What Drives Me Crazy as an Elementary School Secretary...

[Sleestack]

No wonder kids misbehave so much. They aren't getting the love and attention they need at home.[/QUOTE

I agree. Some kids do not get the love at home... and others do not get educated at schools. I am sorry for those kids who fall through whatever cracks they are falling through.

 

[tlbwriter]

Here's the problem. There is rarely a thread on here from other professions complaining about their job. It's mostly from people who work in schools or with children.

Why would you come to a message board full of parents to complain about parents! Then the OP wonders why get criticized.

It's not like this is the "Disney for Familes" board. Nothing about the Community board says it's geared toward parents. Most message boards I frequent are full of parents. If I worked with kids and wanted to vent about my job, I'd have to find another board.

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

I agree. It's a "know your audience" thing. I am sure doctors, bus drivers, and gas station attendants have things that bug them, too. But I hope they wouldn't complain to their patients, riders or customers!

Since this is anonymous, the OP could be the school secretary at any school (including mine). Although I don't think we do any of the annoying things the OP mentions, and I think our secretary is pretty great. I'm sure the job has frustrations, as do all jobs, but for people who want to complain about kids/parents, this might not be the best place to vent (if you "support" only).

So if you're a gynecologist you can only complain to men, or if you're a gas station attendant you can only complain to people under 16? Seems a little restrictive to me.

If we're going with the "school employees are the employee of every tax paying citizen", we'll have to make sure that school secretaries only vent to individuals who are unemployed, pay no taxes and don't have children. Does anyone have suggestions for message boards focused on that demographic?

 

[Pooh Crew]

I'm a parent who volunteers in our school office, so no one "pays my salary"--guess it's ok for me to add my two cents.

We've had parents berate the office staff because we have to see a driver's license and verify the parents' approved check out list before you can take a child out of school. I bet if we sent Little Johnny home with someone who was NOT authorized to take him, they might be a little more agreeable about proving who they were. (Oh, and there's signs at the entrance and by the desk telling parents that they MUST show a driver's license or other picture id to check out a child.)

Don't call and say "I'm the mother of THE TWINS." Sorry, there's a ton of twins (and triplets) at our school. I need a name. Don't blow up when I have to ask WHICH twins.

If you need a favor, ask nicely. Don't order me to go look for your child's jacket/book/folder/lunchbox. Take five minutes out of your busy schedule and come look for it yourself if you can't take five seconds to ask nicely.

Remember that please and thank you go a long way.

 

[m&amom]

I work at a high school and also have students that don't know their number. Although we can look up the information in our student system you would be surprised how many numbers we have that are incorrect. Either they are disconnected or the number is not accepting calls at this time. Sometimes people change the number and forget to tell the schools or sometimes the parents give us the wrong number so we can't call them.

 

[mamacatnv]

It's not like this is the "Disney for Familes" board. Nothing about the Community board says it's geared toward parents. Most message boards I frequent are full of parents. If I worked with kids and wanted to vent about my job, I'd have to find another board.

Really?
Please, its a Community Board for goodness sakes. Talk about whatever you want (except the taboo subjects of course) gheesh that is what a community board is for.......

Wow, some of you really need to get over your indignant selves.

 

[Tinkermommy]

It's not like this is the "Disney for Familes" board. Nothing about the Community board says it's geared toward parents. Most message boards I frequent are full of parents. If I worked with kids and wanted to vent about my job, I'd have to find another board.

Not saying you can't come here and vent. Just saying if you come here and complain about parents there are a lot of us on here and you may get push back.

And as another pp asked. If you are a OB/GYN, I wouldn't post vents about patients on a board geared to mothers. I would post my vents on a physicians board (a group that could understand/sympathize). I wouldn't want to complain and gripe about patients to a group of people who may be patients.

 

[tlbwriter]

Really?
Please, its a Community Board for goodness sakes. Talk about whatever you want (except the taboo subjects of course) gheesh that is what a community board is for.......

Wow, some of you really need to get over your indignant selves.

