Does anyone else see this as wrong?

[MommaTrish]

Since we started changing Ryan's diet we started sending him with snacks for himself to school everyday. We figured that would be easier and cheaper on the other parents than them trying to find and buy snacks that not only meet the school's guidelines but also ours. (Generally one kid brings in snack for the whole class everyday and that kid is also the teacher helper for the day.) Well, this is the first time it has been Ryan's turn since we changed it.
Well... we figured we wouldn't be responsible for snack. I know the teacher keeps a week's worth in the class from going in and helping in the past. Then the school called at 7:45 and it was the office with a message from his teacher saying that we forgot to send snacks and they needed to be in by 8:30 or Ryan couldn't be the teacher's helper today!
:mad:
Well, I can't argue with the secretary so I just ran to the store picked up the cheapest kind of snack we get him... bought enough for 22 students... and then back to his school to drop it off. But I don't think we should have to provide the whole class with snack when Ryan doesn't even get the snacks the other kids send. I mean if we still have to send snacks then I'm going to tell the teacher that the other parents need to get snacks Ryan can eat too.

[ColleenSwerb]

Did you let the school or the teacher know that Ryan wouldn't need to be provided with a snack because you are providing him with one every day? And as such, you would not be providing a snack on his designated day? If you didn't, then I could understand why they would want you to bring one in, as they don't know the situation.

[ariesfl326]

Yeah, what Colleen said...

Also, if there is a special priviledge attached to it (such as being teacher's helper) I can understand still needing to bring snack. My daughter doesn't eat nuts so I always make sure she has her own snack in case someone else brings something she can't have and on her days we just bring what she can eat for the whole class. I'm probably different since my friend is her teacher...I always over-buy and provide snacks and supplies for the class on a regular basis. But that is just me. :)

[MommaTrish]

Yup we sent in a note saying that we'd be providing Ryan with his snack each day because we didn't see it as fair to make the other parents spend the extra money and time trying to find a snack to fit both the school's and ours guidelines. We didn't mention we wouldn't bring snack for the whole class because it never occured to us that we would still be expected to.

[ZaCola3]

Did you let the school or the teacher know that Ryan wouldn't need to be provided with a snack because you are providing him with one every day? And as such, you would not be providing a snack on his designated day? If you didn't, then I could understand why they would want you to bring one in, as they don't know the situation.
As an educator I agree with Col-If you did in fact tell the teacher that you wouldn't be participating in class snack day since you bring in a seperate snack for Ryan each day then she should have removed your name from the calendar so that there would be no confusion. If she wasn't aware that this was your thought process than I can also see her posistion and wouldn't hold it against her.
I'm not so sure about the teacher helper thing-I would hate to tie in something so important(I'm sure this is a big deal to most of the students in Ryan's class) to $. I know that there are several kids in Landen's kindy class who can't afford to bring snack for 22 people and I would feel bad for them never getting the honor. I would think the teacher would need to rethink that posistion and how it is "earned".
I hope you get it all figured out!

[Darcy Baldwin]

Did you let the school or the teacher know that Ryan wouldn't need to be provided with a snack because you are providing him with one every day? And as such, you would not be providing a snack on his designated day? If you didn't, then I could understand why they would want you to bring one in, as they don't know the situation.

yeah - this.

[ZaCola3]

Yup we sent in a note saying that we'd be providing Ryan with his snack each day because we didn't see it as fair to make the other parents spend the extra money and time trying to find a snack to fit both the school's and ours guidelines. We didn't mention we wouldn't bring snack for the whole class because it never occured to us that we would still be expected to.
Trish if I were in your shoes I would explain to the teacher that from now on since you bring Ryan in a snack everyday that you feel you shouldn't have to provide for the class as a whole once a month-hopefully if given this infomation there will be another way to work out Ryan being Teacher's Helper!

[ChristyHC]

If I were sending in special snacks for my son, I guess I would have planned on still sending in a class snack on his day. That would be a special day for him when he could eat the same thing as everyone else. In fact, my son had a student in his class last year that did it like that. The mom gave the teacher a supply of snacks the child could eat so that on days other people brought snacks he couldn't have they would just raid her cupboard for that child. But then on his day he brought a snack to share with everyone,

However, if you don't want to, then I bet you can simply talk to the teacher about it and other arrangements can be made. I'm sure it just never accrued to her to ask you if you still were going to participate in class snacks.

[profiler_mar]

As an educator I agree with Col-If you did in fact tell the teacher that you wouldn't be participating in class snack day since you bring in a seperate snack for Ryan each day then she should have removed your name from the calendar so that there would be no confusion. If she wasn't aware that this was your thought process than I can also see her posistion and wouldn't hold it against her.
I'm not so sure about the teacher helper thing-I would hate to tie in something so important(I'm sure this is a big deal to most of the students in Ryan's class) to $. I know that there are several kids in Landen's kindy class who can't afford to bring snack for 22 people and I would feel bad for them never getting the honor. I would think the teacher would need to rethink that posistion and how it is "earned".
I hope you get it all figured out!

