Sales Soapbox

Soapbox time. Last night Katie was practically in tears as I shot down her dreams of glory. Sounds bad, doesn't it? In addition to buying over-priced school supplies as a fundraiser, we wrote a check for what was erroneously referred to as a "One Check Fundraiser" while dutifully signing up for PTA and PTO. I say there was an error because the mighty host of middle school students all came trotting home two weeks later after missing instructional time to attend an "assembly" and being told by their teachers that they would not have homework so they could get out and sell magazines to raise money for their free public educations. What?! I tossed the fundraising packets into the recycling bin and decreed that the kids would not be hitting up friends, relatives, or neighbors.
The latest round of selling (six weeks into the school year) is for the band. My sixth grader came home yesterday hyped up about selling cookie dough. During yet another class period wasted, the kids have been programmed to go home and sell, sell, sell. The class with the most sales will get some sort of reward or other... blah, blah, blah. I looked at the child as she blathered on with dollar signs flashing in her eyes, and I just snapped. I calmly told her that she would not be selling anything because she is a student--- not the school's private sales force. Still high on visions of pizza parties or some such malarkey, my kid makes the poor judgment call of arguing for her right to sell cookie dough to our neighbors.
At which point, Mama saw red over the school's constant grubbing for green. All three kids received a fairly hefty dose of "YOU ARE STUDENTS--- NOT SALES PEOPLE!" I ran down the list of things that we would not be selling from cookie dough and magazine subscriptions to t-shirts and fuzzy pens. I explained that I am all for the band providing scholarships to students who cannot afford private lessons, and that I will happily write a check to support that cause. I am far less enthusiastic about what was described as "the need to provide our band students with clinics in a highly competitive atmosphere" because my sixth grader is already in a state of total melt-down thanks to the overly competitive atmosphere that is not really serving to motivate her to excellence so much as crying jags.
Yet again last night, the child was begging for home school, but she has been told that we need to see her make the transition into middle school before a decision is made regarding home school. I hate that she is struggling, and it burns me up that the same people who don't have time to encourage her or give a pat on the back do have time to pile on fundraisers. Can child labor laws be extended to halt the school fundraiser?!