Say it here cause yo can't say it directly- the get it off your chest thread - Page 2

corranged · 03-31-2007, 01:15 PM

That is so sad, Doubleplay. I went to a small school, and every acceptance for every student was celebrated. Students supported each other for their first choice schools, even if that first choice is a mile below your safety.

Thumper, there are these two girls who I knew. The whole family was very annoying (and resembled many of these comments!). One of the girls was talking all about how her sister got a "full ride" at a school that only had need-based aid. My friend who was talking to her said something like, "oh, it's great that you got such good financial aid" and the other girl of course replied: "no, she got a full ride." I'd like to tell that girl that she, her brother, and her sister are nothing special. She stole the idea for her project for the state science fair, and by the way, no teenager wants to grow up to be a lobbiest.

I'd like to tell a certain family member that yes, I realize it's very sad that your grandson probably hasn't reached his full potential, but please don't say that if he had gone to my school he would be just where I am today. I am bright, I get along with people, and I work hard. Your grandson is maladjusted, never worked hard in school (for the short time he was there), and has no aspirations or plans to go anywhere in his life. I'm sorry about that. I really am because there are many things that he could do well. I know that you're very proud of me and brag about me to people, but I hate hearing you go on and on about how this boy is so smart and could have done so well. The fact that he didn't take advantage of his opportunities and make his life go someplace is a much more telling sign of his potential for success than any smarts he may or may not have.

WashDad · 03-31-2007, 02:45 PM

This is going to sound odd, and I apologize. It's to a small group of teachers my older son has had over the years:

Yes, Jr does act like he thinks he is smarter than you. He IS smarter than you. Statistically, he's smarter than nearly everyone he meets. Being smarter doesn't just mean he thinks faster than you -- he thinks differently from you. He makes connections you can't see, he jumps ahead three steps at once, and by the time your class catches up to where he is, he's bored out of his mind. Of course he doesn't like doing your homework. Your homework is stupid, mindless repetition of what you said last week. I know it's not fair to you that the district requires you to teach classes with such a wide range of students in it, but I don't think that it mandates that you be narrow-minded, inflexible, and unimaginative. Try not to be jealous of your students.

MotherOfTwo · 03-31-2007, 04:26 PM

To a relative who gave up an excellent professional career when she had kids, and criticized me for working professionally when my kids were young, saying that she and her husband would never put their kids in daycare. After staying home for 12 years, she could only find a very low paying job and whines at me that my kids have had "every advantage" educationally, while her family cannot afford the same opportunities for theirs.

lamom · 03-31-2007, 04:41 PM

I just tell myself-when you feel you have to compete or tell someone how much better you are-you've lost. I don't say anything, why should I? They lost at their own game.

cheers · 03-31-2007, 05:11 PM

Amen, Mof2, amen. To all: thanks for the patronizing lectures on 'spoiling' my children. I'm glad you are all so charmed by my boys. Turns out, there was method in my actions.

Also, (warning: pet peeve to follow), while I appreciate your lectures and your disdain, I have a laugh when you leave the room. Your 'holier-than-thou' righteousness is hilariously hypocritical.

thumper1 · 03-31-2007, 05:47 PM

MotherOfTwo...yours made me think of another one...to the relative who was too poor to exchange Christmas presents. "If money is so tight, why aren't both of you working?" (btw...both kids were in college...).

parabella · 03-31-2007, 05:50 PM

How could you give a "sportsmanship" award to the racist, homophobic, generally bigoted and disliked by a majority of his teammates senior, suspended for most of his last soccer season because of drinking and academic probation? I don't care that the football team won the state championship and he was one of the star players, you could have found a better candidate.

MotherOfTwo · 03-31-2007, 05:57 PM

This happened a while ago, but - "To the ignorant teachers and administrators at our high school who did not bother to find out how to pronounce the students' names they read at graduation or the senior awards ceremony. None of the names are at all terribly difficult, and it must be humiliating for a parent from a non-Western country (e.g. India) whose name is easily pronounced just by reading the syllables phonetically to hear their name garbled as if it were written in hieroglyphics or something while their kid is being recognized for his achievements. Oh yes, I also must add that they must not read CC, because they also mispronounce the names of well known colleges. For example Middlebury became Middleberg, etc."

mardad · 03-31-2007, 06:12 PM

To a relative: "I know that in your heart-of-hearts you believe my wife and I are incompetent parents, as are all of your siblings, and our children as well as the chilidren of your siblings are just waiting for their parents' incompetence to be exposed so that you can step in and rescue them, but please don't keep telling us about what good parents anyone who is not related to you are. The children of your siblings are in college, graduate school and medical school and we don't want to make them insecure. And No! I will not carry that bulky graduation gift across a large field at commencement to the child of someone you know only socially when you could drop it off at his house. I don't want to carry it. He doesn't want to cart it around. I know you want him to remember you, but this is not the way to do it. Praise your relatives and quit trying to buy the favor of outsiders."

