I can’t wait for the science projects that need $50 of stuff from the craft store to be over with!
I also don’t miss the science project’s evil twin: the diorama!
Science Fair is the single worst thing about elementary and middle school. You either have a kid who is passionate about it, and you never even see the project until the night of the fair (NB… this is VERY rare), or a kid you are chasing behind every day until the night before when the chasing becomes yelling at almost midnight while the last touches are being crafted.
Guess you can tell which kid I had. … LOL
PS there IS a 3rd kind: the ones who do nothing until their parent does the whole thing for them out of desperation. Personally, I would rather my kid fail than be this parent.
Boarding school is bliss!
We’ve been spared. Teachers decided too many parents were getting too involved or spending too much money, which wasn’t fair to the less affluent kids whose parents worked double shifts, had limited formal schooling, or couldn’t afford supplies.
Holiday question: Do students/parents give holiday gifts to faculty, dorm parents, RA, Roomies? Are there secret Santa parties at school?
DS had finals this week, so the school had baked goods, hot cocoa/cider gatherings, puppy pets, and other “stress relief” activities. No gift exchange or secret santas—so I sent a box of local goodies for each teacher, advisor, coach & dorm parent and sent them. DS said he knew they had arrived because he kept getting Thank you’d in the hallways!2
We did similar as @buuzn03, last year too.
HA! Our teachers tried to get the science project work away from the parents. But if they don’t by finish in class…they have to finish at home…need I say more!!!
Some years, my daughter’s dorm would do secret santa.The boys never did.
I did not gift teachers or advisors at the holidays but something at the end of the academic year.
DS’ freshman class did a big Secret Santa but I don’t think they did it after that. Trying to get him to imagine what a girl from a foreign country might like that was under $5 was something of a challenge…
I didn’t think of this…is it common to give something to the teachers/dorm parents for holidays?
Is one option to send a basket to the Dorm common room for all the kids and dorm parents?
I think if you send a basket for the dorm common room, the students will be the beneficiaries not the adults. 
^ I’d have to agree!
Ha - true, I was thinking it would be for everyone - but then I remembered how aggressive kids (boys) can be with food!
Wondering if I should send something after the holidays, or just do an end-of-year present? Or maybe spring break when I’m there? Or just send a holiday card to front office? Not sure what is most appropriate.
I preferred the end of year. By that time, grades were cooked in the books. The gift was merely meant as a thank you at that point and could not be construed as anything else.
^great…now I’m worrying over whether our gift bags are being misconstrued… :-S
Even better…I just realized that it is their finals week, too! Yea, Me! Maybe that should be our MO from now on…finals week…every teacher gets a present! Lol
We did end of the year gifts. DS felt uncomfortable doing it mid year - always worried it would seem like he was looking for favoritism.
But I always felt like something holiday-ish, even just a card, was a nice gesture.
Man, I tell you what…you wade into the general parents forum at your own peril.
Happy New Year all. I highly recommend seeing “I, Tonya” (bio-pic about figure skater Tonya Harding).
^^Very fun film.