Mean School Lunch Ladies!!

[monsterkitty]

While I am happy with your pro-potty-break outlook;

Sorry, but I have heard these kinds of 'Martyr' and 'Self-righteous' comments many times before...

ex: I don't even get to eat my lunch... etc....

ummmm..... HOURS without a potty break????? GET real... YOU get the chance to go WHILE the kids are in the lunch-room... (where they do not get the chance) WHILE they are in P.E., Library, Specials, etc.. on and on...

I simply do NOT buy it... You are an adult... You are the one in control. If you are not getting a potty break, then, guess what??? That is your problem.

I am the specials teacher. I teach from 8:04 until 2:10 with no break. When the core teachers have their planning time, the elective teachers the ones teaching the children. When one class leaves the other is coming in. We don't have recesses in middle school. It is now 2:15 and I am just now getting my lunch.

I don't consider myself a martyr, I took this job knowing what it was all about. If I don't get a lunch that is my fault, no one elses. However, it is impossible for me to use the bathroom until 2:10 beacuse I can't leave my classroom unatttended.

What would happen if I left my class to use the restroom and something happened? Do you want your child's teacher to leave a class unattended so the teacher can use the restroom? Probably not.

So, while I sign the child's planner so he or she can use the restroom, I will sign with envy.

 

[oregonmousefan]

On a sidenote, Joe has decided to leave his pretty successful, 16 year publishing career behind and has chosen to be a teacher. I'm nothing but proud of him for making such a great decision.

Rick...your post honestly brought a tear to my eye...and I got a little choked up. Good for Joe. I've been considering doing the same thing...this may help push me in that direction.

-Darryl

 

[Jeafl]

I am in a unique position where I am primarily a SAHM, but I do work 2 1/2 hours a day at the school.

I must say that my position on teachers has changed drastically since I started working there. At our school we have 22 teachers and I can say without a doubt that 20 of them go out of their way to do extra things for the kids. I never really knew what went on behind the scenes until I started working with them, and observing how they behave in their classrooms. These teachers buy supplies for kids who can't afford it, they give emotional support when needed, and cheer them on in whatever they do. I honestly don't think any of them have a God complex. Sure, some of them are better teachers and communicators than others, but I don't think any of them wants to see a child wet their pants.

I will say though, that I have seen these teachers put up with abuse from a lot of parents who can't imagine that their child did what the teacher said he or she did. I witness the incidents quite often and when the parents are called, they automatically stick up for their kid. I'm not saying you shouldn't because I am a concerned parent too, but at least listen to what the teacher is saying.

You honestly couldn't pay me enough to be a full time teacher.

 

[aprilgail2]

I don't like that at all! Every school (all 2 of them!) we've used has welcomed parents with open arms. What's the deal with that and is it OK with you?

It is mainly ok with me....I don't like the idea of any old parent being able to walk in and out of the lunchroom or school as they wish. I know what kind of parent I am but who knows what little sally or johnny has for a parent, I wouldn't want any of them being able to follow my child into the restroom etc....If you have business at the school you are let first into the office, if you are helping out with a class project etc they will sign you in, walk you down to the class...when you are done the office is called and they come back and show you out, you just can't wander around amongst the children on your own...

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

It is mainly ok with me....I don't like the idea of any old parent being able to walk in and out of the lunchroom or school as they wish. I know what kind of parent I am but who knows what little sally or johnny has for a parent, I wouldn't want any of them being able to follow my child into the restroom etc....If you have business at the school you are let first into the office, if you are helping out with a class project etc they will sign you in, walk you down to the class...when you are done the office is called and they come back and show you out, you just can't wander around amongst the children on your own...

I thought this was how it is at most schools. That isn't what I thought you meant by closed door.

The school my girls would go to -- all volunteers are fingerprinted and must sign in at the office. If you come for lunch...they eat outside--so there is no going inside the building for the parents who just visit. No place to go with any child.

 

[alliecats]

This thread has gotten a little off track...not really about teachers vs. students everywhere, but just this one situation.

In response to the OP and your specific situation, OP, I say...while I don't have children yet and might not have them, if I ever do have children I hope I will be a mom like you. In a situation like this, the school employee is CLEARLY in the wrong. Nothing is more humiliating for a child. You are right to get involved...strenuously if necessary!

She might one day forget she wet herself in school long ago, but like Serena said, she will NEVER forget that you stood up for her.

 

[Marseeya]

Have any of you read Ann Landers today? Or Annie's Attic or whatever it's called... The whole column is devoted to teachers talking about bathroom breaks for kids!

Some of them are pretty outrageous.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Have any of you read Ann Landers today? Or Annie's Attic or whatever it's called... The whole column is devoted to teachers talking about bathroom breaks for kids!

Some of them are pretty outrageous.

Wish I had it--you must share.

