Elementary school teachers

I honestly don't get why the teacher "borrowed" $3 just to grab a damn Happy Meal when there are way cheaper options at McDonald's. I’m blaming the teacher here—she’s just not being resourceful, and honestly, neither is McDonald's...

Regarding the whole thing about buying worksheets, workbooks, tests, and stuff through the school and the fees involved
...
At the first parent-teacher meeting, we let parents know what educational materials are needed. We show them the catalogs where every single item's price is clearly listed. We decide together what actually needs to be bought—what’s essential, what’s optional, or what could potentially be photocopied (even if that's technically illegal) just to save everyone some money.
The price parents pay is the catalog price. What we as the school pay is that same price without sales tax. Depending on school policy, that money either goes to the teacher, into a general fund, or covers things like field trips or gifts for Saint Nicholas.
And trust me, it’s not like a teacher can get rich off this. It’s more of a headache to collect the cash, dealing with people for months who haven't paid for one reason or another, or even dipping into my own pocket (I've done that plenty of times because publishers want their money the second they deliver the materials) and then wondering if I'll ever see that money again.
What blows my mind every single year is that the people with the least money are always the first to pay, and there's never any trouble with them... most of the time you're fighting with the ones you know have the cash!
Look, I'm not a charity. Why should I pay for someone else's kid's supplies out of my own pocket? 🤷

As for "free education"—it's free in the sense that you aren't paying for the knowledge we pass on to your kids (which you'd definitely pay for at a private school, where it would cost you something like fifteen thousand dollars a year), but you do pay for the tools used to teach that knowledge (textbooks, field trips, etc.). If you want to know why it works that way, take it up with the government. As educators, we have nothing to do with it.
I agree that calling education "free" is presented poorly. It isn't truly free—once you buy the textbooks and pay for various field trips, you're easily out a few hundred dollars a year. 😢

I honestly don't see the issue with buying materials through the school.
No one is being ripped off. If parents bought these worksheets themselves, they'd end up paying even more at a local bookstore 🙄. I always give people the option to go find the stuff themselves if they want to, can, or have the time, and in eight years, nobody has ever actually taken me up on it. 🤷

Just level the playing field so they blend in with everyone else. A kid shouldn't stand out; avoiding that social friction is the priority if you want to prevent trauma.☕
How can you not?🙄

They could have just hit up a McDonald's after school instead of bringing it into the building. Maybe that was part of the "educational" aspect—showing kids where modern "healthy food" actually comes from.🤔

Say whatever you want, but they could have taken the kids somewhere else. There are plenty of healthier, cheaper, or even free options out there. Honestly, it would have been better if she just grabbed some crayons and a stack of paper and had them draw nature instead.

Charles Murphy6 said:I’ll go on record right now saying it’s a much easier gig than people give it credit for. If anyone actually cares to verify my claim, just grab a calendar and do the math on their days off—both the single days and the long stretches. You've got 30 days of vacation, plus winter break, plus spring break, and let's not even get started on summer vacation, where nobody actually shows up based on some official HR decree; they just drift back in for the first semester session.

Now, if you want to argue that kids these days have absolutely zero discipline, fine, I'm with you there. And if you think every generation is sliding further down the gutter, yeah, I agree with that too. There’s just no respect left in the world—not from the parents and certainly not from the kids—it’s all gone downhill.
That being said, we shouldn't be underestimating anyone's profession or title.
A bus driver carries the responsibility for their passengers just as much as a Teacher carries the weight for their students.
At the end of the day, nobody forced anyone into these careers; the choice was entirely up to the individual.
And look, if there are massive flaws in the system—well, they're flawed, plain and simple.

You'll be lucky if you even manage to enroll...☕

Is there anything more profoundly enchanting than witnessing the delicate, fluttering grace of a butterfly dancing through a sun-drenched meadow? One cannot help but wonder if such fragile beauty isn't a small, moving miracle sent to remind us of the splendor inherent in our natural world! Does it not stir the very soul to see such vibrant colors swirling amidst the wildflowers? kaže:
Is there anything truly more rewarding than the calling of an educator? To wake up each morning knowing that you have the profound opportunity to shape the minds of the next generation—is that not the most fulfilling sensation imaginable? It is simply wonderful to be a teacher!🙂

Is it not truly heartbreaking to observe how little appreciation is afforded to our educators in this day and age? One cannot help but wonder, as we witness the shifting tides of social values, why the very individuals who shape the minds of our future generations are treated with such profound indifference! Is it not a tragedy that those dedicated professionals, who pour their entire hearts into the classrooms of our great nation, find themselves facing such a staggering lack of respect from the public?
But absolutely not!
How can one possibly expect children to offer respect when they aren't even receiving it from their own parents? Is it not a fundamental truth that respect is a mirror, reflecting exactly what is modeled within the walls of the home? If the foundation of authority is built upon dismissal rather than dignity, how can we wonder why the younger generation struggles to honor those in charge?

