Is this appropriate for an elementary school?

[Disney Doll]

when you get older and get a job, they replace build a bear with united way

 

[Cindy B]

Do you know how much Coke/Pepsi pays schools to sell their products in the lunch room/vending machines. IT is a HUGE money maker for the schools, over $100,000/year plus proceeds from the machines in some larger districts.

I didnt even think about that. Product placement is a HUGE business.

 

[Aidensmom]

His teacher wasn't in the classroom yet when I dropped him off, so I was unable to ask her about it. I have, however, sent an email to the principal and am awaiting a reply.

 

[MEG&MINNIE]

Keep us all updated when you finally get to talk to your son's teacher !

 

[SadieDog]

i agree, totally inappropriate for any business to pitch toys at school, anytime, especially near the holidays.

My thoughts too.

 

[Maleficent13]

when you get older and get a job, they replace build a bear with united way

 

[believe]

Inappropriate. If they wanted to come to show the kids how bears were made, that is one thing. A business name should not be mentioned.

Our lunch menus come home with advertisements...BAB is one of them I have seen on them. Just give me a lunch menu I don't need advertisements.

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

totally inappropriate - would love to hear the reply you get!!!!

 

[Mono~rail]

when you get older and get a job, they replace build a bear with united way

I don't need to read any further - this says anything that I could have said so much better!

 

[Toby'sFriend]

Our lunch menus come home with advertisements...BAB is one of them I have seen on them.

Next thing you know, they'll be selling naming rights to the cafeteria.

 

[punkin]

When do they have time for this with all the testing they have to do?

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Inappropriate.

 

[Aidensmom]

This is the email I received from the principal:

Our Career Specialist knew the person who did the presentation. She goes to schools and demonstrates the process and each class that is visited builds a classroom bear. We try to get many speakers from all occupations. The children and parents are welcome to go to the store but this is not a prerequisite to having the speaker. If you have any other questions or concerns please let me know.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

On a smaller realm, doesn't the dentist come to visit the kids? A dentist comes to the elementary school here, and he hands out toothbrushes with his practice name on it. How is that different?

Last year at one school I was subbing at had an animal safety presentation. It really was a K9 trainer-for household pets, not military or police dogs. He handed out pamphlets to the kids as well. This was an elementary presentation.

School menus do have advertisements on the back/side in our district as well. There is also some current movie posters hung up in some cafeterias-this is mostly in the middle school.

I also think of the military recruiters at the high school. Of course they are in full dress uniform, handing out stickers, key chains, and even some Army DVD s to the students. At least the recruiters stay at the table and wait for the students to come to them. The Marines always have goodies to give out as well. If these recruiters aren't advertisers, I don't know what is.

I'm in schools all the time. I can be in an elementary, middle or high school. There are advertisements all the time in all shapes and forms. That Build a Bear presentation is only the beginning.

Dentist teaches children hygeine. They aren't going to run home and say--MOMMM--I have to go to THIS dentist on my tootbrush. Dental care is necessary anyway. I guess he could have just said go to Walgreens and by a new toothbrush.

Animal safety--again pertinent to children. It doens't necessarily encourage kids to go to Felix's Fluffy Pet Palace to by a dog.

school menu thing is new to me--so no comment other than they just ran it on ditto paper when I was in school or it was published weekly in the newspaper. They'd just say "Tator Tots" and not "Ore Ida" for example. Branding is irrelevant to the menu and shouldn't be permitted.

Career day is nothing new and military careers are legitimate. You should see all the goodies college students rack up at Career fairs or the general public gets at community career fairs. Hardly can be equated to advertising expensive toy stores to Kindergarteners.

 

[ilovepcot]

Sorry...I goofed. Real post to follow.

 

[TheOtherVillainess]

I guess I don't see the problem. Growing up, the book covers we were given to use on our schoolbooks had the names of local businesses (so and so orthodontics, such and such bread co, etc) plastered all over them. Our lunch menus came with ads attached and every year, at least 2-3X per year we had school 'fundraiser carnivals' involving at least one local business selling this, that or the other.

I don't see why this person coming into the classroom was a problem. I can understand aidensmom's point of view, but I don't see why it was such a big deal.

TOV

 

[ilovepcot]

This is the email I received from the principal:

Our Career Specialist knew the person who did the presentation.

That sentence right there would have irked me.

 

[ilovepooh]

Being a teacher myself, I am really surprised the principal allowed this! It was very inappropriate.

We have a local dentist come in to talk about dental health, and then gives the children some free items with his name on them, but that's the extent of it. At least it pertains to healthy living. BAB has no educational reason to promote their store in schools!

 

[Cindy B]

Animal safety--again pertinent to children. It doens't necessarily encourage kids to go to Felix's Fluffy Pet Palace to by a dog.

school menu thing is new to me--so no comment other than they just ran it on ditto paper when I was in school or it was published weekly in the newspaper. They'd just say "Tator Tots" and not "Ore Ida" for example. Branding is irrelevant to the menu and shouldn't be permitted.

.

Its not the brand on the menu. Its like advertisements for products on the menu in available space. (similiar to say a Catholic church bulletin but with national products). The middle school has current movie posters on the walls to well, promote the movies. Of course, they won't have Borat or anything like that on the walls, but I remember seeing Flushed Away and such like that.

I just thought of another thing. The school library gives out bookmarks. My daughter just had a bookmark given to her by school. One side is an ad for Flushed away and the other side is Charlottes Web movies. My son had one for a Nintendo DS and Gummi Bears. Yes, you could tie in Charlottes Web with a book so I was looking for actual product.

I've seen some classrooms that have a Build a Bear in it and the the Build a Bear goes home with each kid for the weekend and they journal what they do with the bear. At the end of the year, the class has an entire book of what they did with the bear. I never really thought about where the Bear came from... I thought the teacher purchased it herself.

 

[noodleknitter]

I'm thinking there might be some grand kickbacks, being a career specialist.