AIBU to say that we are not here to provide tour child's education.

[Curerofsouls]

This was prompted by the homeschooling thread and just reminded me of an email I received from a potential new attendee in our scout group. The parents have been homeschooling their children and appear quite target driven with things they would like the child to learn or cover. The parent sent me their child's learning objectives and asked how we could meet them!
I replied politely and stated that I was unable to go theough his learning objectives but would be happy to send our itinerary for the term so the parents could see. Not a happy camper the parent proceeded to tell me how I should be linking with homeschooling learning objectives. I told them I was not being paid to be a teacher so wouldn't be doing that but child was still welcome to attend. Needless to say he never showed anyway. I was discussing it with a colleague today and she thought I was mean🤣
What do you reckon...mean or not?

[Hillarious]

My three were Rainbows, Brownies, Guides, Beavers, Cubs, Explorers. Always good when they did things that were completely off my radar, like the six course black tie dinner they did for parents whilst camping at a local campsite using camp fires only, which included home-made bread, roasted meats, fish and a dessert. The only thing they failed to do was boil enough water for coffee for everyone. Such a let down - they obviously failed with their objectives there!

[DottyHarmer]

There are some really bonkers parents out there. I remember the girl dd invited to tea and her dm sent me a note to ask if I had been dbs checked In fact I had, and I invited her round in advance to inspect our house - which she did! (It transpired she did this with others, too.)

When dd did Rainbows/Brownies/Guides the rudeness of the other parents never ceased to amaze me. But the opposite from OP - trying to weasel out of any involvement or helping out rather than wanting “learning objectives”.

[CityMumma78]

Not mean in the slightest. What planet is this parent on that she thinks the volunteers who run the local scouts group should be pressured into tying fun activities her kids learning objectives. Jeeeeeez eye-roll

[Kite22]

The parents are clearly bonkers and very self entitled.

You were a LOT more welcoming than I would have been. Any parent that starts the conversation like that is going to be very hard work.

However, I suspect she must be a MNer as "someone" has voted YABU

[ancientgran]

@IfImLyingImDying

Ha!!

DH runs a very similar group and has exactly this problem but also the parent demanding the price they’re willing to pay for the sessions. Then there was the not turning up now and again without any notice and not wanting to commit to a set number of sessions. I’m sorry to say that the organisation he runs groups for won’t advertise to the home ed community anymore because of this, which is a real shame.

Prejudice is a shame isn't it. Home ed families vary as much as any other sub set of families but hey just write them all off, why not.

[ancientgran]

@RedHelenB

My dd volunteered at Brownies. The home schooled ones were hard work, they weren't used to waiting for others and not getting their own way.

Really, I found the opposite.

[mumwon]

answer- independence (from overbearing parent) socialization (ditto) emotional & social development (see previous answer) & sod off cretin

[spongedog]

No, not mean at all.

My DC has learning needs and particularly primary school was a challenge for them. Cubs & Scouts was a freedom for them or rather sadly should have been. Our local leaders (all volunteers) were fabulous with them and any other children with SEN. But their father created such a fuss that it made their attendance very tricky. The Leaders were just brilliant. The scouting movement is so welcoming and broad - I just cant thank all of you enough.

[IveGotASongThatllGetOnYNerves]

[quote Curerofsouls]@Howshouldibehave she is a fellow Scout leader though not the same group.[/quote]
Oh please please tell her that you were thinking about what she said and so you gave the parents her contact details so their child could join her group and she could do the stuff for them.

Just to see her face. 😁

[SingToTheSky]

@sueelleker

Talk about wanting to have your cake and eat it too.
And they wanted you to make the cake!

🤣🤣🤣

[StopPickingMyCherries]

I think scout/Brownie/group leaders need to write a book on the weird and wonderful and quite honestly bonkers things they have been asked to do
I bet it would be a best seller
The 'This is going to hurt' of the volunteering world

[SleepyMathematician]

The parents are ridiculous. I home educated my girls - the very reason I liked things like scouts was it gave them something different, something I couldn’t. What on earth is the point of them sending their children if they’re going to try to dictate what the children do whilst there? It then becomes being taught by your parents by default but in a different setting.
Well done for sticking to your guns.