Marian · 03-31-2007, 06:46 PM

Quote:

To the ignorant teachers and administrators at our high school who did not bother to find out how to pronounce the students' names they read at graduation or the senior awards ceremony. None of the names are at all terribly difficult, and it must be humiliating for a parent from a non-Western country (e.g. India) whose name is easily pronounced just by reading the syllables phonetically to hear their name garbled as if it were written in hieroglyphics or something while their kid is being recognized for his achievements.

This happened to my daughter at the elementary school awards program, and she has an ordinary German/Jewish last name. She was called up multiple times, and the principal mispronounced her name every time. It got to the point where the entire fifth grade was calling out the correct pronunciation every time the principal got it wrong.

MotherOfTwo · 03-31-2007, 06:58 PM

A similar thing actually happened to my daughter at the senior awards ceremony for 12th grade, but I didn't include it in my gripe above. The assistant principal first recognized her by announcing the name of another girl with the same last name who graduated three years earlier. She was a terrible student and her brother had been arrested for vandalizing our school. Then, when the other kids called out my daughter's name to correct him, he messed it up (similar to saying "Christa" instead of "Christine"). Then, realizing he was still messed up, he said, "Let's just call her 'C. Smith' !" (This is not her real name, but you get the idea.) The administrator announcing the next group of awards was so horrified that he made a point of recognizing my daughter using her correct name and making her stand up again. She took a lot of teasing from her friends and parents of her friends for that one!

marlene · 03-31-2007, 08:06 PM

I realize the private school/parochial school/day academy/well funded suburban school your children attend produces high test scores and even higher college acceptance rates. The urban public school my children attend cannot compare. Fifty percent of its students are from poverty level families. Sixty percent of its students are minorities. And its drop out rate is too high.

But its teaching staff is just as dedicated and there are sufficient numbers of honors and AP classes.

More importantly, my children have the ready compassion and ease with those of other backgrounds that life in an urban public school can teach. And that is more important to me than all the bragging rights your school provides.

billsbillsbills · 03-31-2007, 08:26 PM

Wow I've been holding this in for 2 years!
To my brother-in-law and by extension to my sister
Yeah yeah yeah we have known since birth that your oldest is Sam Superior. He hasn?t set a foot wrong except for that 5 minutes when he was 14, had a zit and was grouchy. I?m well aware that you make more money than we do and your 4 children have thrived at their various private schools while our DD was in public schools. We know that Sam has so many wonderful offers with full rides to the most marvelous colleges. But I swear to the heavens if I hear one more snide comment about lowly state schools or the fact that we only have to pay one tuition, I will have to be restrained. Yes our DD is bright but not brilliant like her cousin. Yes, we make less than you do and we are stretched to the limit paying for her OOS tuition. And yes we would have been overjoyed for her to have siblings but it didn?t happen. But guess what! Our DD chose her school. She is as happy as can be there and we?re thrilled for her. SO SHUT THE EFF UP!! And by the way, we all did a little jump for joy when Sam didn?t get into any Ivies?.

Marian · 03-31-2007, 08:45 PM

Some of you will not like this one.

To certain Asian parents: For years, you've been trying to discourage your kid from associating with my kid -- just because she isn't Asian and therefore you could never be sure whether she was serious about academics. Well, guess what? She got into an academic magnet program, just like your kid. She has an A average, just like your kid. She's a National Merit Finalist, just like your kid. And she's going to a top college, just like your kid. If you had ever looked at her as an individual, you would have realized that she wasn't going to corrupt your kid by setting an example of academic sloth; she has always been your kid's academic peer. But you could never see beyond the green eyes and the brown hair.

NJres · 03-31-2007, 11:11 PM

OH MY GOD YOU ARE SO FREAKING ANNOYING!!!!!

ok honey, I'm coming to bed now!