I have Dear Abby. No potty breaks in her column.

 

[Marseeya]

They're online at creators.com, but they only have the column up to Monday's edition. I can't really type out the whole column, but here are some basics:

One teacher says she only allows her students to use the restroom at the beginning and end of every class with the exception of emergencies. She uses that time to take care of classroom business.

Another says they get two passes per quarter and if they use more than that, they have to stay after school.

Another says the school locks the bathrooms except for the 3 minutes between classes. This teacher lets her students go during class if they're "doing the dance" but she lectures them on planning their time better.

One has an emergency sign up sheet the kids can use twice a week, no questions asked.

This one lets the kids go one at a time during class IF they agree to stay after school and make up the missed time.

Yet another has to put their name on the board and make up five minutes of their next recess.

Another uses positive reinforcement. Gives them plenty of time to go between classes, but then gives them a token for each day they go without going in the middle of class.

This one does something similar, but gives them tokens in advance and takes them away for each bathroom trip. Whatever they have left, they get a reward.

This lovely person makes the kids pick up garbage after school for every time they use the restroom during class.

Finally, the last one has a sign up sheet where they can sign up once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Emergencies dealt with on an individual basis.

 

[kidshop]

It is mainly ok with me....I don't like the idea of any old parent being able to walk in and out of the lunchroom or school as they wish. I know what kind of parent I am but who knows what little sally or johnny has for a parent, I wouldn't want any of them being able to follow my child into the restroom etc....If you have business at the school you are let first into the office, if you are helping out with a class project etc they will sign you in, walk you down to the class...when you are done the office is called and they come back and show you out, you just can't wander around amongst the children on your own...

Well, at our school, you have to ring a bell to be let in, sign in (and out) at the office, wear a vistor sticker, but all parents are welcomed and encouraged to eat lunch as often as they wish. There is really no wandering on your own. And we are encouraged to come sit in the classroom anytime to observe, whatever. I like being a part of the school family and being welcome to be there. I guess a perv parent could come for lunch, but it's not a big fear of mine!

This is funny in light of your OP: " I wouldn't want any of them being able to follow my child into the restroom etc...." I hope you can see the humor in it!

Where i was going with this closed door policy is that maybe a school that welcomes and expects parental participation has less of an authoritarian attitude towards kids..ie...you MUST eat your lunch. Just a thought..

 

[Kallison]

My kids are ages 15, 12 and 11 and I work in a different middle school then where they go. We were eating out the other night and all four of us were comparing "Mean lunch lady" stories. I think it is some kind of weird power trip. Anyway my oldest starts telling me how his math teacher said the lunch lady hates him. So on back to school night I jokingly say that to him and he starts ranting and raving about how you better not ever ask for change for the vending machine. It was hysterical.

BTW I don't EVER tell a middle school kid they can't go to the bathroom. NO matter how many times they ask, unless maybe the bell is about to ring in two minutes, and even then I still add if you really have to then go.

 

[charabby]

I find many lunch room ladies to be in the same genre as security guards. Know how they call security guards 'rent a cops', wanna be's, with a exagerated sense power--well many of the lunch ladies were like that a dd's school. Just mean, nasty ladies who must have thought they had way more authority than they actually did. They would make snide comments about and to the students, would force kids the eat, yes the whole no uising the bathroom thing. I am not exactly sure why they worked at the school, because most (not all, a few were nice) did not lilke kids at all.

You know the problem with generalizations like that in public? You just never know who might hear and who you might offend. My mom was a 'lunch lady' for nearly 30 years and just retired this past spring. She loves kids and loved her job until it got to be too much. She would go out of her way to please the kids and really took meeting their needs seriously. She wasn't on a power trip and was always fair. She didn't, nor did her employees, engage in the types of behavior described here and the school didn't tolerate it. I hate hearing remarks like this about lunch ladies, b/c you're talking about my mom . I know you threw, they're not all like that type statements here and there, but really just how many lunch ladies do you know? I don't know, I just hate hearing/reading stuff like that, but it's probably just b/c I'm sensitive to it.

 

[mum4jenn]

WOW!!!!!!!!! You guys need to move to Leesburg GA!!!! I am the manager of a school lunchroom and we do nothing like this!!
First of all the teachers and administrators control the lunchroom. The teachers take thenm for a restroom break before and after lunch!! The "lunchladies" are there to cook,serve,and clean up.
The cashier collects the money and monitors the students as they punch in their number to make sure thay are putting in the correct lunch number.
No one except her knows if they are free,reduced or full-pay (unless I have to fill in for her).
No lunchlady patrols the cafeteria.
I stand near the exit line to make sure they have picked up milk and on the days they have to pick up a fruit or a juice bar I have to make sure it is put on their tray(they MUST have all the menu items on their trays but they don't have to eat it)
If they have money and want to buy extra food they are allowed.
If they don't want their milk once they punch their number in they put it in a pan of ice so if someone wants an extra milk they can get it for no charge.