[Niffler92]

You are definitely not being unreasonable and I say that as a home educator. When my daughter went to Brownies I didn’t expect anything more of them than they did for everyone else. We turned the badges into a project and think we were the only people who didn’t find the new brownies badges a complete nightmare because we had the time to do them.

[RedToothBrush]

You've dodged a bullet!

[Simonjt]

I think the same parents may have attempted to join my rugby tots session. The poor kids will be so embarrassed by their parents in a few years time.

[Curerofsouls]

@Howshouldibehave she is a fellow Scout leader though not the same group.

[SpnBaby1967]

Sadly I have also come across this before. I run a club & have had weird requests like this. I have done all the logs & things for DoE awards but that's it.

[SunShinesBrightly]

Maybe they were confusing home ed with being on roll but educated offsite due to health reasons etc, where the school would provide work… used in exceptional circumstances not just when the parents decide they want it.

Yes! It was very odd. Nobody could understand why they were asking for our ‘substandard’ teaching materials or for the use of our ‘inadequate’ facilities!
They hated everything we did and had made it very clear!

[sueelleker]

Talk about wanting to have your cake and eat it too.
And they wanted you to make the cake!

[Sleepyteach]

As a teacher and a scout leader I’d be thanking my lucky stars they didn’t turn up. If they’re this demanding up front they won’t get any easier! There’s still an awful lot of parents out there who think we get paid for all of this!!

[SingToTheSky]

@SunShinesBrightly

I’m sure I’ve talked about this before on here but a few years ago we had a Year 8 student who was taken out of school by his parents because the school curriculum and teaching weren’t up to scratch.
After writing many complaints to and about teachers they decided that they would home school.
In their final e-mail to the school, or more accurately each of his teachers, they requested his books (fine), his latest assessments (fine), past SOW (ok, makes sense to know what he’s covered), all future SOW including worksheets and book titles for the remaining years he would be at the school - 8,9,10,11, all future assessment papers and future GCSE course syllabus/SOW/assessment materials for Maths, Eng, Sci and a selection of his preferred option subjects (WTAF?).

They also asked if their DS could sit the exams at school.

Bonkers.

That’s hilarious 🤣 how mortifying, I hope one day they realise how ridiculous they were being. Maybe they were confusing home ed with being on roll but educated offsite due to health reasons etc, where the school would provide work… used in exceptional circumstances not just when the parents decide they want it. Talk about wanting to have your cake and eat it too. 😳🤣

Can’t see why they were so desperate to get all the school resources if the education wasn’t good enough for their little darling anyway mind.

[SingToTheSky]

@Tal45

Perhaps they got you mixed up with a private tutor duh. Do they have any idea about what being a Scout leader involves, and for no pay - I'd guess not!

This too! I do private tuition and most parents don’t even ask me to do anything like what this parent is asking of volunteers! 😳 So weird.

[SingToTheSky]

@Rosierosa15

Definitely not unreasonable and that's coming from a parent who is currently homeschooling. Some people expect the world, don't they.

Came to say exactly the same! My DS has been home ed for years and he adores scouts. Why on earth would I expect them to educate my child in any way influenced by me?! He does scouts for fun, for independence, for friendship etc. He learns plenty of things I’d never think to put on a timetable at home.

As it happens he recently had a few bits of writing to do to finish off a few badges, so I worked that into his targets for the week as one involved some research etc. That was cool and saved me coming up with tasks for him. 🤣

That’s my job to sort, being his parent. Not the scout leaders who do a huge amount of planning and risk assessing etc as it is!

Bizarre CF behaviour.

[Erinrose82]

Omg I read this and could believe entitled and insufferable parents like this ! My nine year old is at Cubs as I write, he made dens last week and loved it. I would never put him in a social, life skills club like Cubs and expect him to have personal learning met. Firstly he goes to school, Cubs is NOT school, I don’t think he’s more important in the lodge ( surely that’s a good lesson ) and lastly maybe they should be paying for extra tutors. I would of told them to fuck off, perhaps why I’ll never be scout leader 😂😂😂😂

[SunShinesBrightly]

I almost forgot! The Year 8 boy wanted to do Product design GCSE and the parents were hoping he would be able to use the school workshop facilities and machines in the future.
Honestly couldn’t make it up 🤣