Who is right? | Imamother

amother

Thu, Nov 21 2024, 10:58 pm

DD11 had a great class last year, very united and worked great together.

This year a bunch of new girls joined the school, and they decided the class was too big and would need to be split.

I was a bit unhappy because I was very pleased with the class until now and knew that the division combined with new students could change the dynamics. But I kept my mouth shut.

Thankfully things seem to be going okay with that.

A few weeks ago DD's class decided to make matching swag to have at an annual school program. (This is something a different class did last year.) DD used her own money to pay for hers and I thought it was a very nice way to show class spirit and was pleased that they were a united group this year. The girls even paid extra to make sure it would arrive in time.

Then a few days ago the principal came in and announced that they did not want any swag brought to the program. The school was giving out their own and wanted uniformity.

The principal added that if they wanted to have class swag at any point it would have to be the entire grade (both classes), not just their class.

She then threatened that if the girls brought theirs to the program it would be confiscated.

DD and her classmates seem to be on a spectrum from disappointed to infuriated.

I have mixed feelings about the whole thing. While I hear the point about having both classes included in the swag, and I agree it would have been very nice, in a way that's not fair to expect. If you split a class, they are no longer one group, but two groups. It's not like the school has made any effort to have the classes spend time together.

I am also a bit upset about the timing. I am under the impression that the principal knew about the idea weeks ago, but only cracked down now, after the girls spent their own money on it, and only a short time before the program.

The way the principal presented it was obviously not ideal (she is newer and does not seem to care much about the way the students feel) but I am wondering if the policy in general is fair or I should try to speak up.