System Error

As I write this blog today, I am feeling disappointed and frustrated with some members of the parenting community in our school system.  This year our school system is taking additional steps toward their goal of going (for the most part) paperless.  The biggest change to affect our families directly is that each student has been assigned a laptop or iPad, depending on the grade level, for the duration of the school year.  Now, one would think that the parents would have felt excited, motivated and most importantly, GRATEFUL that our children have been given a free laptop or iPad for their school work; however, there is a disappointing faction of parents who seem to have nothing better to do than complain--great example for their kids, right?  They complain about the hassle of the technical issues which are to be expected with new equipment, the speed at which information gets out or is revised based on better ideas for organizing such a massive effort, the option that we were given just before school started to pick up the laptops early by driving to the warehouse where they were being stored 15 minutes away, (for the record, I’d bet $10,000 that I don’t have that if a Best Buy 20 minutes away announced that they were giving free laptops away to students, those same exact people doing the griping would run people over with their car trying to get there first), and so forth; but, the MOST disturbing complaint that I heard was from a parent who was angry that the students who are on free or reduced lunches were having their operating fee waived.  Our one time $35.00 fee is to help cover the expense of repairs that could occur as the school year progresses.  In addition to this parent’s upset about the unfairness to their family for not having the fee waived, they were also protesting the fact that there was a shuttle system devised to help parents of these children, without a personal vehicle, to be able to pick up their child’s equipment early in order to allow their child time to familiarize themselves with it before classes resumed.  In other words, "we responsible parents have to pay a fee and pay gas to drive there for the (free) laptop but those people don't [gasp and clutch pearls here]!"

Now, I am not one to tell anybody else how to feel, what to say, or which opinion is the correct one; however, I think that in some instances where there seems to be an evident lack of compassion or humanity, people should be held accountable for their words and actions.  In this case, this parent posted their outrage on a social media site’s group page designated for all the parents of the children in our school.  Connecting the dots here?  The parents of the children affected were ostracized publicly for the difficult situation that they have found themselves in by a person not only lamenting their anger at the unfairness of having pay a whopping $35.00 fee while those people don't, but who had also just recently returned from numerous family vacations from this past summer.  That is like complaining about a group of hungry people in a bread line getting a free meal while you only got to go out to eat three times this week.  Perhaps we can reflect on the unfairness this poor person was subjected to while we peruse her vacay pics.  Ridiculous.

All in all, it was thoughtless, offensive, demeaning and, thankfully, quickly removed from the group page.  Hopefully, the parents of those students who were affected didn’t have to see it…but I’m sure that some did and for that I am sorry.  Nobody should be made to feel small by a person who so obviously IS small.  I would like to tell those parents who had to see that posting that just because one insensitive, selfish person shouts louder than everyone, it doesn’t mean that they lead anyone.  It just means that they are loud, and thankfully there are always earplugs available.