EDITOR, The Tribune.
Some private schools never cease to amaze me. They love to give (albeit to worthwhile causes), but at the expense of parents rather than the school.
Today, (Tuesday, October 6) I received a letter from my daughter’s Catholic school requesting that students give $1 a day, or $5 a week in aid of hurricane ravaged Dominica and the southern Bahamas (written in that order).
Additionally, parents have been asked to donate one or more items of non perishable food items, cleaning supplies, toiletries, new bedding and linen, depending on their child’s grade level.
Private schools never seem to take into consideration that perhaps, in this instance, some parents might have had relatives and friends who are hurricane victims and so they might have already emptied their cupboard and their wallets to this cause.
I hasten to add here that this very school now seeking donations is the same school which advised students at the beginning of the school year that their names would be called during assembly if parents were late with tuition. Who does that?
How embarrassing for the student who does not pay his/her own tuition. The parent does. It’s a conversation that should be had with the parents.
The school says the donated items will be packed and shipped by the Archdiocese to the southern Bahamas on Friday.
Let me unequivocally state, I wholeheartedly endorse the concept of giving. It’s why I tithe and donate to worthwhile causes on my own (as in without the school’s interference).
Even as a divorced, single mother I recognise that my daughter and I are blessed.
Thus, I cheerfully pluck names of underprivileged children from our church’s Christmas tree.
I bring items to donate to the church’s pantry and for Thanksgiving; write personal cheques to my own pet causes and always try to put a little something extra into the hands of at least one earnest college student headed back to university.
In short, I believe in paying it forward and not in asking others to pay it forward for me.
The Bible tells us that the Lord loves a cheerful giver. I give cheerfully when the giving is of my own volition and not when I am forced to by schools seeking to promote how charitable they are by giving away the limited, hard-earned dollars of their parents, as opposed to the school’s own funds.
TRB
Nassau,
October 6, 2015.
Comments
birdiestrachan 8 years, 6 months ago
TRB No one is forcing you to give through the Roman Catholic School, It is great you call yourself TRB. instead of bringing shame to yourself and your daughter. It is your money do with it as you see fit, and leave the Roman Catholic School out of it.
ohdrap4 8 years, 6 months ago
on Sunday, i drove all the way to the airport to donate clothing, water and groceries, and basically maxed out what to give. My conscience is clear.
yes, the incessant requests from these schools are ridiculous.
when i was a child, there was a mother's day event where the children were to give flowers to their mothers at school. my family did not have money to buy roses, so my grandmother colledted some hibiscus and pentas from her yard and the neighbours yard, left the hibiscus in the fridge and made an arrangement for me to take to school. It looked pretty, and well arranged. Or so I thought, when i got to school, the children taunted me because my arrangement from the bush and not the shop, the teacher said nothing, and on the way to the assembly the children destroyed the arrangement. On the line, now with no flowers to give my mother, I stole a rose bud from a boy's arrangement that had a lot opf flowers and i figured he would not miss it. The same jackass teacher accused me of stealing the next day and i saw myself at the principal's office and the teacher said i was lying in front of my mother. my mother slapped me, but when my grand mother said i was telling the truth, she waited for the teacher outside the school the next day and slapped the teacher. The principal tried to call her in but she asked the principal if she would like to be slapped too. I suffered in that school for several years after that. I think the teacher deserved it because she favoored the richer kids.
shortpants 8 years, 6 months ago
I agree that most of these private schools beg to much ,parents finding it hard enough to pay school fees and still they want the little that you have. The parents pay for almost all the essentials that the schools uses , so what do they do with all the schools fees bank it up so they look good ,but we still have to educate our children at our expense. And most of them still will send your children home if fees are due ,everybody greedy and needy right now.
Sickened 8 years, 6 months ago
I agree with you TRB and there is no shame in what you say or your actions. Schools now a days want parents to give almost every week for this and for that and having two kids at schools we could easily spend another $50 a week if we always obliged the school. The pressure schools put on us to constantly support is ridiculous.
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