school supplies!

toypup wrote:


"Donna Metler" wrote in message
. ..
And believe me, we were grateful. However, the problem comes when
people, like yourself, see the media coverage of "X elementary got
$25,000 from VH1/Time Warner to start a band program" and
automatically assume that this means that there's $25,000 to spend on
other stuff-like, say, paper and crayons.

There isn't. There wasn't more than $250 discretionary funds in the
budget for the entire music program for an 800 student school (and the
same was true for every classroom). The budgeted funds paid for my
salary, and that was it.

But then then school did not need to pay for instruments out of that
$250. They could use it to pay your salary. If they didn't have the
instruments, they wouldn't have a class, right?

Budgets often don't work that way, especially in
a bigger school system. It's unlikely that they'd be able
to transfer monies between payroll and much of anything
else. Plus, if they don't have the money to maintain the
instruments, they won't be useful for long.

Best wishes,
Ericka

Rosalie B. wrote:

I didn't learn this until my ds was married and had children of his
own. I knew there must be some reason that he was running away, but I
could never get him to tell me, and the teacher also denied having any
problems with him. She said he wasn't a behavior problem and that
they got along fine. And I guess from her perspective, they did.


We did have a discussion with the music teacher, who vehemently denied
every insulted Gareth's intelligence, until I pointed out she said
something similar to us. "Katrina is so bright and talented and
articulate. I just don't understand how she and Gareth can be siblings."

I repeated it back to her during this meeting, and said, "Do you
understand how that sounds when you say that? Do you HEAR yourself when
you say these things?"

She got this look on her face like, "Oh, crap. Yeah, that does sound
pretty bad."

Michelle
Flutist

"Donna Metler" wrote in message
...

A single Clarinet reed is about $1, even buying in bulk. Beginning
clarinetists go through about one a week. Saxophone reeds cost more.
Typical maintenance on a band instrument is at least $50/yr, with repairs
costing more than that.

Bottom line, that $25,000 grant probably really needed at least $2500 a
year to maintain the instruments and support the program-and it wasn't
available.



Would it have been better if they hadn't donated anything?

"Ericka Kammerer" wrote in message
. ..
Budgets often don't work that way, especially in
a bigger school system. It's unlikely that they'd be able
to transfer monies between payroll and much of anything
else. Plus, if they don't have the money to maintain the
instruments, they won't be useful for long.

When I was a kid (and we were quite poor, the school was gang infested,
etc.) we either borrowed the instruments from school or bought our own, if
we could afford it. Unless the instruments broke down, we maintained our
own instruments with supplies like reeds, strings, etc. For the most part,
it was low maintenance. The school can only do so much. At some point, the
parents must pitch in. I'm sorry for those who didn't have the means, but
it was very little output on their part, especially considering the actual
cost if things weren't subsidized.

toypup wrote:


"Ericka Kammerer" wrote in message
. ..
Budgets often don't work that way, especially in
a bigger school system. It's unlikely that they'd be able
to transfer monies between payroll and much of anything
else. Plus, if they don't have the money to maintain the
instruments, they won't be useful for long.

When I was a kid (and we were quite poor, the school was gang infested,
etc.) we either borrowed the instruments from school or bought our own,
if we could afford it. Unless the instruments broke down,

But the point is that the instruments *do* break
down, and need regular maintenance. It's not all just
the little things like the everyday supplies. And there
are the instruments that aren't assigned to an individual
child (like most of the percussion instruments).

I understand what you're saying, but I think that
the situation is a little bit more complicated than you
are thinking. It's like someone buying you a Tivo, but
not paying for the monthly service. If you don't have
the means to purchase the monthly service (or if you have
other expenses that are higher priority), it's just a
box taking up space and of little use to you, no matter
how kindly the gesture was meant.

we maintained
our own instruments with supplies like reeds, strings, etc. For the
most part, it was low maintenance. The school can only do so much. At
some point, the parents must pitch in. I'm sorry for those who didn't
have the means, but it was very little output on their part, especially
considering the actual cost if things weren't subsidized.

Best wishes,
Ericka

"Ericka Kammerer" wrote in message
. ..
toypup wrote:


"Ericka Kammerer" wrote in message
. ..
Budgets often don't work that way, especially in
a bigger school system. It's unlikely that they'd be able
to transfer monies between payroll and much of anything
else. Plus, if they don't have the money to maintain the
instruments, they won't be useful for long.

When I was a kid (and we were quite poor, the school was gang infested,
etc.) we either borrowed the instruments from school or bought our own,
if we could afford it. Unless the instruments broke down,

But the point is that the instruments *do* break
down, and need regular maintenance. It's not all just
the little things like the everyday supplies. And there
are the instruments that aren't assigned to an individual
child (like most of the percussion instruments).

Yes, they do break, but it's a mighty poorly made instrument that would
break its first year of use, so you get at least an entire year's worth of a
class out of it. Most all of them last much longer than that. I had my
secondhand violin for many years without maintenance of any sort besides
strings. It finally disintegrated in my closet when I checked it last, but
a secondhand cheapo violin would have held those students right on through
college without replacing anything more than rosin and strings.

