Kid's fundraisers

[MrCoffee]

There's this woman at work, very nice person, who is constantly assailing us with her kid's various fundraising deals. If it's not Girl Scout cookies, it's the weekly private school fundraising popcorn/peanut brittle/wrapping paper/whatever sale.

When I was a kid, we hustled our shit on the sidewalk, earning it the hard way, door to door. Kids today have it soft.

[KitchenWitch]

1. We only subject people to the Gir Scout Cookie drive

The gift wrap and the school jog-a-thon, we do ourselves and do not bother anyone else about.

[Midlodemocrat]

2. I never let my kids go door to door.

And, not for the safety factor. I didn't care about that. :P

I don't think it's right to ask other people to support your child's activities. You want your kid to play soccer? Pony up the cash, cheapskate.

[KitchenWitch]

3. We have only gone door to door for the "Scouting for Food" food drive

and the Girl Scout cookies. But everyone seems to want to buy the cookies so I don't feel too badly about that.

[Midlodemocrat]

4. Exactly. I don't even have to mention it and the phone starts ringing.

[KitchenWitch]

5. For realz!

:D

[davsand]

6. Since when does my kid have to hawk shit to get a public education?

Pisses me off to no end when the school sends this crap home with her. We also do the Girl Scout Cookie thing every year, and that is enough of a tradition I'm able to deal with it. I don't feel like I'm putting anybody out. The candy, cookie dough, butter braids and candles, on the other hand, annoy the crap outta me because they are asking my kid to go sell stuff so some corporation can make a profit for the sake of some token donation they'll give to the PTA or the school in return.

I am equally unthrilled with all the sheets that come home for fundraisers for national charities. I give money to the charities we support and ignore the rest after we have the debate about the REALLY neat (cheap ass crap) prize she can get if she'll only raise ____ amount.

I had a fairly intense discussion just this year with the band teacher after she sent home some sales thing that said my kid was "required" to sell at least $150 of the products if she wanted to go to band contest. Did I remember to mention that particular contest was "required" for all band kids? That teacher threatened that any kid who did not go would get a failing grade in band!

I explained that I considered that particular contest to be an optional thing if it was something we had to pay for out of pocket, and that I did not expect that my kid was gonna have any problems with her grades if she failed to peddle that overpriced crap. I went on to explain that in my opinion they couldn't "require" anything that the school was not willing to fund.


Laura

[seaker]

9. I completely agree

It has become a form of institutionalized blackmail. The nod-nod, wink-wink, has become the way of doing business in public education and does not belong in the classroom.
I do take exception the phrase, 'school not willing to fund'. There often isn't $$$ and it is the desire of teachers and parents to broaden students education leading to the dreaded fund raiser. It is my understanding schools may not require additional funds for required curriculum.
As for me, leave out the middle man and write a check. A nice plus is I don't have shop at the big girl store after eating all of cookies.
:pals:

[flvegan]

7. Last place I worked at outlawed that sort of thing.

The Girl Scout Cookie thing had become a near bloodbath, so they said no more.

[seemunkee]

8. Best fund raiser ever

When I was in Boy scouts we had a fund raiser selling fresh Krispy Kreme donuts door-to-door on a Sunday morning. Talk about mana from heaven, we sold out in no time. Screw that popcorn shit.