to be naffed off that the school returned the 100-ish books I donated?

[BoffinMum]

I used to be a teacher and I am currently governor of a local primary school, which is having some problems with standards in literacy. Its library is very small indeed, and there are some children there from deprived backgrounds who according to the Head possess no books at all.

At home we probably have too many books. Recently we were redecorating the kids' rooms and I realised we had accumulated many duplicates of kids' classics (Roald Dahl etc), plus there were top quality story books, as well as reference books of various types that I thought they wouldn't need again (eg guides to caring for certain pets, 100 DIY science experiments, how to draw stuff, children's atlases, that kind of thing). My teacher antennae twitched and I thought to myself, hey, these are top quality, current books, and would be great for the school. So I took the bag up there and donated the lot. I suggested they could be used for the school library, as they had been asking for donations, or alternatively they could be given to any kids who felt they might want to use them, as freebies.

Today the school sent the entire bag of stuff home.

AIBU to feel a bit offended?

[weblette]

YANBU - did they give you any reason why?

There are any number of charities which would love a donation like that.

[thisisyesterday]

no yanbu... what was their explanation?

[Sparkletastic]

YANBU - that is appalling. I'm a school gov and we are fund-raising for library books too at the mo but would not turn away good quality current books. Was there no explanation?!

[ditavonteesed]

YANBU how rude.

[ButWhyIsTheGinGone]

You're kidding!? I'll have them!! :-) YANBU - why would they do that?

[2BoysTooLoud]

Oh- did they give any reason? I would want to know why given the school's circumstances. Yes, I would be put out.

[SauvignonBlanche]

[Saltire]

I too would feel offended and put out and would expect an explanation. Unless of course you had slipped the Kama Sutra into the bag by mistake!

[Uglymush]

YANBU - that is awful. How can they ask for donations and then turn them down?? Our school would love a generous donation like this

[Saltire]

maryz I bet that is the reason. Elf and Safety again probably

[sittinginthesun]

My dcs' school would have welcomed them with open arms! They are always happy to accept books. They cream off the right ones for the library, and the rest go to the PTA for school fetes etc.

[thisisyesterday]

maryz did you point out that they'd come from the same place as your kids do? so presumably they don't want your kids in the school either??

[slavetofilofax]

I would guess it could be because they have nowhere to store them.

Maybe they feared if they gave them out, there would be arguements about who got what? I have no idea really, it seems odd to me.

[scaevola]

YANBU!

They had been asking for donations and then rejected them! Unbelievable!

[worraliberty]

What did they say when you asked them why they didn't want them OP?

I think that's a fairly important point to leave out of your post.

I can't decide if they are BU or not without that info.

[TakeThisOneHereForAStart]

Maryz - really? What do they do after a child has taken a book home? They have no idea where that book might have been before it was returned.

OP, YANBU. Could you donate some to the hospital instead? At ours they have notices up asking for good quality books and toys to be donated.

[bochead]

That's insane!

How can a school have nowehere to store books ffs? Not a credible excuse in my eyes. If they are available for the older children to borrow they are out on loan all term time & 100 books can go in a cardboard box under a desk for the holidays. If no space under a desk lend to the g&t kids as extension work for the holidays.

Were they non-politically correct versions of old classics? I'm asking as they've sucked the life out of Enid Blyton's famous 5 in the latest editions so I'm resorting to trawling charity shops to get our fix of "lashings & lashings of ginger pop".

I frankly would shoot down any further references to the kids being deprived after this and point out that the deprivation is coming from the school, not the home. Deffo take it up with the Head.

In your shoes I'd be VERY offended.

[hmc]

Boffinmum - we need to hear more, what was their explanation?
YANBU btw

[BoffinMum]

I haven't spoken to them yet. My nanny was given them when she went to pick up DS2 on Friday and she just told me about it. She is very shocked as well and we are considering selling them at the tennis club and then sending the money to an education charity in Tanzania I have dealings with sometimes.

If anyone on here is near me in Cambridge I am happy to donate them locally. Just PM me. It's an Aldi bag full.

[BoffinMum]

It is bonkers, isn't it?

[troisgarcons]

and there are some children there from deprived backgrounds who according to the Head possess no books at all.

Therein layeth the problem - who decides who is 'deprived' and how do you give out books to one section of the school without giving to others. Tho shalt not offend!


I agree, madness.