We are all having a great experience at the kids' new preschool. The Bear is feeling good about himself and the music teacher thinks he is the greatest thing since Mozart. Little Bits loves her teachers, and Tiny Twinks is teaching her all about how your bow should be wider than your head. We are not too jazzed about the 7.2 days off over a four-week stretch starting this week, but you know, when you sign up for a preschool run by the Tribe you have to deal with their multitudinous fall holidays.
The one thing that has really irked me so far is the fundraising. When we showed up for the Parents' Night the week before school, we were handed a pile of coupon books and told that we were required to sell them for $20 each, as a fundraiser. Since then, I have been inundated (by which I mean, reminded at least twice a week) about my obligation to sell these d^mn coupon books and turn in the money so that the kids' classrooms can win an ice cream party.
OK, here's the thing. I'm not selling the coupon books. I answered today's email and told the office staff that I'm not selling the books, just give me a number and I'll add it to next month's tuition payment. She sent the number, I amended my auto-bill-pay at the bank, and we're done. See how easy that was? Here's a tip: I don't mind attending a fundraiser event, but this mandatory shilling of unwelcome articles is unseemly and a little bit ridiculous.
The vast majority of the people in my office are either administrative types or attorneys who are not partners. I pay their salaries, in other words, and I find it unseemly to ask people I pay to return some of their money to me -- even in exchange for a coupon book of dubious utility.
My family does enough to help me with my kids - and my friends either have their own coupon books to hawk or don't make enough money to buy something from every d^mn friend's kid with a fundraising requirement. (It's the Pampered Chef party of the next decade, I can sense it.) I am not asking our loved ones to subsidize our educational choices by purchasing a coupon book of dubious utility.
The school keeps suggesting that the books make great holiday gifts for the mailman, etc.Sure, because nothing says "I wanted to share the joy of the season with you" like a coupon book of dubious utility. This is essentially telling me that I should pay for the books myself and foist them on others to whom I feel obligated to give socially-required-yet-awkward gifts. I'm pretty sure the mailman would rather get cash, or cookies, or a $15 Starbucks card,
People: this is a private school. If you need more money to run it, raise the tuition by $100 per year - or create an annual $100 activity-and-materials fee, or something. Don't waste the trees on the coupon books, and don't waste my time on the endless reminders to sell the d^mn things.
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