Have you ever seen that classic cartoon floating around the internet? You know the one! It depicts a scene from about thirty years ago where a child comes home with failing grades, and the parent immediately begins to scold the kid. But then, you look at how much everything has shifted in modern America, and the joke flips entirely on its head! Nowadays, in that exact same situation, it’s the parent who is frantically demanding answers from the teacher! Isn't it truly fascinating how much our societal dynamics have transformed over the decades?

Charles Murphy6 said:I’ll go on record right now saying it’s a much easier gig than people give it credit for. If anyone actually cares to verify my claim, just grab a calendar and do the math on their days off—both the single days and the long stretches. You've got 30 days of vacation, plus winter break, plus spring break, and let's not even get started on summer vacation, where nobody actually shows up based on some official HR decree; they just drift back in for the first semester session.

Now, if you want to argue that kids these days have absolutely zero discipline, fine, I'm with you there. And if you think every generation is sliding further down the gutter, yeah, I agree with that too. There’s just no respect left in the world—not from the parents and certainly not from the kids—it’s all gone downhill.
That being said, we shouldn't be underestimating anyone's profession or title.
A bus driver carries the responsibility for their passengers just as much as a Teacher carries the weight for their students.
At the end of the day, nobody forced anyone into these careers; the choice was entirely up to the individual.
And look, if there are massive flaws in the system—well, they're flawed, plain and simple.

Gosh, it’s such a shame you weren't quite this "brilliant" when you were picking a major and deciding to go into teaching—since it’s clearly such an easy life.
Honestly, I regret even opening this thread or bothering to reply. It is truly exhausting how some parents seem to think we’re all out here getting rich at their expense and the expense of their children.

Anthony Gray said:Gosh, it’s such a shame you weren't quite this "brilliant" when you were picking a major and deciding to go into teaching—since it’s clearly such an easy life.
Honestly, I regret even opening this thread or bothering to reply. It is truly exhausting how some parents seem to think we’re all out here getting rich at their expense and the expense of their children.

Look, it's not like teachers are getting rich, but there are perks. Like, at a high school prom, the teachers usually get in for free, and there are all those field trips too.

Melissa Gonzalez2 said:Look, it's not like teachers are getting rich, but there are perks. Like, at a high school prom, the teachers usually get in for free, and there are all those field trips too.

Those "various field trips" are a nightmare. You're stuck on 24-hour duty watching fifty hormonal teenagers who are just looking for an excuse to get drunk and cause some massive chaos. It’s not just embarrassing for the school or the whole country; these kids end up putting themselves in actual danger. And then? The teachers are the ones left holding the bag, dealing with entitled parents lecturing them like they're incompetent just because they tried to enforce some basic rules.

I don't know how things went at other schools, but back at my old high school, we only had maybe ten people go on these trips and everyone was super chill. Even though we had some strict teachers, everyone just hung out in one room and nobody caused any drama. We spent the time checking out local architecture, which was actually pretty useful for our major, and everyone ended up loving it. All in all, it was a solid trip. No clue what it was like for other schools...

Melissa Gonzalez2 said:I don't know how things went at other schools, but back at my old high school, we only had maybe ten people go on these trips and everyone was super chill. Even though we had some strict teachers, everyone just hung out in one room and nobody caused any drama. We spent the time checking out local architecture, which was actually pretty useful for our major, and everyone ended up loving it. All in all, it was a solid trip. No clue what it was like for other schools...

That’s not really an argument.
You’re looking at this through the lens of a kid back then.
Try being a little more flexible and empathetic—think about how all of this looked to the person responsible for keeping you safe.

Of course it felt great to you. When you're young and reckless, there’s no concept of danger or actual consequences. And it was easy to have a blast when it wasn't your job to answer to someone else's parents if things went south.

Terry Ramos60 said:

Is there anything more profoundly enchanting than witnessing the delicate, fluttering grace of a butterfly dancing through a sun-drenched meadow? One cannot help but wonder if such fragile beauty isn't a small, moving miracle sent to remind us of the splendor inherent in our natural world! Does it not stir the very soul to see such vibrant colors swirling amidst the wildflowers? kaže:
Is there anything truly more rewarding than the calling of an educator? To wake up each morning knowing that you have the profound opportunity to shape the minds of the next generation—is that not the most fulfilling sensation imaginable? It is simply wonderful to be a teacher!🙂

Is it not truly heartbreaking to observe how little appreciation is afforded to our educators in this day and age? One cannot help but wonder, as we witness the shifting tides of social values, why the very individuals who shape the minds of our future generations are treated with such profound indifference! Is it not a tragedy that those dedicated professionals, who pour their entire hearts into the classrooms of our great nation, find themselves facing such a staggering lack of respect from the public?
But absolutely not!
How can one possibly expect children to offer respect when they aren't even receiving it from their own parents? Is it not a fundamental truth that respect is a mirror, reflecting exactly what is modeled within the walls of the home? If the foundation of authority is built upon dismissal rather than dignity, how can we wonder why the younger generation struggles to honor those in charge?