What Shannon said. I would speak with the teacher and see what you can work out. :wub:

[MommaTrish]

I plan on going in in the morning and speaking to her (her and her assistant sit with them in breakfast so that parents can come talk to her then in case it's more convient to the parent). I dunno. I'm not sure if it's the just feeling bad in general on top of this making me feel so badly about it or what. I mean I really like his teachers. I asked for him to be in their class because I know them and know from when Zach was in their class that they are really nice ladies and great teachers. I'm a little more upset now though because I picked Ryan up and asked him if he enjoyed the special snack he got today and he said he didn't get any. He said his teacher said he had to eat one of the bars I send in for his snacks. He was really upset because he tried to tell her he could eat what I sent, that he has them for snack at home but she wouldn't listen to him.

[profiler_mar]

Ummmm, that would REALLY make me mad. Do they think you'd bring a snack he can't eat??? Yeah I would def talk to them tomorrow.

[ColleenSwerb]

I think it's a case of miscommunication on both sides. Yes, it stinks he didn't get a snack, but the teacher probably thought that he was supposed to have one of the other snacks that you usually send with him. I probably would have made the same mistake.

You'll go in tomorrow and clear everything up and it'll be fine.

[profiler_mar]

I think it's a case of miscommunication on both sides. Yes, it stinks he didn't get a snack, but the teacher probably thought that he was supposed to have one of the other snacks that you usually send with him. I probably would have made the same mistake.

You'll go in tomorrow and clear everything up and it'll be fine.

I'm sure you are right that it is a miscommunication ;), just makes me feel sad for him

[scrap2day]

I plan on going in in the morning and speaking to her (her and her assistant sit with them in breakfast so that parents can come talk to her then in case it's more convient to the parent). I dunno. I'm not sure if it's the just feeling bad in general on top of this making me feel so badly about it or what. I mean I really like his teachers. I asked for him to be in their class because I know them and know from when Zach was in their class that they are really nice ladies and great teachers. I'm a little more upset now though because I picked Ryan up and asked him if he enjoyed the special snack he got today and he said he didn't get any. He said his teacher said he had to eat one of the bars I send in for his snacks. He was really upset because he tried to tell her he could eat what I sent, that he has them for snack at home but she wouldn't listen to him.

Ok I wasn't going to say anything. But are you kidding me? They had no problem calling you when they wanted you to purchase and bring in a snack for the whole class. If they had a question on if your kid could eat what YOU brought in why didn't they pick up the phone again? And when they didn't let your child eat the snack his mother provided, it seems even more ridiculous to me now that you would have to provide a snack for the whole class.

ETA: I'm sure the teacher was trying to do the right thing by making sure your son didn't eat something that wasn't on the "approved" list she knew about. I'm frustrated for you & your son that they didn't just call to ask especially when he was trying to explain. Hopefully it will all get cleared up when you talk to them.

[lovely1m]

I would for sure go in and talk to them, sounds like a lot of miscommunication.

[jessica31876]

sounds like miscommunication to me as well. Hope you can get it worked out. I also hope that your son does not get excluded just because he does not participate in bringing in snacks. That would be really unfair of the teacher knowing he has special diet needs and cant have everything the other kids bring in.

[judet]

This makes me really glad that we only have to provide snacks for our own kids! Particularly as I know that the school's 'approved' list would look a lot different from mine!

I agree that it sounds like a lot of miscommunication (gosh, isn't that unusual in education ..... ;)) but I don't like the idea of him missing out on being the teachers assistant basically because he's different. It's bad enough being on a restricted diet and not being able to eat the things your friends are eating. I know how I feel in a pizza restaurant, but if I had to miss out on something else as well I'd be really upset!

[MommaTrish]

It was indeed miscommunication.
:)

She said she didn't give him what I sent in for the rest of the class because the snacks I usually send him are all labeled on the packaging as Gluten Free, dye-free, and artificial sugar and coloring free. (It's a brand of kids stuff we found that Ryan really loves, EnviroKidz Organic) She said since what I sent yesterday wasn't labeled as any of that she wasn't sure if I had just gone and quickly just picked up something just to send for the class and if he could have it.
She said kids who bring in their own snacks have always still brought in snacks for the whole class on their day in the past and that it hadn't occured to her that I might not have realized it and that she ties it in with being teacher helper because in the past most of the parents never actually would send in the snacks and that this was the onl way she's found to actually get the parents to send in the snacks. She agreed it's not necessarily fair to the students, but that the school requires Pre-K to do snacks this way to cut down on kids bringing in foods that other students might be allergic too.

[scrap2day]

Glad it worked out.

[scrapperjade]

I'm glad it all worked out and you were able to straighten it out with the teacher!

I totally understand her reasoning too - like she said, not necessarily FAIR that the snack is tied in with the teacher's helper, but it's also not fair if most parents weren't contributing to the snacks like they should. I can see that giving a reward to the kid would motivate the parents to do their share (otherwise they would never hear the end of it from their upset kid).

At least now you know, and you'll be able to prepare in advance for snack day. Or did you work it out that Ryan wouldn't have to bring in a snack after all?

[MommaTrish]

I told her we'd go ahead and just send them in on his day. There are a few cheap snacks that fit our requirements and the schools, we just don't send those in for his daily snack since we usually get those to keep as snacks at home, so we'll just get those to send in. I did tell though that any snack we send in for the class for snack Ryan will be able to have also.