Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Creative Christmas

As I have mentioned before, you don't get much higher, in my book, than the people who provide care for my children.  I love gift giving, and I take great care to select gifts that I think the recipient will enjoy.  So, a couple of months before Christmas, I approached the administrative staff at my daughter's preschool to try and find out what kind of things her teacher might like.  However, I was told, in no uncertain terms that her teacher could NOT accept gifts.  It was a violation of her contract, and she would be fired if they found out she did.  WHAT?!?!?  I couldn't believe it.  Apparently, the preschool is run by the county, so the teachers are under the same contract as elected officials, and any gift could be considered a bribe.  (Seriously?  What teachers do you know that work for the gifts???)  The next week, they had even posted a letter detailing this very information.  They said that the only gifts that could be accepted were consumables, but how many plates of cookies does one teacher need?  So, I had to get creative.  I, of course, did make a plate of cookies, muffins, candy, etc., but that just didn't seem like enough.  So, I started thinking about what I could do for her that wouldn't put her job at risk.  I decided to buy a gift for the whole classroom.


I found this block set online, and I thought the kids would love it.  Since it was for the classroom, it didn't violate her contract, and when the kids are happy, the teacher is happy, right?  Then, finally, I decided to make a donation, on her behalf.  She has expressed a love of Sesame Street, and she is often dressed in Sesame Street clothing, so the decision was easy.  That way, everyone won.  Her teacher received gifts, without threatening her job, the kids had some new toys and we helped Sesame Street stay on the air.  All in all, a good compromise.

For the record, though, I wrote a letter expressing my disappointment in not being able to give gifts directly to her, and I was told it would be sent up the chain of command.  I don't know if it will make a difference, but I'm hopeful that they'll reconsider.  Afterall, Teacher Appreciation Week is fast approaching.

Monday, February 25, 2013

An Apology

I would like to take a minute to apologize to anyone who might be reading this blog.  At the end of last year, I started having some medical problems, which eventually led to surgery.  As a result, my posting has suffered (However, I have still been doing my best to spread kindness, when I can).  I am still recovering from my surgery, but I intend to start posting again, and hopefully, we'll find some good opportunities to spread kindness.