Have you ever seen that classic cartoon floating around the internet? You know the one! It depicts a scene from about thirty years ago where a child comes home with failing grades, and the parent immediately begins to scold the kid. But then, you look at how much everything has shifted in modern America, and the joke flips entirely on its head! Nowadays, in that exact same situation, it’s the parent who is frantically demanding answers from the teacher! Isn't it truly fascinating how much our societal dynamics have transformed over the decades?

Look, life is complicated... easy to judge from the sidelines, but wait until we find ourselves in that exact spot.
I don't even think $7.00 is the issue here. It's more about a lack of principle, like "the teacher should have done this" or "that."
We're all different, but you really need to stand up for your kid.

The other day my little one comes home with a classmate. She's totally worked up because her mom isn't home again—happened three or four times now.
I told her, "Let's call your mom and tell her you're at our place." I called, and she tells me😛she said she told her mom she'd be waiting at home.😕
So I ask: does the kid even have a key? She says no.🙄
I mean, I get it. How is a child supposed to wait outside without a key?
She just says: she doesn't want to carry a key.😲
I was like, what? She *won't*? Honestly, I can't wrap my head around it. Some mothers just can't sit down and actually talk to their own children.
The mom expects the kid to come to me, rather than the kid just standing there waiting for a mother who went off somewhere without checking if anyone was home. The kid knows exactly when they're supposed to be back, only to find a locked door. People do all sorts of things.☕
P.S. In this case, the mom is actually home, unemployed, and it's just her and the kid.

Kevin Bailey2 said:That’s not really an argument.
You’re looking at this through the lens of a kid back then.
Try being a little more flexible and empathetic—think about how all of this looked to the person responsible for keeping you safe.

Of course it felt great to you. When you're young and reckless, there’s no concept of danger or actual consequences. And it was easy to have a blast when it wasn't your job to answer to someone else's parents if things went south.

You're basically signing a contract saying you won't take the fall for a kid's bullshit...

Melissa Gonzalez2 said:You're basically signing a contract saying you won't take the fall for a kid's bullshit...

Is there a contract where you aren't held morally responsible for everything a kid does, or one that promises you won't have to deal with aggressive, high-maintenance parents?

I wouldn't say so.

Melissa Gonzalez2 said:Look, it's not like teachers are getting rich, but there are perks. Like, at a high school prom, the teachers usually get in for free, and there are all those field trips too.

I’m not an educator myself, but I am a mom of a high school senior, so I can tell you firsthand that those "free" parties and trips aren't exactly a blast for them. Honestly, most people would probably prefer staying home, curled up in bed with a good movie and some tea, rather than being forced out to dance around at some disco. Especially the older crowd...

As for respect—or the lack thereof—it feels like it's in short supply everywhere these days. Society has just lost its way.
Back when my son started first grade about twelve years ago, his teacher mentioned at a parent-teacher meeting that if we had any negative opinions about her or the school, we shouldn't voice them in front of the kids. She basically asked us not to undermine her authority. Some common sense goes a long way! 😢

Adam Evans62 said:Regarding the whole thing about buying worksheets, workbooks, tests, and stuff through the school and the fees involved
...
At the first parent-teacher meeting, we let parents know what educational materials are needed. We show them the catalogs where every single item's price is clearly listed. We decide together what actually needs to be bought—what’s essential, what’s optional, or what could potentially be photocopied (even if that's technically illegal) just to save everyone some money.
The price parents pay is the catalog price. What we as the school pay is that same price without sales tax. Depending on school policy, that money either goes to the teacher, into a general fund, or covers things like field trips or gifts for Saint Nicholas.
And trust me, it’s not like a teacher can get rich off this. It’s more of a headache to collect the cash, dealing with people for months who haven't paid for one reason or another, or even dipping into my own pocket (I've done that plenty of times because publishers want their money the second they deliver the materials) and then wondering if I'll ever see that money again.
What blows my mind every single year is that the people with the least money are always the first to pay, and there's never any trouble with them... most of the time you're fighting with the ones you know have the cash!
Look, I'm not a charity. Why should I pay for someone else's kid's supplies out of my own pocket? 🤷

