The beginning of the school year throws my family for a loop every year. The first day is great. The kids are up at 5 a.m., waiting with their backpacks on their backs and their hair nicely combed. They are ready to follow the rules, make new friends and learn as much as possible.
My children really were like this as we got ready for the first day yesterday. Today was a different story. My oldest talked me into another half hour of sleep, and I had to remind them to make their lunches.
It seemed like parents were ready for the new school year as we dropped the kids off yesterday. While many parents parked to walk their children into the building, other parents followed the single file lines and procedures outlined by the principals in an email that was sent out on Tuesday.
Unfortunately, many parents lost their first day luster as we dropped the kids off at school today. And this is a problem I see year after year. And so I’m going to say what so many parents are thinking, but don’t have a platform to use.
While the pickup and drop-off procedures at school often take a long time, the administration at each school has put such routines in place for the safety of all children involved. This doesn’t just include the children being dropped off or picked up, it also includes those who are walking.
I would like to remind the Mahomet-Seymour community that we are so fortunate to be able to spend this extra time with our kids as they go to school. I can remember one girl whose parent dropped her off at school growing up, and that was because her parents were divorced and her mom lived outside of the school limits.
I imagine that if all the parents in the Mahomet-Seymour school system used the bus system, our financial picture would look very different. So. We drop our kids off. And I think that’s so great. I am so appreciative that I get to do that.
But it is so frustrating when I am following the rules, and someone else believes those same rules do not apply to them. You can tweet and retweet this if you’d like, but if a parent does not follow the guidelines set by the school district for the safety of all students, then why should the students follow the guidelines set out for them by the school district?
Our blatant disregard for anyone other than ourselves (our own schedule, ideas, time, etc.) hurts the group as a whole. And quite frankly, it makes an already tedious process take even longer.
I’m going to be honest here. When my oldest daughter was a first and second grade student at Sangamon Elementary, she struggled with anxiety. She would freak out if the car pulled out of the indented area before she was at the door. But I did not do her a favor by waiting for her there. She had to learn that she was safe to walk the 100 ft. (I’m not good at measurements) from the car to the door.
Not only do I have kids in the school district, but I also sit in at school board meetings and talk to teachers and administration on a regular basis. I can assure you that they may be more concerned about each student’s safety than the parents are. My children will make it from the car to the school on their own.
Our children have to learn a little bit of independence at some point. And I believe giving them the opportunity to learn how to walk from the car to the school is a great starting point for the younger students.
And the older students need to learn that they are not made of sugar. The system at the high school and junior high school isn’t designed for each parent to stop right in front of the door, one-by-one, giving each child the shortest distance between the car and the door. It’s designed to let off five or six students at a time. And those students can walk the 20ft. to the door.
If we all just follow the procedures outlined by the administration at each school, then this process will be more efficient and safe for our loved ones.
Here’s my Mr. Mom moment: Single file lines people. Pull up in the designated area, let your students out, then single file line out. Don’t try to create shortcuts. Don’t try to bend the rules to your advantage. Set a good example of a responsible parent for your children. And just follow the guildelines!
