Last kid standing

My freind was venting to me the other day about rising costs of tuition and the cost of "extras" for said schooling. I was a bit surprised that not only does she pay for pre-school but more that she has to pay for every single little thing the school deems as an extra program!

When my kids were little I was lucky enough to not have to pay for pre-school, my parents paid for the older ones and the pre-school my mother chose for my kids that was attached to a program for older (high school students) kid teachers. My younger daughter went to a public funded program; meaning it was free in the form of monetary support to parents but we had to volunteer so much time per semester with the bus ride and in the classroom.

My freind is a single parent very much like I was when my children were to young to really remember, she struggles just for the basic necessities just like I did while I worked weird hours and often two jobs just to support myself and the kids. So when she was asked the other day to pay "extra" for silly things like a pancake breakfast she really needed to vent.

In my opinion when the schools offer these programs during normal school hours it should be included in the tuition. I may be wrong in my line of thinking here but to me it really feels like these kids that sit in the classroom while the others do whatever activity is being offered really feel left out.

I don't think that I ever outgrew those feelings of not wanting to be the last person picked for a class game or when we chose sides for gym class. I never was the last person picked but I saw those kids faces that were and even then I knew it was painful. I also saw the kids that remained in the room for whatever reason when the rest of us went out to do whatever. Those faces stayed with me and still do.

I have always made the effort to not let this sort of thing happen around me as I became an adult. I have had kids come over for free to learn a craft, bake, cook, really whatever they want to learn, I am willing to teach if I know how to do it.

What is wrong with these adults teaching the programs?

Did they forget what its like to be a child left out?

Has that signed degree somehow make them worthy of being paid top dollar for teaching a 5 year old to dance?

I know it sounds ridiculous, but its exactly how I see it .... ridiculous! Isn't it bad enough that teachers earn less money a year then a postal carrier or even a gas station attendant? I am not trying to bash those jobs but when you are enriching a childs life I just think it takes so much more work, compassion, understanding, care, time, patience and well .... work to reach these kids.