"Mean Girls"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - an almost $500. gift is not "something the fellow students should not be concerned about" nor is it "just a little gift from the kid who takes extra work". It is a bribe, for heaven's sake! I think I'm being pretty clear here. I suspect the naysayers might be the problem parents? I really appreciate hearing from people at my end instead of more "mean girls".

This is an ethical dilemma. Gift giving should be addressed by the school and/or board members. Furthermore, if the teacher accepted the gift, s/he clearly has no boundaries. A $100 gift certificate from the CLASS is one thing; a $500 gift from ONE person is completely unacceptable.

Parents/posters who don't find this offensive are in La La Land.

I've seen this gift-giving bribery in effect at both of my children's schools. It doesn't matter that prior to Christmas break and the end of the school year that emails and notes are mailed home that state individual teacher or staff gifts should not cost over $25. The bribery aftereffects are: additional opportunities to retake classroom tests, inappropriate camaraderie with certain families, altered grading standards, and unearned end-of-school year awards.

I find it an absolutely, disgusting practice. A passively, accepted situation at their schools.

[Anonymous]

What are the schools in question?

[Anonymous]

No matter how many policies a school puts into place on gift giving, there are always going to be parents who give large gifts. In some cases, those gifts are nothing more then a thank you, but, yes, in others parents give them with the expectation of something in return. So, the real question is not does your school have a gift giving policy, it's how does the receipient of the gift handle the strings that come attached. If the teacher or administration is allowing those gifts to influence treatment of children, that's a much bigger issue then whether or not the gifts are being given in the first place. A school really can't control the gifts, but they can control how they let them affect life in the school.

[Anonymous]

OP, too bad you titled your post "Mean Girls." I thought it was about NCS and avoided reading it. Your point is crystal clear. I'm certain other parents find this situation offensive. Bribery is deadly to a school's culture. Children can see the hypocrisy of this situation. It's disturbing given the banter about the school's Honor Code, blah, blah, blah.

[Anonymous]

The better for us to all quietly (just like the giver) do something about it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The better for us to all quietly (just like the giver) do something about it!

I like the way you think!

[Anonymous]

13:58 - What is NCS?