I’m experiencing extortion of the dirtiest kind…extortion involving my kid.
Last night was back to school night at my son’s Pre-K. We’re sending him to a local Christian Preschool. We walked around his classroom, checked out his cubby, the toys, the curriculum and then we went to his file. Inside the file were a bunch of papers, newsletters and order forms. It wasn’t until tonight, when I had 5 seconds to sit down and read through the spam that I noticed a blue sheet of paper.
This nice little blue sheet doesn’t come out and explain what the program is that it is advertising but after reading it twice I figured it out.
It’s a blue sheet full of extortion.
This private Christian Preschool is expensive. Maybe not South Orange County expensive, but expensive for where we live. This blue sheet is a sign up for a monthly donation program for gifts to the “aides and multitude of staff entrusted with our children for an entire school year”.
They want me to sign up for a monthly program that automatically donates money to the teachers and staff.
Not only that, this blue sheet full of extortion also states “that each staff member has filled out a gift registry form that tells us their personal tastes”. These “personal tastes” are kept in a binder in the office for everyone to view throughout the year. This binder is not only for the program that the blue sheet of extortion is advertising, it’s also for Christmas and Staff Appreciation week in may (which they specifically note is a national recognized holiday) and year end.
This blue sheet of extortion is making it VERY CLEAR THAT THESE STAFF MEMBERS EXPECT FREE SHIT.
Does this piss you off? Well, as you can tell. It makes me very,very angry.
I don’t like being told what to do. I don’t like being forced to give when it’s not from my heart. That is exactly what this school is doing. They are expecting me to give and I don’t like it.
I am going to refuse this blue sheet of extortion. I am going to hope that a “staff member” asks me about our subscription to their monthly extortion program cause I’m gonna give it to them straight It’s my natural instinct to dig my heels in and put up a fight. I don’t like confrontation but I do stand up for my integrity and what is right.
Here’s my dilemma…
What are they going to do to my kid? Is he going to be known as “the kid with the stingy mom”? Is he going to be looked at and treated different?
Do you see why this is extortion?
This will be his first time going to school, it’s something that I’ve been dreading since the day he was born. Saying that I’m having a hard time letting go in an understatement. But I am ready to let go. I know that I need to. It would be easy to home school him. I could do it, I’m smart enough, educated enough and creative enough to do it. But I don’t want to, he deserves more, he deserves to be independent and not under my wing all the time.
I’ve trusted this school with my baby and this is what they’re going to do? Extort me for money because I don’t want him to be looked at differently? I don’t want him to be known as anything other than a really awesome kid?
What am I supposed to do?
Wow. Just…wow. I think I would totally react the way you did. Because telling me I *have* to purchase something is a sure fire way to make sure that I NEVER do.
I know right? It’s crazy!
This would definitely leave a sour taste in my mouth. What nerve! You have to really look at the school as a whole for yourself on this one: If the school seems otherwise like a great place to send him, if the staff interacts well with him, if he likes it there, etc., then I say perhaps give it a chance. BUT if there are ANY signs that he’s being treated differently for you not “contributing” to the monthly “donation” program or that they’ll give you a hard time for not “contributing”, pull him out. Quick.
Also, let me know what school this is exactly, because I live where you live, and I want to look out for this Blue Extortion Sheet as well!
Thanks for the post!
I would hope that the administration would keep who’s family donates and who’s family does not, confidential. Not only from other parents but from the teachers, who could easly display favoritism toward the students who’s parents donate the most. Or something like that.
I would also not contribute a monthly donation to give teachers or administration gifts. Its like bribing them to do well at their jobs. I would expect teachers to teach because it was what they wanted to do and something they were good at. Not just because the parents of said school gives them great stuff.
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Public school. Teachers aren’t working for money, they are working because they have a passion to teach. Not a gift registry. Just a thought…