Elementary school teachers
in Students & Teens ·
I’ve read through most of this thread and wanted to point out a few things:
It seems like most people have just accepted the mother's version of events as absolute truth without considering that perspective matters. If a teacher had started this discussion instead, the reaction might have been quite different.
I agree that teachers—just like people in any profession—can be flawed, but I find it hard to believe parents weren't informed about the trip. Maybe the mom missed the parent meeting, or maybe the kid didn't mention they were heading to McDonald's. It's unlikely everyone would suddenly have the cash for an outing like this without prior notice.
Furthermore, I don't think the mother should take her child's account of what happened at McDonald's at face value. I see many of you arguing that the child didn't ask for money, but... are you absolutely sure? A friend of mine who is a teacher once dealt with a situation where a student, running low on cash during a trip to Central Park, was begging passersby for money to ride the pedicabs—at least until the teacher caught on. Who knows how that actually went down? For all we know, the teacher might have overreacted a bit $7.00. Besides, a ten-year-old is old enough to understand what Mom would or wouldn't approve of and act accordingly.
Regardless, I side with those saying it would have been much worse if the teacher had let the kid sit there eating a peanut butter sandwich and drinking water, staring sadly at everyone else eating burgers. Helping the child fit in so they don't feel inferior isn't about moralizing that "kids can't always have everything"—I agree with that principle—but when we're talking about minor luxuries and trends...
In short: kudos to the teacher.
It seems like most people have just accepted the mother's version of events as absolute truth without considering that perspective matters. If a teacher had started this discussion instead, the reaction might have been quite different.
I agree that teachers—just like people in any profession—can be flawed, but I find it hard to believe parents weren't informed about the trip. Maybe the mom missed the parent meeting, or maybe the kid didn't mention they were heading to McDonald's. It's unlikely everyone would suddenly have the cash for an outing like this without prior notice.
Furthermore, I don't think the mother should take her child's account of what happened at McDonald's at face value. I see many of you arguing that the child didn't ask for money, but... are you absolutely sure? A friend of mine who is a teacher once dealt with a situation where a student, running low on cash during a trip to Central Park, was begging passersby for money to ride the pedicabs—at least until the teacher caught on. Who knows how that actually went down? For all we know, the teacher might have overreacted a bit $7.00. Besides, a ten-year-old is old enough to understand what Mom would or wouldn't approve of and act accordingly.
Regardless, I side with those saying it would have been much worse if the teacher had let the kid sit there eating a peanut butter sandwich and drinking water, staring sadly at everyone else eating burgers. Helping the child fit in so they don't feel inferior isn't about moralizing that "kids can't always have everything"—I agree with that principle—but when we're talking about minor luxuries and trends...
In short: kudos to the teacher.