Just the other day yet another flyer came home from school for another PTO originated function at Killingworth Elementary. How many fundraisers does it take to raise enough money to do what the school needs? With all our tax money going there, you would think there's enough money to build a playground and do the gardening and mulching. We have one of the highest school budgets ...something is very wrong!
So when the Beautification Day sheet came home, I read it and I wanted to know who started this whole thing and why?
So I called Lisa Kelly, because her name was on the sheet. I have to give Lisa credit because she truly thinks this is a project where children come together, learn teamwork and make our school more beautiful. She is proud of her achievement, and rightly so. But not all of us want this happening during the school day. My personal feeling is...Why not leave the gardening to the experts?...I strongly believe in supporting our local landscapers...or in the alternative, have the school personnel show up at the school on a Saturday or a Sunday morning and have it be completely voluntary? Let the school Administrators volunteer their time...just like the children are expected to volunteer their time. That would be fairer, I would think. And in this way, only the parents and children that really want to be there, have to be there; and the children that don't want to, won't stand out.
My son complained this year that he hates "Beautification Day" because he said it's not fair to "use" the children in that way. He feels the Principal and others do not participate, so why should he? He doesn't want to rake or mulch or plant something ...just because he's being told he has to. Where are his constitutional rights? His point is that he should have a choice. This coming from a very bright 7 year old. I'm glad he has a mind of his own.
What I said to him was," if you don't want to do it, you don't have to...and nobody is going to make you". My son and I have spent many quality hours planting flowers, trees and vegetables. I have taught him in a way so that he appreciates plants for the living things that they are and to respect all living things. And that's how it should be!
This led me on a sort of personal crusade to find out how many other school districts require the entire student body to stop instruction and do the gardening for the school, so I called many schools in the surrounding districts. I only polled Elementary Schools, in fairness to KES.
Here are my findings for "Beautification Day", "Arbor Day", "Earth Day" or whatever you want to call it:
Chester's Elementary, Deep River's Elementary, Essex's Elementary, the two Clinton Schools - Joel School and - Abraham Pierson – do nothing.
Hamden's elementary school has an Earth Day where they have volunteers come on a Saturday to do some planting. Nothing is taken away from the school day.
Guilford has four elementary schools: Guilford Lake has a ceremony on Arbor Day, where the 4th graders (who will be leaving the school) dedicate the planting of ONE tree in honor of someone who has touched their lives. And they follow up with an assembly. It is obviously a learning experience for all to share in, yet it does not involve the entire student body. Calvin Leete and Melissa Jones Schools do nothing. A.W. Cox School did not know. They were supposed to call me back, but never did.
Branford has many schools. I called a few. Mary Tisko School does nothing. At John B. Sliney School, the 2nd grade class, in conjunction with their Garden Club, will do some planting, but it is completely voluntary and NOT school wide. At Mary Murphy School, they have two of the 2nd grade classes do a short clean up and the rest of the time they have organizations like the girl scouts and the garden club come in to do much more. I was told that clean up is not mandatory but classes usually go together.
The remaining schools did not get back to me.
Most of the schools were very cooperative and open with their remarks (after all, what did they have to hide?). There were a few who had no clue what the school does.
So here you have it. Basically, we are the ONLY school in the surrounding area that has the entire student body participate in Beautification Day, not once, but twice a year.
So I e-mailed my son's teacher and told her he might not be participating and to let me know when there would be real instruction time so I would have him in school for that. I want it to be his choice to stay or not. It all worked out and she was very cooperative...but I feel it shouldn't have to come to this. In order for my son to not participate in this, I would have to pick him up at 10:15 and drop him back off at 11:00. Why should I be inconvenienced on a regular work/school day?
And this is only one example. There are many more of these activities that put our children "on the spot" where they feel they have to participate, and these activies should be done during 'free' time, after school or on weekends. The paper work that is sent home does not ever indicate that there are any other options for opting out.
It is commendable that the school has so many caring PTO parents with lots of time on their hands who want to help and do more for the school, but when it begins to inconvenience others, at some point something has to be done. Perhaps there should be classroom coverage for those students who wish to not participate? I see that as a fair resolution in the future.
I got an e-mail today from Joey Morman of The Fitness Connection to do a volunteer fundraiser for the school playground by working out and having proceeds go to the school. I absolutely would be willing to do that on a Saturday morning on my own time...but to subject the children and give them no choices, is clearly a violation of their individual rights.
IT HAD NEVER OCCURRED TO ME that my child may not want to do this 'Beautification Day'. In fact, my child, a year ago, would not have been able to speak up, to tell me something like this, because he has special needs. He felt he had no choice in the matter. But he does have a choice. We all have choices and we need to make the best choices for our children. If we don't, no-one else will.
Virginia Biliades Rioja