If they need to go to the restroom during lunch all they have to do is ask their teacher.
If they need the nurse she is stationed in a room right next to the restrooms and again all they have to do is ask the teacher.
They are allowed to talk but if it gets out of hand the Principal or a male teacher whistles very loud as a signal for them to get the noise level down.
If a child starts roughhousing in the line or is standing in line breaking the forks or is spitting on the floor then we can say something to them.
If I need to say something to a student (which is rare) like they forgot to pay for their ice cream and I have to run them down then the teacher is right there to make sure they are not causing US any problems.
Our students love us... we get daily hugs from lots of them and they are sure to tell us if they really liked a dish that day.
I do stand at the trash cans to make sure they empty the trays to make the cleaning of them easier and to make sure they are not throwing the trays away and to make sure they are stacking them correctly so they don't fall.
Other than that we have no "power".
Our teachers eat in the lunchroom everyday except when parents take over during teachers appreciation week.
They do all sit at three tables in the middle of the lunchroom so they can monitor what is going on.
We have a salad bar/taco bar/potatobar etc for the teachers so most of them do not bring their lunch.
I do fun things with the kids...like right now I have a poster contest going on that ties into the theme for National School Lunch Week.
Last year was the schools 50 year anniv. so we had dress up days for the different decades and I brought music and we (the lunchladies) danced for and with the kids. I dress up like a Christmas Tree at Christmas time and I dress up like Daisy Duck at Halloween. I might be the Easter Bunny at Easter.

I am sorry your school chooses to let this happen. There is NO WAY the lunch ladies should be running the show other than COOKING>>>SERVING THE FOOD>>>>AND CLEANING THE KITCHEN. There is no way I would let this happen. They don't get paid to do that and the school either needs to get the teachers in there or get some other monitors in there. It is not fair to the ladies that are getting paid to cook. We are not "rent-a-cops" as someone said earlier.AND I have ALL my teeth!!!!!

 

[mum4jenn]

You know the problem with generalizations like that in public? You just never know who might hear and who you might offend. My mom was a 'lunch lady' for nearly 30 years and just retired this past spring. She loves kids and loved her job until it got to be too much. She would go out of her way to please the kids and really took meeting their needs seriously. She wasn't on a power trip and was always fair. She didn't, nor did her employees, engage in the types of behavior described here and the school didn't tolerate it. I hate hearing remarks like this about lunch ladies, b/c you're talking about my mom . I know you threw, they're not all like that type statements here and there, but really just how many lunch ladies do you know? I don't know, I just hate hearing/reading stuff like that, but it's probably just b/c I'm sensitive to it.

THANK YOU!!!!

I get my feeling hurt about this kind of thing too. Yes I know there are ladies even in my kitchen that are missing some teeth but when you make the kind of money we nake you might understand. There are lots of single moms trying to the the best they can. I have one lady that is on her 35th year of cooking for children and she is missing some teeth but she is the kindest lady I have ever met. She is my bread cook and for all you bashing the lunch ladies I sure would like to see YOU come in here an make rolls for 600 kids in 2 hours or less!!!! It is NOT as easy as you think and there are not very many people that are capable of doing that kind of work. I could be doing lots of other things for a heck of alot more money but I hated those jobs and I love this one. The WHOLE staff appreciates us and it is a shame they are treated the way they are at other locations. If you talk to your children and get them to realize that everyone has a job to do and to respect people for what they have chosen as a profession and NOT make fun of them and what they look like then maybe the world would be a better place. Even sewer cleaners have a job to do and I don't think any one here wants a job like that either.

 

[pat fan]

Another "Lunch Lady" here, and yes, it does sting to hear all the lunch lady jokes and derision that people just throw out there.

To the OP, I'm sorry for your child.I would never condone that kind of behaviour to kids by anyone.
In our school the teachers,IA's, principle and secretary do lunch room duty.We "just" cook,serve and clean the kitchen.There are only two of us so there is no way we could "patrol" the lunch room. We work very hard and love the kids.I'm the one who knows if kids are free or reduced and I don't tell anyone.

The kids are the ones with basicaly no power.It's not their fault if mom/dad can't get them to school on time for breakfast,don't pay their lunch bill or expect to get free when they don't qualify so they just refuse to pay and send the kid to eat every day

I have one mom who ALWAYS brings the kids late.Mom brings the kids in at 8:50-8:55 and tells them they can still get breakfast, which we will do if the teacher says it's ok.Well, the one teacher said that if "Johnnie" is late again he can't get breakfast but has to come to class (the bell rings at 8:45 and breakfast is over/class starts).So we tell mom he has to go to class and she pitches a fit and takes him home to give him breakfast and then brings him back to school.Mind you, they live about 4 doors down from the school. You can't get him to school 15 minutes earlier or feed him at home? Sheesh.Anyway,off soapbox now.