I understand that some things cost more to have than not, but if the school
had a music program or wanted a music program to begin with, then
instruments are a necessity, whether they are donated or bought by the
school. Wouldn't the school prefer them donated? If they already had some,
they could use the donated ones as backup for when the other ones break
down.

In article , Michelle J. Haines says...

Rosalie B. wrote:

I would just say no that I wasn't going to do it, and probably also
say that the kids should be in school to learn and not attend parties.
And then I would not do it. If it isn't a private school, then I
doubt they would actually refuse to let your kid attend school. If I
wasn't new in the community, I bet I could find other parents who felt
the same way, and I would join the PTA and try to influence the school
to stop this. I might right a letter to the paper about why the
school kids were having parties instead of doing their lessons.

It's a bit hard to get too argumentative in some cases, the situation is
complicated by the fact that my MIL taught at this school for 30 years.
And they also get their backs up about us somewhat fast BECAUSE we're
ex-homeschoolers, I think. Maybe that's because AS ex-homeschoolers, we
don't have much awe of teachers. I remember in our former school, the
secretary got quite irritated at my husband because he refered to the
principal by his first name. *gasp* Of course, my husband had met the
principal socially and had spoken to him and was introduced to him by
his first name, but when he told the secretary, "I'd like to leave a
message for George." she very pointedly said, "I think you mean MR.
KOFFMAN!"

Whatever.

But *she* doesn't know of the previous aquaintance. And I don't think it
unreasonable for her to discourage over famillarity from parents.

Banty

Banty wrote:

In article , Michelle J. Haines says...

It's a bit hard to get too argumentative in some cases, the situation is
complicated by the fact that my MIL taught at this school for 30 years.
And they also get their backs up about us somewhat fast BECAUSE we're
ex-homeschoolers, I think. Maybe that's because AS ex-homeschoolers, we
don't have much awe of teachers. I remember in our former school, the
secretary got quite irritated at my husband because he refered to the
principal by his first name. *gasp* Of course, my husband had met the
principal socially and had spoken to him and was introduced to him by
his first name, but when he told the secretary, "I'd like to leave a
message for George." she very pointedly said, "I think you mean MR.
KOFFMAN!"

Whatever.

But *she* doesn't know of the previous aquaintance. And I don't think it
unreasonable for her to discourage over famillarity from parents.

Banty

I don't think that is an excuse. IMHO that was rude on her part and
snobby. Definitely unnecessary. The students should call the
teachers and principal by their last names (even when they are their
own kids - when I was coaching swimming, my own kids called me Mrs.
Beasley or I didn't answer, and I never even let my students know what
my first name was although they sometimes tried to guess), but other
adults don't necessarily have to and if they do use a first name it's
not a sign of disrespect.

Some school secretaries get like that because they have a lot of power
and in some cases very little training for the exercise of it. The
best school secretaries know that they are ultimately responsible for
the smooth running of the school but they don't let it go to their
heads.

Sometimes they tend to get protective of their principals - it also
depends a lot on the principal's people management skills, which some
principals lack. The parameters for who becomes a principal
(education required etc) don't necessarily lead to good results.
Mostly they are recycled teachers, and just because someone is a good
classroom teacher and wants to make more money doesn't mean that they
will also be a good principal.

I'll never forget being at one of the PTA meetings early on in my kids
elementary years. There was a fairly new parent at the meeting and we were
discussing the events that were going to happen in the next few weeks and
how many volunteers we needed. This parent asked how did we know what events
were happening and how do the other parents know when they need volunteers.
We all looked at her like she had grown two heads because we said that all
the information is in the Friday notes that come home and she said oh I
don't read those, I just throw them away. I nearly swallowed my tongue
because there were a lot of people putting lots of time and effort in making
sure all parents knew what was going on. So, it just goes to show you that
parents don't always read what comes home. Then they want to start blaming
the school for not getting information home.

--
Sue (mom to three girls)

I have never gotten a letter from our teachers that we had to volunteer for
anything or that we have to buy extra for others. It is stated that they
could use these things in the classroom and if you could donate them that is
wonderful. It either sounds to me that you are reading too much into the
letter or that your school is reallly horrible.
--
Sue (mom to three girls)

"Michelle J. Haines" wrote in message
...
Rosalie B. wrote:

I don't think the school expects the parents to buy extra. I think it
is more of a hope that someone will come through.

I think you should meet the teachers at this school, then.

I've never gotten anything like that, nor have I ever sent anything
out like that.

We have gotten a letter like that from every one of these teachers, except
the fifth grade teacher last year. "Here are the parties you are expected
to help with, you may choose your preference and I will assign you one.
It is your responsibility to contact the other parents assigned to your
party and make arrangements."

Uh.....

Why do you think quantifying the basis for outrage is important. If
the parent us upset, the reason for the anger and whether it is
justified doesn't have much if anything to do with their actual
behavior.

Um, I'm sorry, I think it does. Complaining about a ruler seems rather
silly (although circumstances back then were different, I dunno, but
still, every child must use the metric system now)...however, complaining
to the principal because the music teacher said to my son in class "Your
parents say you're supposed to be smart? I just don't see it." Yes, I
have justification to be a bit irritated.

Michelle
Flutist