Sponsorship in the classroom

[Turquoisebracelet]

I got an email yesterday from one of the mums about her son (in my DS's class - Y2) doing the race for life. This email was addressed to all the mums in the class and is the second email requesting sponsorship for this race. The first one, last week, had a link to her own sponsorship page. This time, she has let all of the mums know that her DS will be coming to school today with a sponsorship form with the names of all the kids and 10p written next to each name, and could we give our kids 10p to take in today.
I don't have a problem with donating to charity and I do realise that 10p is a token amount but I am uncomfortable with sponsorship being brought into the classroom. AIBU?

[meditrina]

YANBU.

I don't warm to the idea of class lists (which are circulated to facilitate school issues and DC friendships) for pushing other pet causes in the first place.

And telling someone that they are to give you money is just awful.

[JodieGarberJacob]

I I think that if the money is being collected in class time then the teacher should be asked if she will cross out the individual names and just put the class name down with the amount collected. That way the mother can't distinguish between who coughed up and who didn't. But agree I hate this extortion. This is particularly bad if the name and amount are already written out and it doesn't matter if it is 10p, another time it might be a £1 etc. if other chancers catch on!

[Wellthen]

Agreed, its the fact she didn't even ask you if you wanted to that is outrageous. I'm the kind of person who couldn't just 'forget' the ten p, I would have to point out her rudeness.

I hate 'chuggers' for the same reason and very much enjoy their faces when this happens
Them:Do you want to save sick children?
Me: not really.

[meditrina]

Actually, a quiet word with the teacher might be in order.

Firstly because one child shouldn't be in charge of money when still in KS2. And secondly in case the school has a view on one pupil demanding money from others (even if mummy told him to do it). And thirdly, if one does this, soon everyone will and so the stream of demands increases.

It's one thing if you feel mildly cornered into giving to causes the school's supporting (but that is being done as community, and perhaps with pupil input into decisions about both cause and supporting event). But quite another for the school to be a venue for chugging by a third party.

[Eastpoint]

YANBU. She is trying to manipulate her son's classmates' parents.

[BerniesBurneze]

She sounds ghastly.

[littledrummergirl]

I would not be impressed with the blatent misuse of my personal details.
Did you give permission for the school to share your details?
If not I would mention data protection act. I would remind your school that they have a duty of care to your child which should include them being expected to hand over their pocket mone-they dont seem to have much choice-which can be seen as bullying.
I would refuse to send money as I am bloody minded and dont like having my choice removed. I would also tell my dc why, they are individuals whose right to choose is being ignored.

[EvilTwins]

Not quite sure why anyone is mentioning the school and/or teacher. The OP has not implied that the school has supplied the contact info. Teachers should absolutely not be expected to be involved with this sort of thing in any way, particularly as the event is nothing to do with the school.

[MidniteScribbler]

I would not allow it in my classroom, and our school would not allow it either. We have banned all this form of personal sponsorship in the school. There's 840 kids in our primary school. It would be insanity. Ask grandma and grandpa, not expect other parents to support your trek up a mountain or whatever your flavour of the month is.

I would be having very serious words with the parent, probably with the head sitting right next to me backing me up, if I found out this had occurred.

[WooWooOwl]

Cheeky cow!

YANBU.

[KittyandTeal]

That's very cheeky, even if it is 10p.

As a teacher if do Jodie's suggestion and cross out all the names and replace them with 'kitty's class' and see how much we could raise (that way I could add in money to make it up)

[Turquoisebracelet]

We're all included on emails for the whole class as they usually relate to nights out, collections for teachers, reminders about things we need to bring in, sometimes a parent will use the email list to ask everyone if they've found a missing part of their kid's uniform....

I wouldn't dare to approach the parent, I simply don't have the guts. I'm not sure I would contact the class teacher or the school either, I wasn't even sure I was right to feel uncomfortable about this. I fear that the teacher will think this is a lovely idea for a good cause and I'll look like a miserable stingy idiot if I raise my concerns.

The mum in question holds a high up position (not sure if it's headteacher, but close enough) in another school in the county!! Her email is worded up in a lovely way, you know, it's hard to find issue with it.

[MidniteScribbler]

KittyandTeal would you really support this, especially by topping up with your own money? I have thirty students, I'm not planning on topping up every cheeky request for money from parents. This sort of sponsorship has no place in a school.

[ThinkIveBeenHacked]

Well I think parents should be blind cc'd into emails.

[Nocomet]

YANBU
Catching parents at the school gate or, even as one pupil did for a very specific cause, putting a poster on the school door is one thing.

Using the class contact list and involving the children is quite another and utterly out of order.

[meditrina]

I mentioned the teacher because the taking of the money will be happening on school premises.