My wife is a class mother in all of our children's classes. She finds that it's a wonderful way to get to know our kids' classmates and parents better, as well as a way to have a better insight into the workings of the schools that our kids attend.
One thing that always frustrated my wife was that in my son's school, they never give out a class list to the parents. My wife gets the list because she is the class mother, but if not for that, she wouldn't get one.
She was speaking to the head of the PTA at our sons' school last night to confirm that she wanted to be the class mother again. While she had her on the phone, they got to talking about class lists and the fact that the school doesn't distribute them. While the PTA head didn't know why our school doesn't distribute it, she gave us an insight into antother school's reasons for not distributing class lists. The reason this other school didn't do it was because at one time they did, but some parents became upset. Not over privacy issues, mind you, but over the fact that they felt that distributing the lists would cause certain kids to want to be friends with other kids, and they didn't want their kids to be unduly influenced by these other (presumably less worthy) kids.
Aside from the fact that such thinking is utterly provincial and backwards, it's also one of the stupidest things that I've heard on the face of the earth. You're sending your kid to a school where the kids spend eight to eleven hours together per day, six days a week (maybe Sunday is only half a day) and you're worried that an hour spent together out of school is going to cause your kid to be unduly influenced by this other kid? If you're that concerned, don't send your kid to school with other kids that you don't approve of!
The Wolf
>hey felt that distributing the lists would cause certain kids to want to be friends with other kids
ReplyDeleteIf there was ever a kid born on this earth who sought to become friends with another kid because his name appeared on a class list in his parent's possession, I'd like to meet him.
ask your wife if splitting a class is a smart thing
ReplyDeleteWolf....much respect, but your children are being educated by IDIOTS.
ReplyDelete[b]SW[/b],
ReplyDeleteI think you misunderstood. This wasn't my kids' school - this was another school altogether.
My sons' school doesn't hand it out... probably more out of laziness than anything malicious.
The wolf
Vos,
ReplyDeleteIt might be a good idea, or it might not be. It depends on circumstances.
Besides, this post has nothing to do with splitting a class.
The Wolf
Glad to see you back up and bloggin'
ReplyDeleteI find the alleged rationale hard to believe. Who'd be that dumb?
ReplyDeleteWolf -- because I like you, I'm happy to hear that it is someone else's kids who are being educated by IDIOTS.
ReplyDeleteAs a public service to its student body, my daughter's school wittled down the list of "acceptable" sleep-away camps she may go to. Off the list are charity-type camps (names withheld to protect the guilty) which accept girls from homes which are less than middle of the road frumkeit. Yup, my children are being educated by IDIOTS!
ReplyDeleteIs this a suggested list of camps, or is compliance mandatory?
ReplyDeleteStill wonderin'
ReplyDeleteMandatory. Parents are left with a choice of 4 "approved" camps.
I wonder... Is it possible that the school gets a kickback from the camp for being on the approved list?
ReplyDeleteThe Wolf
Would you believe it!
ReplyDeleteIn London we are having a problem over a very similar issue!
Here's what I made of it!
While I agree that the policy of THAT school not to give out the other childrens' phone numbers to prevent 'undo influence' is wrong, let me suggest one reason why it is not as idiotic as one might assume.
ReplyDeleteThere is, I believe, some degree of difference between the amount of influence one child will have on another in the school setting and the influence the same child will have on the other in an out-of-school or home setting. For one thing, the school setting is supervised about 95% of the time. Once at home, there might be little or no direct supervision.
Furthermore, in the hopefully kosher school setting, it would probably be very unlikely to come across anything objectionable. Not so, the other child's house, where access to media or reading material that one could find objectionable might be found. So, while I disagree with the stated reason for not giving out the school list, I can still see a difference between the influence of one child on another in the school vs. home setting.
Devil's Advocate
Sounds like something out of "Desperate Frum Housewives" to me.
ReplyDeleteIf you're that concerned, don't send your kid to THAT CRAZY school !
ReplyDeleteWhat's that ahavas something they keep talking about? Guess it is just talk.
ReplyDeleteCan the parent's not be trusted for their judgement anymore? A common theme is running through your blog, Wolf!
ReplyDeleteThe common theme running through my blog, SephardiLady (or at least I like to believe) is reason and common sense - two commodities that are often lacking in some sectors of our community.
ReplyDeleteThe Wolf