dessert. It is beyond me that you wouldn’t consider two classroom lunch parties for your elementary school aged kids. Because your job doesn’t allow gifts you think the teacher shouldn’t get them. I had no idea parents felt this way.

This is the person teaching your kid. If you can’t show a small token of appreciation - don’t. Now I get why people don’t contribute.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
It is voluntary but the party is not. The fact the our class parties must take place over lunch time is not voluntary. The fact that I have to contribute to the pta to teacher appreciation week, get our teacher a gift for teacher appreciation week, get her an Xmas and an end of year gift aren’t really optional either. So I absolutely get that no one has to contribute, plenty don’t, almost all can afford to, all the kids and teacher reap the benefit and it’s annoying. My day goes on as does yours.

But why aren't these optional? People can buy their own gifts for the teachers. There's no need for the room mom to organize a class gift. Likewise, I can't wrap my mind around a school policy mandating that class parties must take place over lunch time and must have whatever number of pizzas ordered from whatever place. Parties at my kids' school take place during the last hour of the day. If they needed a lunchtime party, people would still eat their regular lunch and then have special treats. If the teacher is dictating these things, the teacher needs to take a step back.

I actually like the idea of Lunch party vs end of day but only if one parent is willing to do it or you can get enough donations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You all really, really should be room parents. Really. You understand it so much better.

And while I didn’t lay out every detail of the budget, no more is definitely spent on our kids: paper products, drinks, a vegetable or fruit and dessert. It is beyond me that you wouldn’t consider two classroom lunch parties for your elementary school aged kids. Because your job doesn’t allow gifts you think the teacher shouldn’t get them. I had no idea parents felt this way.

This is the person teaching your kid. If you can’t show a small token of appreciation - don’t. Now I get why people don’t contribute.

$4-500 is not a 'small token'.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You all really, really should be room parents. Really. You understand it so much better.

And while I didn’t lay out every detail of the budget, no more is definitely spent on our kids: paper products, drinks, a vegetable or fruit and dessert. It is beyond me that you wouldn’t consider two classroom lunch parties for your elementary school aged kids. Because your job doesn’t allow gifts you think the teacher shouldn’t get them. I had no idea parents felt this way.

This is the person teaching your kid. If you can’t show a small token of appreciation - don’t. Now I get why people don’t contribute.

$4-500 is not a 'small token'.

If it equates to being about 6-7 dollars per family towards a gift for the teacher, it’s a small token.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You all really, really should be room parents. Really. You understand it so much better.

And while I didn’t lay out every detail of the budget, no more is definitely spent on our kids: paper products, drinks, a vegetable or fruit and dessert. It is beyond me that you wouldn’t consider two classroom lunch parties for your elementary school aged kids. Because your job doesn’t allow gifts you think the teacher shouldn’t get them. I had no idea parents felt this way.

This is the person teaching your kid. If you can’t show a small token of appreciation - don’t. Now I get why people don’t contribute.

$4-500 is not a 'small token'.

If it equates to being about 6-7 dollars per family towards a gift for the teacher, it’s a small token.

$ 7 X 25 = 175

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You all really, really should be room parents. Really. You understand it so much better.

And while I didn’t lay out every detail of the budget, no more is definitely spent on our kids: paper products, drinks, a vegetable or fruit and dessert. It is beyond me that you wouldn’t consider two classroom lunch parties for your elementary school aged kids. Because your job doesn’t allow gifts you think the teacher shouldn’t get them. I had no idea parents felt this way.

This is the person teaching your kid. If you can’t show a small token of appreciation - don’t. Now I get why people don’t contribute.

$4-500 is not a 'small token'.

If it equates to being about 6-7 dollars per family towards a gift for the teacher, it’s a small token.

$ 7 X 25 = 175

We get the math. We also assume most families will get the teacher a small item for the holidays, end of year and teacher appreciation week. Most people would spend $10-$15 for that item. This is less than that. Group gifts are typically more extravagant. I’m guessing you’d be good with 25 kids giving her a single mug and a single ornament.

[Anonymous]

When your kid does a sport and they collect for the coaches’ gifts, doesnt the team “mom” (organizer) ask you to contribute x? Typically it’s about $20 per family and the coach gets a few hundred dollars, maybe to amazon or dicks. Do you do that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You all really, really should be room parents. Really. You understand it so much better.

