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

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]When did parties become this giant thing?

To me, as a teacher, an appropriate party starts 15 minutes before dismissal or before the Halloween parade starts.  It has 1 treat, like cupcakes or cookies or brownies, and juice boxes if you want to splurge.  It has one activity which does not need to cost anything.  If it is a party to which parents are invited, it might be singing a song, or reading our latest poems.  If it is Halloween then it’s the parade.  Otherwise it might be going onto the playground to play wizards, giants and elves, or hot potato or musical chairs in the classroom, or a quick dance party. It might be decorating sugar cookies, if that is the one snack.  If there are decorations they are paper chains and pictures the kids made the last time it was indoor recess.

Anything more than that is teaching the kids the wrong things about nutrition, consumption, and their own agency.  It is harmful.  So, no, if I know you are planning pizza, and crafts, and anything that lasts longer than 20 minutes, I am not giving money to that.  My kid will be there because I can’t just leave  work to pick him up, and he will eat the pizza because it’s there.  But I will be disappointed that it happened.

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You should take off and get your kid if you don’t like how it is done and will not contribute.  Solves the problem for everyone.  If work is a priority then you can throw in a few dollars or buy something to donate.   It’s not harmful to have a slice of pizza and cake if it’s not a regular thing.  But, if it’s harmful, it’s probably because you feed your kid crap at home.  Just get your kid or opt them out. [/quote]

You really think that a parent who is working, as a teacher no less, should have to take off work and grab her kid if she doesn't want to contribute to your idea of a dream class party?  That's crazy.[/quote]

You grocery shop or run errands or order online.  Is it really that hard to pick up a pack of plates or thrown in a few dollars to a party?  Everyone keeps saying that parties are dictated by room parents.  They are dictated by the school and the school dictates a parent organize them. We often don't get enough volunteers for room parents because of this attitude.  Really, worst case, even at Target or a grocery store, a pack of plates is $3 max.  Is that asking too much 2-3 times a year to donate? You are being extreme to say someone is taking off work when they are shopping at least weekly anyway.[/quote]

The PP told me that I should remove my child from school during a party if I'm not willing to contribute financially.  Yes, that requires taking off work.  As I said, I'm a teacher.  It's not a job with flex time, and leave can only be taken in 1/2 day increments.  I have 2 days of personal leave a year, so using up 1/4 of that, not to mention disrupting my students' education, to prevent Pinterest mom from having to serve my kid pizza, is an unreasonable thing.

I believe very strongly in the power of kids building their own community in their classroom, including planning their own celebrations and making do with what they have.  Whether that's making their own decorations, or planning their own games, or bringing in some of the napkins that they already have rather than buying a pack, even at Dollar general, that matches some adult directed theme.  I hear people here saying "Oh, but my kid likes the parties the way they are now", but kids like simpler parties too, and they like making decisions and thinking creatively.  [/quote]

That's great that you are a strong believer in building their own community, but you realize every school and teacher runs differently.  It would be great to get the kids involved but at our school, every time I've done it, when the kids ask to even help do things like decorate, the teacher says no and makes them sit there watching us.  So, yes, I'd love them to make the decorations or games - I'd be happy to contribute to the supplies, but not every teacher allows it or supports that.  Simple is great, but donating a pack of plates or napkins or a bag of grapes or a parent is as simple as it gets.   As a teacher, I'd hope you'd help contribute to your child's classroom.  I'd hope all parents who can, do.

And, may of us use pin interest and other blogs as we are not creative and they have cheap/low cost ideas on how to make fun parties.  I'm sure people think I spend way more than I do.  Ours look far more grand than they are.  Just like you said, its about being creative, which is ironic you are slamming parents for being creative.

You have no idea how much easier it would be if I could just show up with food or get enough donations so all I had to do was help in classroom and the kids/teacher did all the decorations and games as that is the most challenging part to me.[/quote]

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