I feel sorry for your child and her teacher and the parents of her classmates who you are insulting. You are entitled to your Helicopter parenting style. However you cross the line when you attempt to bully the teacher to get what you want.

Sincerely,
SAHM who has chaperoned many field trips and never lost a child, nope not a one.

Frankly, I agree. I don't let my child out of my site. No babysitters, no outside activities (the supervisors might be predators), because no one will be as vigilant about the safety of my child as me. I have submitted a FOIA to get the background checks of all school personnel.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teacher here. Not to scare you parents out there but I agree that it can be a scary thing to send your child on a field trip. If you want to work in schools you have to be checked for criminal history but not to chaperone. Send your child to the pumpkin patch with some other parents where they are free to roam and who knows what may happen. It's not likely but it is something to consider.

Anything MAY happen. The question is, what actually DOES happen, and how often does it happen?

I know I don't want to take that chance. OP - I don't let my DC go on field trips without one of us either. I don't know all of the parents and from what I've observed many of the parents at my kids' schools are reckless. I've seen them walk away from the small group they are supposed to be chaperoning and leave kids standing at exhibits when the museum was super crowded. They're mostly SAHMs (not trying to start anything but this is my observation) and they are more interested in talking with each other or getting a lot out of the experience at the expense of their job as a chaperone. Not saying they can't enjoy or experience the field trip along with the DC but not at the expense of ignoring their DC.

In addition, there are strangers, either other visitors or workers, that you don't know and how many stories are there from adults about creepy experiences with strangers saying or touching kids when they were away from their parents or responsible adults.

I've also had a few teachers tell me that they HATE field trips, especially with the younger kids, because it gives them anxiety to worry about all of the kids while out of the school.


Recently, my DD's teachers said I couldn't go because there was limited seating at the location and she had not selected me to be one of the volunteers. I let her know ahead of time that I don't allow my DC to go on field trips without so if we're not available or if we aren't allowed to chaperone that she won't be attending. My DD told the teacher that out of the 3 field trips scheduled this year, this first one is the only one that she really wanted to go on (it was to a place that related to a hobby of hers) and she didn't care if she missed the others. The teacher chose to select other parents any ways, which is her choice, but I really think she thought I was testing her and would let DD go anyways. She's young, doesn't have any kids, and has a know-it-all-attitude.

OP - to answer your question though, our school considers it an excused absence if we keep her home that day or she can stay with another class during the field trip time.

Anonymous wrote:Teacher here. Not to scare you parents out there but I agree that it can be a scary thing to send your child on a field trip. If you want to work in schools you have to be checked for criminal history but not to chaperone. Send your child to the pumpkin patch with some other parents where they are free to roam and who knows what may happen. It's not likely but it is something to consider.

Anything MAY happen. The question is, what actually DOES happen, and how often does it happen?

Anonymous wrote:Teacher here. Not to scare you parents out there but I agree that it can be a scary thing to send your child on a field trip. If you want to work in schools you have to be checked for criminal history but not to chaperone. Send your child to the pumpkin patch with some other parents where they are free to roam and who knows what may happen. It's not likely but it is something to consider.

Hm.. not sure you really are a teacher. If such incidences do occur, it must be rare. I guess one could google it to see how many of these kinds of incidences have occurred in the past few years.

YOu know, parents of both genders can actually chaperone a field trip. Perhaps if Helicopter Mom has another obligation, Helicopter Dad could whoosh his way in with chopper blades whirring.

Teacher here. Not to scare you parents out there but I agree that it can be a scary thing to send your child on a field trip. If you want to work in schools you have to be checked for criminal history but not to chaperone. Send your child to the pumpkin patch with some other parents where they are free to roam and who knows what may happen. It's not likely but it is something to consider.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A parent chaperone lost my child on a field trip in Kindergarten. He didn't run away, she just walked away with her group and left him at the exhibit. I don't think you are crazy, despite the previous posts.

Did he ever turn up again, or is he still missing?

