One Room School House

If parents of school-aged kids got graded, I’m pretty sure I’d be getting a D right now. 

So far, we’ve had Open House Night, Meet and Greet Night, Room Parent Tea and holiday party sign-ups, about 20 forms in various colors due, Market Day fundraiser, Fun Run fundraiser, Pizza Night fundraiser, a PTA meeting, and send-in-three-different-but-very-specific-types-of-apples-to-class-tomorrow day.  (To be fair on that last one, I’m pretty sure I’d have had 3-4 days notice to get the apples if I was an A+ parent and checked the backpack every day.  But it’s Kindergarten for crying out loud.)

I’m exhausted. 

I just filled out and turned in my last form today, after two reminder phone calls from the school nurse.  I didn’t get my PTA membership form and money turned in during the big incentive time, so my kid didn’t get a gumball in the picture on the wall and her class didn’t win the most memberships in the first week and didn’t get the pizza party.  I didn’t hit up 25 of my family members and friends for money for the Fun Run so my kid didn’t get ice cream that day. (We were encouraged to send the letters to everyone on our holiday card list.  You’re welcome.)  We ran into the school secretary at the park one day and she recognized Eden and asked my name, and then remarked, “Oh, you haven’t turned in the Field Trip Permission form yet.”  They are keeping special tabs on us D parents. 

It’s September.  I’m exhausted.  I seriously can’t imagine having several children in several different grades or schools to keep track of at the same time.  It’s ridiculous.  I think I’d homeschool just so I didn’t have to deal with the paperwork.  Our own little one room school house. 

Thankfully my kid didn’t seem to notice her lack of paper gumballs or pizza or ice cream.  And I understand the need for fundraisers, I really do.  It’s just that I wish there was an option to pay a certain amount of cash up front and then have those fundraising papers and forms and events magically disappear.  I promise, I’d have my cash in by May, at the absolute latest. 

At least we’re on time for drop off, usually.  And Isaac’s wearing shoes, usually.  And Eden’s clothes are clean, except for the days last week where she wanted to wear the same cleanish clothes several days in a row and I couldn’t really think of a good enough reason not to, so off she went. 

I’m exhausted.  It's hard work getting a D.