Who do you think is right or wrong?

My child was in a wonderful gan this year. The teachers were mostly great.
At the end of the year, we moved to a different area (about an hour and a half away) and I told the teachers that my child was going to have the last day a few days before the school year finished so if there was anything of my DC, if they could get it ready by that afternoon.
The teacher in charge said for sure she will get everything ready.
I arrive at the gan and not only is nothing ready but the head teacher is running out the door saying oh maybe another teacher can show you were the things were (change of clothing, bed sheet and cover for a nap). Well this other teacher did not have a clue where anything was.
I had sent nothing with my child's name but I assumed the gan would have put my DC name on the things that were ours (was that wrong of me to assume that?) So this teacher tells me that when they find whatever is ours they will send it in the mail.
I send an email to the head teacher a few weeks ago wanting to know if they had sent me anything yet and she says to me that I have to give her my address (I thought I did), so I did.
Now, about 3 weeks later, nothing came in the mail so I emailed the head teacher again and she says that she has no obligation to send me anything and she also has no idea what is my child's. I reply with a terribly upset email how that is just irresponsible (they had all of the children's clothing in one big shopping bag, with no names on the clothing, makes sense, no? - sarcasm)
So, now we are minus some of my child's clothing and a bed sheet and cover and the teacher is upset with me that I wont come back to get it and that she does not have an obligation to send it to me (even though one of the other teachers said they would) I am so upset.
Do you think that I was wrong to be upset (and then to send an upset email)? or was the head teacher right?

I am actually a bit livid with the whole thing. Evil or Very Mad

Platinum Member Joined: May 07 2008 Posts: 8963

Platinum Member Joined: Apr 06 2008 Posts: 5150

The only way in which they are wrong was when the head teacher agreed to help you put everything together and didn't come through. However even there she isn't completely wrong

For starters, YOU are the one that should be labeling their clothes. You don't seriously expect them to go label every kid's clothes? I don't know any institution that does that unless it's an article that they are supplying.

Yes it's true that many gan's collect the kid's items on the last day of school to give to the parents but generally speaking if those items don't have a name they are bound to get lost. Fact of life, and you did ask them to do it at a time they were not ready for. I believe the last days of gan/school are rather hectic.

Definitely no place to be livid.

Moderator Joined: Sep 30 2009 Posts: 1375 Location: NY

You should have labeled the items. You will know for next time to be sure to do this. Every item you send out of your house with you child, whether it's to camp, to school or elsewhere should be labeled by YOU. The school/camp/baby sitter has no requirement to do this for you and probably assumed you had labeled before they put the stuff in the bag.

If you did not label they should have had you look around and claim your items. Most places I know will keep a lost and found of unlabeled items for parents to look through. You are probably not the only mother who forget/did not know to label. How are they supposed to know what is yours without you there to claim it? I have seen schools and camps send LABELED items in the mail but unlabeled goods go straight into the hashavas haaveidah bin.

The one thing they did wrong was telling you they would mail it - especially if you told them it was unlabeled. There was no way they were ever going to be able to track down unlabeled items and mail them to you. Chalk it up to experience. At least it's only a small amount of stuff and not a whole summer camp wardrobe. Next time you will know to label well.
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Diamond Member Joined: Sep 18 2004 Posts: 2600

I work in a preschool and I have to say -the parents that call and email again and again looking for that headband/t-shirt/change of clothes/whatever are the ones that drive us nuts.

It was definitely your responsibility to label and even if you HAD labelled, expect things to get lost. Things just disappear. Don't ask me how, but things do. It's almost impossible to keep track of every item all year long with many children and several teachers no matter how organized you are.

Where I work we have a rule that teachers cannot label children's belongings because in the past we have had parents upset with how we labelled them! Sometimes we will hand the parent a permanent marker and ask them to label the item themelves but most of the time we assume they have done so already.

I think you definitely owe the teacher an apology.

Platinum Member Joined: May 07 2008 Posts: 8963

Platinum Member Joined: Apr 06 2008 Posts: 5150

Posted: Wed, Sep 07 2011, 8:39 pm Post subject:

Gold Member Joined: Aug 11 2010 Posts: 1295

OP here. OK, I got it.Thanks everyone. NO need for more replies.