I am not poor! I am cheap!

[customersruinmylife]

I am debating changing my name to parentsruinmylife, because I don't deal with customers anymore, just parents whose children I fear for because they have so many brain burps.

In spite of that, I need to make it clear that I freaking love my job. The change from working in a pub to going into a school is amazing. If someone had told me how happy leaving the pub world would have made me, I would have quit about four and a half years ago.

Anyway, I am working on the desk, and I am literally the only member of staff in the entire school. I am waiting for one of the evening classes to show up, and I am quite happily working away.

The bell goes, and I buzz in a sucky parent.

Me: Hi there, are you here for *evening* class?
SP: No, I am here to see the head teacher.
Me: Oh, well she has gone home for the day. You didn't have an appointment did you?
SP: I don't know.
Me: You don't know? Right...I'll just have a look in the diary....no, no appointments. Like I said, she has gone home. Can I take a message?
SP: Ok, well, pass on this letter for her, and this message!
Me: What is that message?
SP: Lower the price of your field trips! They are much too expensive! Why is there a field trip this early in the year? It's ridiculous.
Me: OK...
SP: And the buses cost too much! I have calculated that it costs me over £50 per month just to get him to school! And then £30 for a field trip! That is £80, gone!
Me: Well if expenses are an issue for you, we do have several plans in place for people who have trouble affording...
SP: What did you say?! Trouble affording? I do not have trouble affording anything! I just don't see why I should have to pay anything! Education is supposed to be free!
Me: OK, well, I will pass on your letter, and message.
SP: Thank you.

He walked out. The letter was very bitchy and whiny. It also complained about the long distance his child has to travel to get to school each day. I was a bit baffled by his return address, as it was about ten miles away. About 95% of the kids that attend the school live within a couple of miles, and his address wasn't even within our school district! No wonder it was costing so much to get there and back!

[Dave1982]

someone is going to be in for a very rude surprise when their kid goes to college.....

[cinema guy]

1. Parents can select which senior/high school their kids go to - so when he chose to have his child attend CRML's school, he should have been aware of the distance.

2. Field trips aren't mandatory, IIRC.

Cheap is right.

CRML: I'm glad you are enjoying your job.

[Lingerie_Lackey]

Well done, your child's education is free. Travel costs, supplies and field trips, however, aren't education and therefore aren't free.

What a fool. Personally I love reading a good old ranty letter. I have fun picking out the flaws in the argument.

[zombiequeen]

Wow! That's one...something there.
I can understand being upset at having to pay for some of that, but really, I highly doubt it's the head teacher's fault...do you have school of choice there? The parents are allowed to send their child to any school they want to?

[MoonCat]

So, let's see if I understand him correctly: He can afford to pay those amounts, but he just doesn't think he should have to. Well, isn't that special.

And they don't even live in your school district? Should his kid maybe be going to a school that's closer to where they live?

[Wenchie]

1. Parents can select which senior/high school their kids go to - so when he chose to have his child attend CRML's school, he should have been aware of the distance.

Not always... depends on where you live. Some schools aren't part of a "Schools of Choice" program.

When I was in school, we had to go to specific schools based on where we lived. Some places are still like that, or at least some schools are... my niece goes to a school that will only let you go there if you live in a specific area. *shrug*

[TexasT]

So, elsewhere parents pay for their kids to ride the bus? In America, school buses are free.

[dawnfire]

It depends. In Australia (or well at least in my state) you pay for public transport but if there is no public transport (say in rural areas) and you live more than 4.5 km from a school that does busing you get it for free.

[Wenchie]

So, elsewhere parents pay for their kids to ride the bus? In America, school buses are free.

Not always... unfortunately. If you're outside of the school district and want your kid to go to a specific school, sometimes you can pay to have the bus get your kid. Or you're responsible for getting them there yourself.

When I was in highschool, they cut buses my freshman year. 4 mile walk home every day. My stepbrother would drop me off on his way to his school... but wouldn't stop. He's slow down and I would have to jump out of the van.

[Jay 2K Winger]

While school bus rides are often free here in the US (at least in most cases), the pick-up time isn't always very convenient for the students or parents.

Case in point: my freshman and sophomore years of high school (9th and 10th grade), I lived maybe a mile from the school. The doors opened at, say, 6:30am, class at 7am. But if I wanted to take the bus, I would have to be up by 4:30am. For some reason, our neighborhood was the first in the circuit.

My parents and I pretty much said "screw that," and my mother usually dropped me off at the school by 6:45 at the latest. And unless the weather was nasty (and I mean pouring rain and thundering), I walked home.

Worked out fine.

[tropicsgoddess]

Well done, your child's education is free. Travel costs, supplies and field trips, however, aren't education and therefore aren't free.

Children in general sure aren't cheap. But this sucky parent sure is one whiny ass cheapskate.

[protege]

So, elsewhere parents pay for their kids to ride the bus? In America, school buses are free.

Not exactly. If you own property in the district, your taxes pay for them

[Kristev]

He can pay for his kid, but he doesn't want to? I swear, more and more I am convinced humans should not be parents.

By the way, congrats on the new job. I'm sure, despite the parents, your stress level is much, much lower.

[Racket_Man]

someone is going to be in for a very rude surprise when their kid goes to college.....

RUDE surprise???? nope obscene surprise with the price of college textbooks and such these days plus the required laptop, CD's, various programs/software packages, MP3 players, cell phones, etc. and I though paying $90 for a text book 30 years ago was expensive. Silly me.