I was really annoyed about overhearing the dinner manager of ds1's school kitchen today - she had a rant about me because I asked her about how much a day's dinner cost (I need to deduct this ammount from next weeks dinner money) - I felt really cross about it and wrote this letter. Should I send it or am I being massively petty? I just have seen her be really rude to so many parents I feel someone needs to say something!!! Heres the letter Im planning to send to the head....
Dear XXXX
My son xxxx attends xxx Nursery School and is due to move up to the lower school in the New Year.
I am writing to make a suggestion regarding the payment of dinner money and to bring to your attention the way that I was dealt with this morning while paying for this week?s dinner money.
This morning I handed over my money, explaining to Mrs xxx that I had accidentally put in a week?s worth of money rather than four days. She told me that the extra day would be credited to my account, which of course is fine. I thought while I was there, and while there were no other parents queuing behind me, that I would just check with her quickly how much one day?s dinner would cost. Mrs xxxx told me. I stopped to replace the door stop that had been knocked from under the door and Mrs xxx returned to the kitchen. I then heard her very loudly commenting to her co-worker, ?I can?t believe these parents, coming in here asking how much a day?s dinner is, when they pay the same, day in day out. It beggars belief, it?s unbelievable isn?t it, that they don?t even know how much they have to pay. You would think that they would know how much they need to pay, It?s unbelievable, beggars belief!? I was rather taken aback by these comments. While this may seem a trivial matter, I was rather surprised that a simple question should provoke such a response. This half term I have had to deal with having one son in hospital and a husband diagnosed with a chronic spine disease, so forgive me if the prices of your lunches are not at the forefront of my mind!
I have made an effort to compliment Mrs xxx on the dinners which I felt were of a high quality in the past, I don?t think I have ever given her occasion to be so rude about me and today I certainly was not rude in my request to know the price. I do, however, find it incredibly rude and unprofessional that I have been spoken about in this way, within earshot, by a member of your staff. I work with parents and while I agree that sometimes patience can severely be tried, I would never dream of talking about them like this, it is hardly in the spirit of ?Working in Partnership With Parents.? I can appreciate that it must be very tiresome to have to answer questions about the costs of the meals on a regular basis, it must be frustrating that people ?can?t remember what they pay day to day?, but I disagree that it ?beggars belief!? Actually I always pay weekly ? I have never paid daily so that amount is not familiar to me. I thought I would ask the lady who deals with the money to let me know the price, since this is her job. May I suggest that if it so incredibly disagreeable to have to tell people the price of a service you are providing, a list fastened to the kitchen door might be helpful.
If I was not obliged to use the school dinner service because of my son?s attendance at xxx, I would certainly cease to do so, as I would rather avoid this kind of unnecessarily rude interaction first thing in the morning!
Yours faithfully,
Mrs Goat
Is this too ranty and sarcastic? Should I write a less ranty letter, I dont want to just leave it as I really feel that people who are consistently rude need to have it pointed out that its not very pleasant for the recipient..........