D.R.A.M.A. at the PreK level!

I don't even know where to begin! Small town drama is getting very old and I wish our house would sell so that I could just whisk myself away from it all.

Long story short...my son's school (church preschool) has got some drama going on with it right now. It is not a big school, just some mother's morning out programs, 2 year old classes, 3 year old classes and then a prekindergarten. I'd say they have about 80 kids there total--including full and part time. It is only a 9am-1pm program. Quite quaint, you'd think. The administration--director, assistant director and 'helper' (I guess you would call her) all stand outside each morning and afternoon to greet and wave goodbye to parents. We've now coined them with the term "Walmart Greeters" because apparently that is all they do.

I've begun seeing how great the teachers are, how hard they work and then see how little the administration does. For example, they'll have 7 2 year olds in a classroom with one adult and nobody helps them in the bathroom--which is down the hall, I might add. Shouldn't this poor woman have help when taking all these kids to the bathroom?

Well, just recently another parent and I arranged a field trip to Publix--the local wonderful grocery store--and when the teachers told the director the plans, she told them we couldn't do it because she didn't feel like dealing with another field trip. The thing is, THEY don't deal with the field trips--WE do it all along with the teachers--WE drive, WE make arrangements, etc. So, the other parent went in and talked to the director and she was very positive saying that she'd look at her calendar and see if that is something they could work out. I'm thinking, "Just look at your calendar right now--is there anything on it? Ok, let's send out the permission slips then." It's about power with them.

Here's the other biggie--I worked there. I worked there 2 years ago and I KNOW how they work. They weren't too bad with me, but bad enough for me not to go back. The other thing is I can't say much b/c I worked there and know too much. I know that they tout that they have Chapel once a week and Music once a week and they don't. I know that they tout having field trips almost monthly in their advertising...and they don't. I know that the teachers need help and they don't help them. I know that instead of subbing for a teacher who is out, they take the helper from the other classroom to fill in so that they don't have to.

It is also important to note that the only reason I sent my son there this year was because the school I was going to send him to had to shut down their prek class b/c they didn't have enough kids. I had him enrolled somewhere else and then last minute had to put him here.

I really like his teachers though. And that is what I have to remember is most important and is who he deals with on a daily basis. I have to remember that they are the ones influencing his life.

Here's the next thing....in his class of 13 there are 2 teachers. They've been there since day 1. Well, one of the teachers--the teacher assistant--got called into the director's office and told that since there are only 13 kids in the class and not a higher number like last year that they are probably going to have to cut her down to 3 days a week because they can't pay their bills for the summer if they keep paying her. Well, it's practically FEBRUARY people. Wouldn't you have thought about this back in SEPTEMBER when there was STILL only 13 kids in there? This poor girl is so stressed about money and how she is going to pay her bills if they put her down to 3 days a week. And the big thing is that they aren't telling us parents. Well, this parent knows and is going to keep an eye out and see if they really do take her down to 3 days a week. And what really gets me is that the director and the asst. director pay themselves all summer long, too, when they aren't even there. So, maybe they should cut down what they get paid all summer long in order to keep their teachers there for the kids? The assistant director just now came on as working 5 days a week--she did only work 3 until this year. And now she's on 5 days a week this year! Shouldn't they have thought about that at the beginning of the year?

It is making me crazy. And it is so small town drama-ish. It's like middle school. I want to go in there and scream at the top of my lungs that I'm sick of them getting away with this! They are blaming the 'preschool board' saying that they don't know how they can justify this to the 'board'. The board doesn't know ANYTHING that's going on...it was like that when I was there!

I actually called a couple of other schools to see if I could get Big Brother in there, but they are full. Plus, I have to remember his teachers that he deals with everyday are great. It's the administration I can't stand.

Hopefully Daddy can start taking him to school and picking him up again now that he's back in town b/c I hate it!

Thank you for letting me vent. I was told I need to just 'kill them with kindness', but that would be killing me!!!!