Um... are you disagreeing with me? Because it sounds like we're saying the same thing.

 

[tlbwriter]

If we're going with the "school employees are the employee of every tax paying citizen", we'll have to make sure that school secretaries only vent to individuals who are unemployed, pay no taxes and don't have children. Does anyone have suggestions for message boards focused on that demographic?

How about the "I spend all day in my mom's basement playing WoW" board?

 

[bdoyledimou]

I <3 my schools secretary. She is the sweetest nicest lady! Of course, she knows me by name after 8 years there, and lots of interaction. I always feel so bad going in and interrupting her.


She knows so much about all the kids too.. she truly loves her job. Why dont' they have a School Secretary of the Year award?!

 

[mhsjax]

AS a parent of 3, and one that does volunteer, I agree with the OP. Yes she works with kids, so what, she can't complain? I love my kids to death, but guess what, get me and a few friends together and we do more than complain sometimes, does that mean we should give up our kids. Really, some people need to get over it.

Now, kids should know their phone numbers, parents should know what the kids teachers names at least in elementary school, parents should not get mad when school as for ID when entering, and I love out secretary.

There are parents out there that don't cut it, I am sorry, but it is true. How about parents that forget repeatedly to send in lunch money even after they have been told that little Suzie doesn't have any money, and then you have to tell little Suzie that I am sorry, all you get is a cheese sandwich, because parents forgot for the 10th time to send in money.

 

[design_mom]

So if you're a gynecologist you can only complain to men, or if you're a gas station attendant you can only complain to people under 16? Seems a little restrictive to me.

If we're going with the "school employees are the employee of every tax paying citizen", we'll have to make sure that school secretaries only vent to individuals who are unemployed, pay no taxes and don't have children. Does anyone have suggestions for message boards focused on that demographic?

Well, I *wasn't* actually going for the "school employees are the employee of every tax paying citizen" angle. That must have been someone else.

But if I were a gynecologist, I wouldn't complain about how stupid my patients are in the waiting room, nor on a "women's health issues" board, nor on the community board on the DIS where many of the posters are probably women (or know women!). I might do it in private with my staff, or with my husband, or maybe with another group of doctors. Or if I did it in a more public spot, I wouldn't expect everyone to agree/support me in my complaints.

 

[tlbwriter]

But if I were a gynecologist, I wouldn't complain about how stupid my patients are in the waiting room, nor on a "women's health issues" board, nor on the community board on the DIS where many of the posters are probably women (or know women!). I might do it in private with my staff, or with my husband, or maybe with another group of doctors. Or if I did it in a more public spot, I wouldn't expect everyone to agree/support me in my complaints.

Oh well. Better not complain about your kids here - some of us were kids. And don't complain about inlaws, because some of us are inlaws. And don't complain about other drivers, because some of us drive. Oh, and don't complain about pedestrians or bicyclists either, because some of us do that. Don't complain about your neighbor's dog, because some of us have dogs.

Seriously, can we not differentiate between "all parents are stupid" and "some of the parents I work with drive me crazy"?

 

[okeydokey]

People complain here all the time who work at restaurants and retail stores. I'm sure they realize that everyone who reads here shops and eats out, but they still vent. What's the difference? OP, vent away. This is the community board!

 

[mamacatnv]

People complain here all the time who work at restaurants and retail stores. I'm sure they realize that everyone who reads here shops and eats out, but they still vent. What's the difference? OP, vent away. This is the community board!

 

[dairyou]

As the OP I am more informing about what might slow down my day. Is it a big deal? Not at all. That's what I'm there for. To treat your children kindly and lovingly as you do. Even more than my own kids.

With this, I'm trying to explain to you that your children should know their phone number. Not for my sake, but for their own. What if they were to get lost, or heaven forbid get abducted. They should be able to tell time. Parents can have communication about their teacher and what happened during their day. Are we so busy that we can't accomplish these?

I'm not going to get defensive. I get paid to do my job, I love it. I adore your children and love it when they say Ms. Deb I need help. I may get frustrated but not because I have to look up a number, but because kids should know this information.