I'm a lunch lady and I love kids.....please be nice to lunch ladies.

 

[aprilgail2]

WOW!!!!!!!!! You guys need to move to Leesburg GA!!!! I am the manager of a school lunchroom and we do nothing like this!!
First of all the teachers and administrators control the lunchroom. The teachers take thenm for a restroom break before and after lunch!! The "lunchladies" are there to cook,serve,and clean up.
The cashier collects the money and monitors the students as they punch in their number to make sure thay are putting in the correct lunch number.
No one except her knows if they are free,reduced or full-pay (unless I have to fill in for her).
No lunchlady patrols the cafeteria.
I stand near the exit line to make sure they have picked up milk and on the days they have to pick up a fruit or a juice bar I have to make sure it is put on their tray(they MUST have all the menu items on their trays but they don't have to eat it)
If they have money and want to buy extra food they are allowed.
If they don't want their milk once they punch their number in they put it in a pan of ice so if someone wants an extra milk they can get it for no charge.


QUOTE]

Not like that where we are! The lunch ladies patrol the cafeteria, they tell the kids no talking, quiet down (or shut up as they used to say to my godson until one of the moms at the school complained they used "shut up" instead of quiet down).....they sit at table with their class-can't sit with their friends and can not talk-though sometimes they get away with whispering back and forth...the lunch ladies pretty much rule the cafeteria! The cafeteria workers work inthe kitchen cooking and serving the food and taking the money.....

 

[mum4jenn]

So what is the difference between a cafeteria worker and a lunch lady????? I am confused.

 

[aprilgail2]

So what is the difference between a cafeteria worker and a lunch lady????? I am confused.

The lunch ladies dont serve/ make food..they just walk around shutting the kids up and making sure they clean up...the cafeteria workers never leave the kitchen.

 

[Miller1412]

Daxx, thanks for being a teacher. The school system needs more caring people like you.

Admittedly, sadly no, I don't have children. My partner Joe and I would love to adopt and perhaps we will one day. But I thought I'd show my support for you nevertheless. Why? Because I was a student at one time in my life. And so was Joe. And we remember those teachers that went the extra mile for us when parents might have failed. And parents do folks.

Joe was raised by a caring, loving single mother. They were welfare recipients and try as she might, things were pretty darn tough on the family financially. Joe distinctly remembers his principal, a man who made a point of knowing every child's first name. More importantly, he remembered every welfare child who received a free lunch. And without making those children suffer any embarrassment by forcing them to sign a ledger, submit a coupon or give their name while in line with their peers, this principal simply stood at the front of the line and when a child like Joe came up, tray full of food, big green eyes looking at the adult for guidance, the principal would simply smile, bid Joe hello and give the lunch lady a quick and discrete nod. And off Joe would go, dignity intact, enjoying his lunch with his friends.

Joe also told me of a few different teachers who would bring in boxes of donated clothes. They would discretely invite children from welfare families to come by after school, when no other kids were around, and let them sort through the boxes for themselves, selecting shirts, pants, socks, shoes, etc... These teachers would even mother these kids, making sure the shoes fit, that the pants were the right size, showing what matched what.

Joe tells me these stories, not with any sadness for having been brought up in a family that accepted welfare, but as bright moments in his life that wouldn't have happened without some pretty terrific, genuinely caring, wonderful teachers showing them that someone knows and cares. He remembers that these adults made him feel like he mattered.

So to the teachers out there who go the extra mile for the children, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I know one grown man who remembers you, and I thank you for helping shape him into the awesome, loving, caring man he is today.

On a sidenote, Joe has decided to leave his pretty successful, 16 year publishing career behind and has chosen to be a teacher. I'm nothing but proud of him for making such a great decision.

Thanks so much for your post RickinNYC!! Up till your post my blood was boiling, and I just couldn't believe some of the nasty teacher comments that I was reading. I'm sure Joe will be a great teacher. Any kid will be lucky to have him.

It is so frustrating as a teacher to listen to people talk about God complexes. Teachers are people who make decisions. They love their kids, they want the best for them, and work hard to do the best they can. Name me one teacher that can please every parent, and I'll take my hat off to you...because it's just not possible. What thrills one parent, can p*** another parent off.

As a teacher, I do my best every day. Do I make mistakes? Absolutely. Am I always growing and changing? You better believe it. I need to keep an open mind to the needs of kids and families, and I expect the same treatment in return.

Parents and teachers have got to stop thinking of each other as enemies, and get on the same team. That is the ONLY way the kids can win.

Walk in another mans shoes...
That goes two ways. KIDS first...all else comes second.

Good luck Joe and Rick!! And thanks again for a great post.