As for "free education"—it's free in the sense that you aren't paying for the knowledge we pass on to your kids (which you'd definitely pay for at a private school, where it would cost you something like fifteen thousand dollars a year), but you do pay for the tools used to teach that knowledge (textbooks, field trips, etc.). If you want to know why it works that way, take it up with the government. As educators, we have nothing to do with it.
I agree that calling education "free" is presented poorly. It isn't truly free—once you buy the textbooks and pay for various field trips, you're easily out a few hundred dollars a year. 😢

I honestly don't see the issue with buying materials through the school.
No one is being ripped off. If parents bought these worksheets themselves, they'd end up paying even more at a local bookstore 🙄. I always give people the option to go find the stuff themselves if they want to, can, or have the time, and in eight years, nobody has ever actually taken me up on it. 🤷

I agree, but you have that sales rep who drops off the flyer for the teacher to hand out to the kids, then quietly mentions in the hallway—hey, you get a 15% cut of that total price.

Kevin Bailey2 said:Is there a contract where you aren't held morally responsible for everything a kid does, or one that promises you won't have to deal with aggressive, high-maintenance parents?

I wouldn't say so.

Thank you so much for those "perks"—taking kids on all those field trips, excursions, and whatnot. My nerves just couldn't handle it.
But I also heard about a case where two teachers took a group to a summer swim camp—ten days at the beach—and it turned out they were basically the star students themselves. It really makes me wonder what would have happened if, heaven forbid, someone actually needed saving from drowning...

Look, any trip would be awesome if your parents actually raised you right. My mom did a solid job with me, so I don't even think about doing stupid stuff. People can call me a party pooper if they want, but I have some standards. Like, sure, we can grab a beer at the bar or chill in the room, but we aren't getting trashed and wrecking half the hotel... Honestly, back in high school, we were actually pretty tight with our teachers, so the idea of doing something to disrespect them just never crossed my mind. That’s a pro tip from the faculty side, too.

It’s really not about whether the kids are "good" or "bad." Honestly, regardless of their temperament, it isn't exactly a vacation for me when I'm on a field trip—I spend the entire time gripped by this constant, low-level anxiety, just double-checking that everyone is accounted for, breathing, and hasn't wandered off into traffic. In an ideal world, I’d much rather be going on a trip with people I actually *choose* to spend time with—even if it meant shelling out a fortune from my own pocket to make it happen.
Anyone who hasn't had the experience of managing a group of children in public simply cannot grasp the reality of the situation: it is purely, and quite frankly, an immense weight of responsibility, not some delightful little privilege.

An interesting topic, though I suspect the core issue isn't actually about the $21, but rather that Laura decided to bring this up simply because she felt a little bit called out by the discussion, don't you think?

Melissa Gonzalez2 said:I don't know how things went at other schools, but back at my old high school, we only had maybe ten people go on these trips and everyone was super chill. Even though we had some strict teachers, everyone just hung out in one room and nobody caused any drama. We spent the time checking out local architecture, which was actually pretty useful for our major, and everyone ended up loving it. All in all, it was a solid trip. No clue what it was like for other schools...

For our senior trip, there were 35 of us plus two teachers. We went to Los Angeles. One girl ended up in the ER because she forgot to change her tampon in time (it was in her for probably 36 hours). One guy got so drunk that he was vomiting all over the room and all over his roommate's suitcase—the roommate happened to be sleeping in the other part of the suite at the time. Raška had to clean it all up because those two couldn't even hold a conversation.

The Two spent the ferry ride from Genoa to Los Angeles stuck in a cabin with Raška because they tried to bribe the guard with a bottle of booze so they could party on the deck all night. He was going to take them into custody, but Raška begged him to let them stay in her cabin instead.

One girl, through no fault of her own, got lost in the streets around the hotel. She didn't have a cell phone (they weren't a thing back then). It took five of us along with Raška about two hours to find her; she was sitting in a park with some women from the Middle East, trying to explain where she was from using nothing but hand gestures. Meanwhile, the other teacher was in the hotel manager's office, pleading with him not to kick five boys out after they had been causing chaos in the hallway the night before.

When we finally got back to New York, you could see the relief on Raška's face. The older professors told us that, compared to what things could be, this wasn't even that bad.

By the way, we were an average class—not the best, not the worst... basically pretty low-key. Yet, in just six days in one city, all these major disasters happened... not to mention the smaller stuff...

Honestly, I wouldn't go on a "vacation" like that even if they paid me an obscene amount of money...

Oh, and of course, when Raška told our parents everything that happened, their reaction was, "Not him, honey... he can barely handle a glass of beer."

Terry Ramos60 said:An interesting topic, though I suspect the core issue isn't actually about the $21, but rather that Laura decided to bring this up simply because she felt a little bit called out by the discussion, don't you think?

I’m inclined to agree—it feels like neither of them has actually sat down with the teacher yet, so they're just sort of trading barbs through the child instead.