2nd Grade Field Trip Drama

To give you an idea of the types of things teachers have to deal with on a daily basis besides actually teaching, I have some tidbits about our upcoming field trip. We are going to the Museum of Nature and Science in a few weeks and I sent home a note asking for $1 to cover the cost and some parent volunteers to go with us.

First off, the parent who is always lurking in the halls watching her daughter..every day she comes for lunch and FEEDS her daughter lunch really wants to go with us. She showed up a week ago and gave me $1 for herself. I said no, she didn't get to go because she went on our last field trip and it's only fair to give other parents a chance, right? Well, that's just NOT okay. She called our principal and complained that I wasn't letting her go on her daughter's field trip and she wasn't going to let her daughter go if I didn't let the mom go. My principal totally backed me up and said I was going to give other parents a chance and if she chose to not send her daughter, that was her choice. I laughed at that one...we'll see if her poor daughter gets to go.

Secondly, I have another parent who never sends her son to school...I think he missed 24 days last trimester alone. (we have 50 days in each trimester). Anyway, I pulled him aside the other day and told him I couldn't send him to 3rd grade if he didn't start coming to school every day because he's so far behind...(I can't really retain him for that, but that's another complaint for another post. Why we aren't allowed to hold kids back is beyond me.) Anyway, he went home and told his mom I said he was failing and I wasn't going to send him to 3rd grade or the field trip. Well she got mad and left me a nasty message on my voice mail and then called my principal again to complain that I was mean and wouldn't let him go on the field trip. She wasn't mad about him possibly not going to 3rd grade...she was mad about the field trip.

My principal totally backed me again and said if he wasn't coming to school regularly, then he doesn't get to participate in extra activities. She hung up on her. Guess who hasn't been in school yesterday or today? Yup...joy boy.

I have one student who says she's not allowed to go because she hasn't been doing her chores at home. I have another student who started crying and said his mom doesn't have $1...(I'll pay for him myself of course). I have another student who keeps losing his permission form: I've sent home 6 of them so far. I have another student who says he can't bring a lunch...they have no food at home (that may actually be true so I'll buy an extra lunch for him just in case.) My autistic boys need one-on-one chaperones with them so I'm trying to schedule that with the special ed department but they are busy with their kids taking the CSAP and they won't be able to provide me with coverage. I'll have 2 autistic boys by myself to deal with...

Why can't I just schedule a field trip and everyone turns in their slips and money and the parents show up smiling and we all go and have a great time???