 

[GJM]

My DS doesn't know the phone number, and honestly I don't remember phone numbers anymore either - I just look it up in my cell and hit send. He has all his numbers programmed in to his cell - so I am a bad parent.

I get annoyed with with school secretary that won't listen to my DS when he was sick! After filling out the 15 forms with numbers to call in case of an emergency - and later going to school and making sure they DON'T call my DH phone numbers because he is deployed - who do they call when my DS was sick! DH number - my DS was telling them that DH wouldn't answer but they wouldn't listen to him. My girlfriend was at school and notice my DS and she called me.

When I went to school to talk to the secretary, she said "oh yeah it is in the records not to call those numbers"!!!

 

[mhsjax]

My DS doesn't know the phone number, and honestly I don't remember phone numbers anymore either - I just look it up in my cell and hit send. He has all his numbers programmed in to his cell - so I am a bad parent.

I get annoyed with with school secretary that won't listen to my DS when he was sick! After filling out the 15 forms with numbers to call in case of an emergency - and later going to school and making sure they DON'T call my DH phone numbers because he is deployed - who do they call when my DS was sick! DH number - my DS was telling them that DH wouldn't answer but they wouldn't listen to him. My girlfriend was at school and notice my DS and she called me.

When I went to school to talk to the secretary, she said "oh yeah it is in the records not to call those numbers"!!!

But what if he doesn't have his cell or it isn't charged These things happen, like I stated in my first post, my son did know my cell and his coach was able to call. I think we are all guilty of not knowing numbers because of cell phones, but these things do die and get lost and get left and do have dead batteries sometimes, and I would hate to think that a child is out somewhere and needs to call and doesn't know the number because something is wrong with his cell.

I am there with you on the instruction thing, I tell my dentist over and over again, and actually told them to cross out my cell phone number and she said she did, but I still get calls from them at home.

Well, cell phone coverage in my neighborhood is horrible, you can't hear a thing, also because of this, I have my phone in my purse on a shelf in my bedroom, yet they still call it for reminders.

 

[laurie31]

But what if he doesn't have his cell or it isn't charged These things happen, like I stated in my first post, my son did know my cell and his coach was able to call. I think we are all guilty of not knowing numbers because of cell phones, but these things do die and get lost and get left and do have dead batteries sometimes, and I would hate to think that a child is out somewhere and needs to call and doesn't know the number because something is wrong with his cell.

Someone isn't a "bad parent" for not teaching their child their number, but yes, there are times when it would be very good for them to know. We have had this happen several times in the ER. The person is not seriously injured, is awake and alert, but can't call any family because their phone was damaged in the wreck and they don't know the numbers.

The saddest was a 14 year old boy who had broken bones, and had no clue how to reach his mom. No clue. He knew his name and address, and his parents' names, but not their cell phone numbers. They didn't have a home phone, only cell phones, so we couldn't look it up. It never entered our minds to think that his mom was a bad parent, but rather, that he just didn't see the need to learn the numbers (since they were in his phone) and so he hadn't bothered.

So if your kid doesn't know how to reach you, expect it to take longer to get notified if something happens to them.

 

[dairyou]

Someone isn't a "bad parent" for not teaching their child their number, but yes, there are times when it would be very good for them to know. We have had this happen several times in the ER. The person is not seriously injured, is awake and alert, but can't call any family because their phone was damaged in the wreck and they don't know the numbers.

The saddest was a 14 year old boy who had broken bones, and had no clue how to reach his mom. No clue. He knew his name and address, and his parents' names, but not their cell phone numbers. They didn't have a home phone, only cell phones, so we couldn't look it up. It never entered our minds to think that his mom was a bad parent, but rather, that he just didn't see the need to learn the numbers (since they were in his phone) and so he hadn't bothered.

So if your kid doesn't know how to reach you, expect it to take longer to get notified if something happens to them.

Exactly. Beautifully stated.

Thanks!