And while I didn’t lay out every detail of the budget, no more is definitely spent on our kids: paper products, drinks, a vegetable or fruit and dessert. It is beyond me that you wouldn’t consider two classroom lunch parties for your elementary school aged kids. Because your job doesn’t allow gifts you think the teacher shouldn’t get them. I had no idea parents felt this way.

This is the person teaching your kid. If you can’t show a small token of appreciation - don’t. Now I get why people don’t contribute.

$4-500 is not a 'small token'.

If it equates to being about 6-7 dollars per family towards a gift for the teacher, it’s a small token.

$ 7 X 25 = 175

We get the math. We also assume most families will get the teacher a small item for the holidays, end of year and teacher appreciation week. Most people would spend $10-$15 for that item. This is less than that. Group gifts are typically more extravagant. I’m guessing you’d be good with 25 kids giving her a single mug and a single ornament.

I'd be better with 25 kids making a holiday craft, or having pencils/paper.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When your kid does a sport and they collect for the coaches’ gifts, doesnt the team “mom” (organizer) ask you to contribute x? Typically it’s about $20 per family and the coach gets a few hundred dollars, maybe to amazon or dicks. Do you do that?

No. This does not seem to be common practice, as I have never seen it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

This is the person teaching your kid. If you can’t show a small token of appreciation - don’t. Now I get why people don’t contribute.

Why do you assume that people aren't showing tokens of appreciation? I have my kids make cards for the teacher. We give individual gifts. Just because I don't feel the need for you to be a middleman between myself and the teacher for class gifts doesn't mean that I don't appreciate the teacher. I'm so glad that my kids attend Title I schools, just so we don't have to put up with any of this nonsense. People make cards for teachers and contribute what they can. People sign up for items for parties or volunteer to help with class activities. There's no need for pushy room moms trying to control how everyone contributes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When your kid does a sport and they collect for the coaches’ gifts, doesnt the team “mom” (organizer) ask you to contribute x? Typically it’s about $20 per family and the coach gets a few hundred dollars, maybe to amazon or dicks. Do you do that?

No. This does not seem to be common practice, as I have never seen it.

It’s been in every soccer, Girl Scout, Boy Scout, baseball, and lax team we’ve done for more than 10 years. Where do you live and what sports don’t do this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You all really, really should be room parents. Really. You understand it so much better.

And while I didn’t lay out every detail of the budget, no more is definitely spent on our kids: paper products, drinks, a vegetable or fruit and dessert. It is beyond me that you wouldn’t consider two classroom lunch parties for your elementary school aged kids. Because your job doesn’t allow gifts you think the teacher shouldn’t get them. I had no idea parents felt this way.

This is the person teaching your kid. If you can’t show a small token of appreciation - don’t. Now I get why people don’t contribute.

$4-500 is not a 'small token'.

If it equates to being about 6-7 dollars per family towards a gift for the teacher, it’s a small token.

$ 7 X 25 = 175

We get the math. We also assume most families will get the teacher a small item for the holidays, end of year and teacher appreciation week. Most people would spend $10-$15 for that item. This is less than that. Group gifts are typically more extravagant. I’m guessing you’d be good with 25 kids giving her a single mug and a single ornament.

I'd be better with 25 kids making a holiday craft, or having pencils/paper.

As a gift for the teacher? This is a fifth grade class. They generally don’t make holiday cards or if they do it’s quickly so they can socialize in fifth grade.

[Anonymous]

No matter how much you try to justify costs, PP, some people just flat out don't like group gifts and prefer to do their own thing. And that's fine. You don't get to control how people chose to show appreciation for their kids' teachers.

I also think you might have a more positive response if you collected smaller amounts on a per party or per gift basis. Some of the people who would be put off by a $40 request at the beginning of the year would be fine with a request for $10 for the teacher's X-mas present, juice boxes for the party, another $5 for teacher appreciation week, etc.

[Anonymous]

It’s a pain collecting once for the money. No way do I want to collect multiple times per year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When your kid does a sport and they collect for the coaches’ gifts, doesnt the team “mom” (organizer) ask you to contribute x? Typically it’s about $20 per family and the coach gets a few hundred dollars, maybe to amazon or dicks. Do you do that?

If you decline the request because you want to give your own gift to the coach, why isn't that okay?