To think school shouldn’t insist that everyone wears a poppy and donates £1

[moonlightholly]

It’s supposedly in a deprived area too - there are constant reminders of the high percentage of pupils with PP.

Also, I don’t think a school should insist everyone wears a poppy - or AIBU?

I find it hard to accept that this is being enforced and being made compulsory.
Without reading the original letter sent out.

Oh yes, because I’m going to share that

My father fought in WW2 and was wounded. He never talked about it, and I don't remember him ever buying a poppy, although he did regularly give to various charities. He was a very practical man and, having experienced the reality, I think he disliked the way the war almost gets glamourised at times.

Really palaver?? My kids school does enforce 'charitable' donations

Well you could just type the contents. It's not hard is it?

But how are they making it compulsory?

Are they going to pin a Poppy to your child and then chase you for the £1?

Stop your child going to school??

@StreetwiseHercules
My point wasn’t to have a pop at you, it was to explain that some of us have a close emotional reason for wearing poppies, despite having mixed feelings. It’s the one thing I do that actually goes against my true feelings. Which I know is hypocritical but I guess sometimes our emotional pull towards our family is stronger than our other beliefs.
I cry when I watch the Remembrance parade out of sadness for all who live through war. Wherever they live. Maybe I need to think more carefully behind it all?

@StreetwiseHercules has basically said what I'm thinking, well said!

This is so funny.

All you people that say you won’t / don’t want to wear a poppy are the people that should be remembering the sacrifices that ordinary people gave to allow you the right to freedom of thought the freedom to make your own decisions in life.

Mickhasnotorso there are at least three possible reasons not to type out the wording:

a) it could identify the school, or
b) OP has realised her interpretation (of what might be 'Poppy seller visiting playground suggested donation £1, but any amount welcome' ) is rather an over-interpretation, and that could be quite trenchantly pointed out, or
c) this is a candidate for the 'Thus Never Happened' awards,

or of course possibilities d, e, f etc

I think the choice to wear a poppy or not should be a personal one. I don’t wear one, but observe the 2 minute silence to remember the fallen civilian and military.

People have been getting increasingly weird about poppy wearing in my opinion.

I‘ve always sent my children with a white poppy.
If I felt the school was getting dogmatic re their approach to ‘voluntary’ donations and charities I definitely would dig my heels in.

Op heard the headteacher with her own ears and read the newsletter with her own eyes but op is not going to compromise her privacy.

Love how everyone believes coat Barbour bull but this - well OP must have misunderstood

If it wasn't for the thousands of British servicemen who lost their lives in two World Wars you and your children and your children's children would not have the freedoms you have now. Wearing a poppy for one day doesn't even compare to the sacrifices that those gave for your freedom.

What poppies do they 'sell' at your school? At ours they have the stick on one's and the small badges. The stick on one's have fallen off coats before leaving the school playground. The badges get popped off when the kids are playing/fiddling with them. So send your child in without one - they will not be the only one. Or pick up a poppy from elsewhere where the donation is what you can afford. Or keep one from year to year - I do this as I can't stand throwing them away...hmmm that reminds me I need to start looking for last year's poppy......(I'm not tight - I happily donate - just don't like waste).

You have the choice to wear a poppy due to the soldiers that gave their lives so that you have that choice...

It shouldn't be compulsory. There are lots of good causes.

My husband was in the army although he was too young to have had any involvement in WWII. When he became ill we applied for help to the British Legion and got nothing. I feel that the whole poppy proliferation is spending a lot of money that could be better used to help veterans of all wars. Too many veterans are suffering the effects of war and have no help at all. That is a terrible thing and the reason I have for the first time this year not bought a poppy. Up until now I have bought two (one for me and one for my husband) but not worn one.
To make schoolchildren in a deprived area pay for it is totally wrong.

Re the donation They’re not insisting though are they? As a PP said they can’t force you, and having a strongly worded newsletter means bugger all (what does it actually say?) is there not just a bit of exaggeration going on?

Re the poppy I’m sure the school would give one to any parents who explain they can’t afford the donation so your child doesn’t stand out

Cherry - the head stated very firmly in an assembly that ‘you bring £1 and you wear a poppy and I don’t want to hear ‘I haven’t got it’

Obviously they can’t actually physically stop kids coming in without one but same as non school uniforms I suppose, if a kid shows up in own clothes and without £1 for children in need or whatever they can’t do much.

I profoundly disagree with streetwisehercules (save that WW1 wasn’t about us fighting for freedom it was an absolute disgrace), but the point is that we did fight against fascism in WW2 and won the right to freedom of thought and if that is how that poster feels he or she shouldn’t be made to wear a poppy, or to feel shitty about not doing so.

Obviously the effects do war go beyond allied soldiers. My uncle is married to a German, whose father died in WW2 before he was born, along with his 3 brothers. His grandmother lost 4 sons. Those men were conscripted and forced same way the allies were. There were of course the victims of the nuclear bombs, which were appalling - though I’m surprised it’s seen as a worse war crime than the Holocaust. There are in fact too many classes of victims of war to mention.

Does wearing my poppy mean I don’t care about those other victims? No, of course not. I don’t see that link at all. I remember the victims of the holocaust on holocaust Memorial Day. I remember the soldiers who sacrificed their lives fighting for this country on Remembrance Day.

It’s isn’t either or.

Some of us are capable of remembering without needing to pin a paper poppy to ourselves though fuzzy.

Would anyone actually ring the school and say ‘I can’t afford £1’

On Remembrance Sunday our vicar talks about remembering anyone involved in any conflict, not just the two world wars.

It is a shame that it hasn't stopped countries from going to war with each other.

I do buy a poppy as I think it important to support people who have fought in wars. Also, like Soontobe60 it is personal for me as both my parents contributed to defending our country. My mum was with the Free French and my dad was with the RAF.