Is this appropriate for an elementary school?

[Maleficent13]

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.

A career specialist...for kindergartners? Man, they really DO start 'em early these days.

 

[ilovepcot]

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

Career specialist in grammar school? Why? What could they possibly be addressing for students that young? I, quite possibly, don't understand the term.

 

[Cindy B]

Career specialists does seem like a stretch especially for a kindergarten class. I would wait to see if the bear goes home to kids similiar to a Flat Stanley type project.

My daughter had a Stellaluna come home, and my son had something else come home--I think a snake animal and they journaled it as well.

 

[Aidensmom]

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.

You know, if the teacher turns this into something like that, it won't be that bad. That is a neat idea.

Honestly, I think it is the fact that they told the children they were from the BAB store and sent home a bunch of advertising with the children too that really got to me. If they want to use it as an experience of "this is how a teddy bear is made", with no mention of their business name and no advertising sent home with the kids, and the teacher used the bear in a project like stated above, I probably would not have a problem with it. I just don't like my child being advertised to in school, especially for a toy.

To my son's credit, he hasn't asked me (yet) if we can go to BAB. He probably knows I'll just give my standard answer of "When you save up enough money."

 

[Aidensmom]

Career specialist in grammar school? Why? What could they possibly be addressing for students that young? I, quite possibly, don't understand the term.

The school is K-8, though I really don't see needing a career specialist for Jr High either. I was a little thrown by that as well.

 

[TheOtherVillainess]

Well of course you gotta start them young. If you don't make them decide RIGHT NOW THIS VERY SECOND what they are going to be when they grow up, then you might as well kiss your kids' futures goodbye.

TOV

 

[Skylarr29]

I think it is completely inappropriate.

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

Career Specialist?? That's pretty funny considering most of the BAB associates at our store are high schoolers.

My DD's Kindergarten teacher did this last year with a teddy bear. It was just a plain teddy bear - not a BAB. The project was pretty cute and the book was nice. Some parents got carried away though.

 

[SeeDisney]

I don't like it either -- -just wrong.

 

[mum4jenn]

Around most school systems and probably yours too, NO ONE hands out info of any kind or gives talks of anykind unless it has been approved my the board of education first. Go to your school's website and look under Board of Ed and look at past agendas and it should have something there as to when it was approved and usually why. The Principal might not be to blame at all and eevn if it was his or her idea it still had to be approved by the board.

 

[Cindy B]

The school is K-8, though I really don't see needing a career specialist for Jr High either. I was a little thrown by that as well.

I just finished a practicum for a K-8 school. I can tell you why a career specialist was needed for that school.

The career specialist in my training school was used to help "non traditional" students find different high schools. One day when I was there, the career specialist was coordinating admissions officers from local vocational schools to come and talk to the 8th graders for high school admission.

She also had union tradesmen, police and fire academy recruiters come in and talk to the students. Yes, they are in 8th grade, but some studetns needed directions and goals so they can go into high school with a plan instead of "getting out" when they can quit at 16.

Career specialist can also offer information about specialty tracks in the high school--such as college prep if wanted, computer certification (MCSE or Cisco) and even other trade schools.

That is what I saw the career specialists do in my training school. She told us (the teaching students) that she wanted all the students to have school success.

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

interesting...i'm not usre how i feel about it.

 

[disneymom3]

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.

Nope. Still not acceptable. Still not even close. How does this help the child learn anything. And career specialist???? No offense to anyone at BAB. I have worked retail myself but I am not really thinking that working there consitutes a career you need to start working toward in kindergarten. Not cool.

 

[Steffi]

I live in the Tampa area, also. When I first read this, I had thought maybe the BAB lady was at your son's school for the Teach-In, but I'm pretty sure that's not til next week. Maybe your son's school was starting early?

DD got to learn a lot about the different jobs people have from the Teach-In volunteers; she would have loved to have had a BAB lady at the Teach-In when she was in elementary school!

 

[taximomfor4]

Well of course you gotta start them young. If you don't make them decide RIGHT NOW THIS VERY SECOND what they are going to be when they grow up, then you might as well kiss your kids' futures goodbye.

TOV

Uh-huh. That's why I have decided all my kids will be..................drumroll please.............................................you guessed it.................................................................................................

CAREER SPECIALISTS!!

 

[BeachBabi0]

Uh-huh. That's why I have decided all my kids will be..................drumroll please.............................................you guessed it.................................................................................................

CAREER SPECIALISTS!!

one quick question..what's a career specialist?

 

[summerrluvv]

Since the kids participated in creating a bear in the classroom to keep in their classroom, I don't see it as being that inappropriate. Just sounds like a fun thing for five year olds to do. School is allowed to be fun sometimes

 

[pigletz]

I have a friend who is the Career Specialist for her school. In her district it is a supplemental position. She teaches during the day and then is responisible for organizing the speakers for career day. If a teacher needs a speaker at any other time during the year, they go to her and she contacts speakers. She also sets up any career related field trips. Her school just went k-8 and so now she is responsible for organizing times for representatives from each high school to come to talk to the eighth graders at the beginning of the year and to do schedualing at the end. She also brings in students from the high schools to talk to the kids and scheduals visits to the high schools. She's basically doing the work of a guidance councelor without the pay. She makes a little extra but not much considering the amount of time she puts in.

I don't know about the build a bear thing though. I know for the younger grades she gets a lot of requests for police and firefighters and scheduals a lot of career field trips to bakeries and the Malley's chocolate factory.

 

[noodleknitter]

Since the kids participated in creating a bear in the classroom to keep in their classroom, I don't see it as being that inappropriate. Just sounds like a fun thing for five year olds to do. School is allowed to be fun sometimes

Of course it should be fun, but when they are helping phish for retail customers...pathetic.

 

[DISUNC]

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.

A CAREER SPECIALIST????? For 5 YEAR OLDS????
Grammar Schools have these?????

Then again I guess a 5 year olds career goals would be "Professional Teddy Bear Stuffer"!

It is NICE to know that "The children and parents are welcome to go to the store " !!!!!