To be really farking annoyed at DD's school marketing ploys?

[NoPresentsInVictorianSqualor]

I have talked before about the huge amount of money that the school asks from us but when it's for trips and experiences it doesn't bother me too much.

But every couple of weeks the PTA has some sort of fund-raising thingy going on (again I realise my DD&DS will benefit from this). The christmas term is the worst. We've had the xmas cards they made, the different carol concerts (which though much nicer with mulled wine and minced pies, is just another money-making event) we had mufti day last week, they have had three different costumes to find in the last month etc.

Today is the xmas fayre. If I want to I can purchase a calendar (which is basically a picture my DC's drew with one of those calendar thingys on) for £1.
I don't want to!
I've told them we will make our own calendars by creating month specific pictures and photographing them and doing it online much better IMO, but anyway I digress.

I turn up at the school with a very poorly 7 month old, who tbh, I didn't want to wake, nor take outside but I had no choice.
There is absolutely no way I am planning on going to this poxy fayre but that's ok, because it's in the Quad, so I can go round to get to DD's class, pick her up and come straight home.

I get to the school only to find parents waiting outside DD's classroom, which is empty.

A TA overhears us all talking about where our DCs are and says that they have gone to the fayre with their teacher. I mill about looking for DD for twenty fricking minutes, DS2 is crying and I am really fed up.

Then I see that there are children from her class coming out of the main hall. So I go in and she is stood right at the back with her teacher who is selling the calendars.

HOW DARE THEY GUILT ME INTO BUYING SOMETHING THAT WILL OTHERWISE GO IN THE BIN?????

Not only am I pissed off that I had to go right into the middle of the fayre (so the DC's can beg me for things) but they didn't tell us where they would be and they put my daughter in front of her work to try and make me buy it. I didn't buy it because it's crap and I don't want it but what about those who can;t afford it? How on earth would that make them feel? (I know it's only a pound, but there are a lot of people who have 3 children at that school, that's £3 for the calendars and £3 for the mufti in less than a week!)

When I say 'you' in hte last bit of my post re the jumble sale, I mean it in the sense of 'one' or 'anyone' not specifically, you, Colditz
I have to admit looking forward to Quiz Night this year. It's a complete piss up on the cheap!

You have made a fair point. I do not think I can add anything to that devoutseptic.

I think devoutsceptic says it all.

"By devoutsceptic on Sun 07-Dec-08 15:57:33
FFS, if you can't afford to spend £1 on anything, then just don't go to the jumble sale! Nobody's making you go."

That's my point!! I was 'made' to go, and when I didn't buy the calendars I was met at the class door with them!

I'm perfectly happy to refuse to buy things. The children know that I like to do things over the xmas holidays that include making calendars, so they were perfectly happy to not have them. but why should I not be given a choice to participate in the fund-raising or not?

And those of you saying 'join the PTA' not everyone has the time to join the PTA. As I said previously, I'm studying at home, I work part-time, I volunteer at a children's centre and I have housework/chores to do. The little time that is left I like to spend with my family.

If you don't have time to join the PTA you should be very grateful that others do and not moan at their efforts!
You were given a choice to participate in the fund raising-you chose not to. Perhaps they were a little over enthusiastic in their approach but does it really matter?

I do worry about when my children are at school. Based on today's money I couldn't afford to keep up with what some of you are being asked for. I'm not so worried about not being able to pay though, it's the teachers I worry about. I respect the PCT is trying to do what it can for the school (I do an equivalent job(s) for the HA and all this that I seeing debated here could easily be turned into a HA/RI debate with the change of a few words) but it seems some teachers can be rather mean in how they execute these things. I can say no to a teacher, why should I care about that, but when they set children onto their parents it's a lot harder to say no or at least the teachers are relying on that. I don't think the PTA are making the teachers act like that and I don't know what they would think if they knew that parents are being beaten in their name.

I can't believe the amount of money that some schools would rather waste, like school work. It's already done and if the parent can't buy it back then it will go in the bin (therein lies the guilt trip to lay on parents).

Reading this thread there seems to be three different funds that parents are talking about (trips, charities and school funds) but only one type being picked up. I'm sure if it was any one of those people wouldn't complain so much.

How was I given a choice?
My daughter was smack bang in the middle of it!

Just because I am not the one doing anything (and as I said before, I will be joining the PTA and I already do other volunteer work) does not mean I have no right to complain about something.

When it does, I'll be grateful that I never hear another complaint about the Government again, after all, if you don't like the way it's done, why not go into politics? What a ridiculous argument.

Teachers are not trying to get money out of anyone!

You were given a choice-you didn't have the calendar! Unless they locked you in until you handed over the money you had a choice!

I wasn't given a choice not to go to the Xmas Fayre.

If teachers are telling children that they 'must' bring in donations, then I think that's wrong. Doesn't happen in our school. VS, I think you were rude to the teacher in front of your daughter (holding your hand up Jerry Springer style!). You didn't have to buy the calendar at all, and if you did, it would have been £1. This seems quite a big overreaction to me.
Our school fair is always on a Saturday , so this could never happen.

I thought you were just collecting your DD from the hall? Did you have to pay to get in?
If you had to pay to get her then that was wrong but if you just collected her from the hall instead of a classroom and didn't buy anything I can't see the problem.

I also don't know why you are so cross with the PTA. It wasn't a parent that took your child into the fair.

members of the Government are paid for what they do, people involved with the PA are not. They are giving up their time - and often their money - to help provide things for all the children. So it does seem mean-spirited to complain if you are not prepared to get involved and help.

The people who are the first to complain are not usually the ones deciding between food and a calendar. They are the ones spending money in the pub, on new cars, expensive holidays.

My children are not allowed to take part in sponsored events or other forms of licensed blackmail. It may bother them for a short time but they learn a lot from dealing with it. They have also been helping at fundraising events since they were old enough to do so.

Why is the fact that it's 'inly £1' so important?
It's not only £1 is it?
It's £1 every couple of days.
I didn't want the calendar, it was tat, I would have thrown it straight in the bin. I am not prepared to buy £1 (well, £2/2 children/2 calendars) for the privilege of throwing my daughter's/son's work in the bin.
I'm not angry at the PTA per se, but the constant stream of requests for money for goodness knows what, and I'm angry that I was forced to go to the calendar stall, at which point I then had to say 'No' and I am angry that my daughter was not where she should be picked up from and it took 20 minutes to find her.

We can quibble for ages!
You obviously were not charged to go into the fair or you would have said so.
The whole class must have been there so if you had asked it wouldn't have taken 20 minutes to find her.
I would never ever throw my DCs work straight in the bin!
It boils down to the fact that you were asked if you wanted to buy your DDs calendar and you said no and went home-I can't see what all the fuss is about!

I did ask where she was, I asked, as did a number of other parents. We were told 'they have gone to the fayre'. So I did what everyone else did, I searched for her, in a fayre full of over-excited children, whilst trying to push a poorly screaming baby in a buggy.
You may not see the problem, but others obviously do (hence the split down the thread).

If the DCs were excited it would have been a shame if your DD had missed it then! (sorry tongue in cheek-I couldn't resist-I think I had better stop commenting!)

Yes, you're right, a total shame my daughter didn't get to spend my hard earned cash on tat that would break or get thrown away at the expense of her baby brother who needed to be home.
I'm sure all the millions of other events I pay for will make her feel a bit better