Some people have no heart. I was given a notice late on Friday that the kids would need to bring in the $83 fee for the AP exam next week. Only money orders would be accepted. Feeling that this was not enough notice, I went down to the person in charge and asked for an extra week.
PO: Ms. N, I got his notice after the class had left for the day. Some will need more time to get the money ready.
Ms. N: Tough. These kids have known about this since they signed up for the course. If they can't afford it, they should have gotten a fee waiver.
PO: Many of my kids are not entitled to a fee waiver. That doesn't mean that they have an extra $83 laying around the house. I know kids that live from paycheck to paycheck. I know kids that have to work in McDonald's to help their families make ends meet.
Ms. N.: These kids always have excuses. Too bad. There is nothing I am going to do about it.
PO: Remember last year when I gave you the $250 check. That money was specifically donated to help kids who can't afford the exam. That money was supposed to be put in a special fund, just for those kids.
Ms. N: We are busy. No time to look for that money. Now, I am busy. Leave.
Post script: Last year, one of my students got a fee waiver, usually fraudulent tax returns. The kid is extremely wealthy, always bragging about his Rolex watch, trips to Ritz Carlton, etc. Although I held my tongue in front of him, he knew exactly what I thought of his actions. By the end of the year he had a touch of conscience and gave me the check. He wanted me to hold it because he trusted I would use it the way it was intended to be used. Not wanting to be accused of taking money from a student, I found a way for him to anonymously donate it to the school. We now stand with an administration who claims to not be able to find it. True, the person I gave it to is no longer in the building, but the money should be there. I know she did steal it.
4 comments:
Good god, that's disgusting.
And a week's notice is definitely not enough. I know that'd hurt in my household, suddenly coughing that up. Jerks.
These sorts of stories need to be told loud and clear. I don't think most people know what we are up against. Thank you.
This behaviour, I'm sure, defines this person (or persons) as qualified arseholes. Check out (Stanford Prof.) Bob Sutton's blog http://bobsutton.typepad.com/my_weblog/
and take the arsehole test! Bob's blog is doing a great job of publicizing these kinds of stories. Tell him yours, I'm sure he'd be interested.
The money has been found and is going to be used appropriately, although they are not giving me a say in how it will be used, which is not fair since I am the one that got it for the school, but that's life.
It is still cruel to make the kids come up with that much money so quickly. Some of them are taking 3 AP exams and need almost $250.
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