Ha. They found him. But it wasn't one of those times when you momentarily lose track. They had to get security and my child was still sitting at the exhibit 15 minutes later, lost and crying. The mother chaperoning his group was an idiot.

I don't believe you that your child sat and cried for 15 minutes and everyone who walked by ignored him.

I don't particularly care what you believe. I was just trying to give the OP the alternative opinion that she isn't being insane.

Well, she's still being insane. The worst we've come up with, if true, is 15 min of crying and no harm done. And that was a child who apparently had no idea what to do when lost, which hopefully most of us rectify before we send them on a field trip.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A parent chaperone lost my child on a field trip in Kindergarten. He didn't run away, she just walked away with her group and left him at the exhibit. I don't think you are crazy, despite the previous posts.

Did he ever turn up again, or is he still missing?

Ha. They found him. But it wasn't one of those times when you momentarily lose track. They had to get security and my child was still sitting at the exhibit 15 minutes later, lost and crying. The mother chaperoning his group was an idiot.

I'm sorry that happened. However, I hope you can use it as an opportunity to help explain to your child what to do if he gets separated from his adult.

This happened many years ago, but it was a point of conversation after the incident.

READS : Urban Legend

Anonymous wrote:She's in kindergarten and we don't have school buses.

I don't care if someone thinks that I'm a helicopter parent but I noticed last year during field trips that people mainly watched on their own children and sometimes would lose track of the other children. People take pictures with their cell phones and just focus on their own kids.

I will ask the school about the absences.

And you, OP? When you are a chaperone for field trips, do you watch your own child and lose track of other kids?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A parent chaperone lost my child on a field trip in Kindergarten. He didn't run away, she just walked away with her group and left him at the exhibit. I don't think you are crazy, despite the previous posts.

Did he ever turn up again, or is he still missing?

Ha. They found him. But it wasn't one of those times when you momentarily lose track. They had to get security and my child was still sitting at the exhibit 15 minutes later, lost and crying. The mother chaperoning his group was an idiot.

I'm sorry that happened. However, I hope you can use it as an opportunity to help explain to your child what to do if he gets separated from his adult.

This happened many years ago, but it was a point of conversation after the incident.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A parent chaperone lost my child on a field trip in Kindergarten. He didn't run away, she just walked away with her group and left him at the exhibit. I don't think you are crazy, despite the previous posts.

Did he ever turn up again, or is he still missing?

Ha. They found him. But it wasn't one of those times when you momentarily lose track. They had to get security and my child was still sitting at the exhibit 15 minutes later, lost and crying. The mother chaperoning his group was an idiot.

I don't believe you that your child sat and cried for 15 minutes and everyone who walked by ignored him.

I don't particularly care what you believe. I was just trying to give the OP the alternative opinion that she isn't being insane.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A parent chaperone lost my child on a field trip in Kindergarten. He didn't run away, she just walked away with her group and left him at the exhibit. I don't think you are crazy, despite the previous posts.

Did he ever turn up again, or is he still missing?

Ha. They found him. But it wasn't one of those times when you momentarily lose track. They had to get security and my child was still sitting at the exhibit 15 minutes later, lost and crying. The mother chaperoning his group was an idiot.

I don't believe you that your child sat and cried for 15 minutes and everyone who walked by ignored him.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A parent chaperone lost my child on a field trip in Kindergarten. He didn't run away, she just walked away with her group and left him at the exhibit. I don't think you are crazy, despite the previous posts.

Did he ever turn up again, or is he still missing?

Ha. They found him. But it wasn't one of those times when you momentarily lose track. They had to get security and my child was still sitting at the exhibit 15 minutes later, lost and crying. The mother chaperoning his group was an idiot.

I'm sorry that happened. However, I hope you can use it as an opportunity to help explain to your child what to do if he gets separated from his adult.

I believe this is a problem only for people who have the luxury of staying home with the child. It is amazing that you allow your child to attend school.