Warning-this is a very LONG rant

[golfgal]

Could be worse...our district just cancelled a week long break for February due to having a week off in Ocotber becuase of our storm/power outages.

This was a scheduled break so many families are going on vacation, teachers are going on vacation...the Spanish students are going to Spain! Now they are all told there will be school...sorry, cancel vacation plans. Teachers are mad, students are mad, parents are mad.

The Spanish trip is all honors and AP students, if there are classes while they are gone they will be very far behind. If the teacher for AP goes on her vacation they will have a sub in class and she isn't able to teach the AP classes so they will do nothing for a week..which is good for those going on the trip, but not for those at home.

The district says they have to do it so they have a few days for snow days...my district NEVER closes for snow days..in the 13 years my kids have been in the district I think we have had 10 snow days max.

OK, living in MN this happens around here a lot. Usually they tack on days at the end of the school year instead. Maybe someone could propose that to the district vs canceling winter break and all the vacations?

 

[disney junky]

What percentage of the student population was absent?
How are the school rules stupid?
What percentage of students present warrants instruction?

 

[my4kids]

My thoughts - I'm in MD as well and the teachers are told to go on as usual with tests, they are hoping it discourages people from taking their kids out...it is a normal school day , teachers are being paid, it was on the calendar that they expect the kids there.....if they watch movies or goof off during those days, parents like me will be ticked of that my kids time is being wasted, and if they aren't going to teach, they should just cancel school that day, so I could have gone in vacation too....its a "can't have your cake and eat it too thing."

About the girl being grounded......committing to a babysitting job is a responsibility. When you commit to someone that you will be there, and then you cancel, and leave them high and dry, that is unprofessional, unreliable, selfish, and irresponsible. It was not a something that just affected the girl's schedule, but effected another families schedule....if she knew she had a project to do, she should not have committed to babysit. That is probably why her mother punished her...she was probably trying to instill resposiblity for committments. Maybe this girl has done this to families before? Once I had a girl cancel, because she was invited to a party (that she just could not miss) and I had a funeral to go to! (not something I could reschedule).Homework does come first, but that is why she should not have said she could babysit....I would come down pretty hard on my daughter if she disregarded someone elses time that way.

About the money...I'm sure I have done this unknowingly before....as far as the pizza, I would have thought that was part of you entertaining a group of your daughter friends, and I tend to figure what goes around comes around...I don't keep track of every nickel, I would just be sure to buy pizza or do something nice for your daughter soon, like a movie.. she should have offered money for the supplies, but maybe she has a lot on her and didn't think of it.

 

[my4kids]

It depends upon where you teach & how you use your leave. I'm a teacher & I take off 6 school days every May to take my family to WDW (heck, this past year we also went in January for 8 days). Our music teacher went on a 2 week vacation last year. Even our principal went to the Bahamas for 5 days.

In my county, the ONLY vacation of the ENTIRE school year that teachers get a full week vacation is Christmas. (I'd never even heard of a winter break in January until the DIS). We get Wed. - Friday off at Thanksgiving. At Easter, we get Thur, Fri, & Monday off.

Winter breaks are usually held in the colder parts of the country to save on energy cost for heat for the week. They try to sched it for the coldest week of the year when the furnaces can't keep up with the cold. Then they typically don't have as long of a spring break.

We used to have it in MD when I was a kid in the '70's during the energy crisis. Since MD weather is not predictable - every year without fail the wee that was scheduled off would be an unseasonably warm spring like week, then the following week when we were back to school we would have a blizzard and school would be closed for a second week ...they finally realized it wasn't a good idea in MD.

 

[Beca]

Yikes!! You are all very lucky. I was told that in my dd's district here in N. Texas, she can miss ONE day without a doctor's note....after that, she must get a note from her doctor. They do this so parents cannot take their kids out during school.

When I was in high school, teachers were often told by the administration that they HAD to schedule tests and/or quizzes during weeks where families were trying to "duck out" of school. These were not something kids could make up unless they brought in a doctor's note. Needless to say, knowing a doctor who would write you a note was a VERY good thing!!! Unfortunately, I never knew one of these doctors.

 

[ElizaB39]

In our school district it is called winter break because it is not PC to call it Christmas break. And to be fair, I agree with calling it winter break, although in reality it is always over Chirstmas so only the name really changes right?

WE also get a full week at T'giving, although the teachers have in-service on Monday and then conferences through Wednesday noon.

We also get a spring break, conveniently always the week before Easter and we also have Easter Monday off. However, all this time off means we go to school until Mid-June, and we start the week before Labor Day.

Maybe they are preparing us to go to school year round and will just start expanding our breaks and think we won't notice!

Some of the posters had good points about the girl being grounded, maybe she blew off the babysitting job and etc. At least she got a 100 on her project!

 

[punkin]

About the money...I'm sure I have done this unknowingly before....as far as the pizza, I would have thought that was part of you entertaining a group of your daughter friends, and I tend to figure what goes around comes around...I don't keep track of every nickel, I would just be sure to buy pizza or do something nice for your daughter soon, like a movie.. she should have offered money for the supplies, but maybe she has a lot on her and didn't think of it.

I was not "entertaining" anyone. I was helping her daughter with her science project. If my kid's grade wasn't at issue, I wouldn't have lifted a finger. These girls were randomly assigned to the project by the teacher and I do not know them. I shelled out money for the materials for the project as well as pizza. Was that supposed to be part of the "entertainment" as well? All I can say is next time, I will help my daughter with her assignment and have her tell the teacher that the rest of the group did not participate (having prior babysitting commitments that were more important) and she should be the only one to get a grade on the project.

 

[my4kids]

I was not "entertaining" anyone. I was helping her daughter with her science project. If my kid's grade wasn't at issue, I wouldn't have lifted a finger. These girls were randomly assigned to the project by the teacher and I do not know them. I shelled out money for the materials for the project as well as pizza. Was that supposed to be part of the "entertainment" as well? All I can say is next time, I will help my daughter with her assignment and have her tell the teacher that the rest of the group did not participate (having prior babysitting commitments that were more important) and she should be the only one to get a grade on the project.

How big a deal is a slice of pizza? If you are that hard up, you should have asked the girls to pack a lunch to come to your house. Just have your daughter tell each girl what they owe her for the project.

 

[punkin]

How big a deal is a slice of pizza? If you are that hard up, you should have asked the girls to pack a lunch to come to your house. Just have your daughter tell each girl what they owe her for the project.

How big a deal is 2 pies of pizza delivered with tip? And yes, I am that hard up. I had just come back from vacation. We drove all night so we got almost no sleep. I had absolutely no food in the house. I could not go shopping for food because I had to do this stupid science project.

Actually, I was shocked that this project was not started before. My daughter called these girls up on Sunday morning to find out what they had done on the project so far and how she could help and none of them did anyhing. They didn't even think about it or buy supplies.

Two of the girls did pay. It is the one freeloader with whom I'm having a problem. BTW, my daughter did tell her to pay. She refused.