I’m sitting in the van. I'm typing on my laptop (thanks again, dear!).
Waiting.
Time? Well, it’s 3:30 now. It was 3:15 when I arrived.
What’s that? When does she get OUT of school? Oh, 3:45. They walk them out by 3:48 or so.
So what were you doing getting there at 3:15, you ask? Fair question.
Well, that’s what time you have to be at BWE to pick up your kindergartner if you want to park in one of the FOUR parking spaces available for the kindergarten parents.
FOUR. 4. F-O-U-R. Yeah. Four.
Say again? Oh, now you want to know, How MANY kindergartners are there at BWE?
Oh, about 100. And let’s say that half of them get picked up by car. Just half. Might be more, might be a little less. But let’s say it’s half. So 50.
Assuming that there aren’t large quantities of multiples attending kindergarten this year at BWE, that means roughly FIFTY cars are vying for FOUR parking spaces.
FOUR. 4. F-O-U-R. Yeah. Four.
What do the other 46 parents get to do (many with toddlers/babies/preschoolers in tow), you ask?
Oh, well that's the best part. Those lucky folks get to park down the street, a LONG way down the narrow street, on crappy sidewalks, and they get to WALK, and come and stand in the school's yard and wait for their kids. In August - a little warm, but not such a big deal. In February? Oh, you can BET I’ll be here by 3:15, because there is NO WAY IN ROTTING HELL I am standing out there waiting in 2 feet of snow with a 3-year old.
And in case you wondered, I arrived at 3:15, the first kindergarten parent to arrive. But how long until the other spots were occupied? you ponder. By 3:25, the other three spots were filled. And the other parents who I'd seen parked there the last two days drove by me and shot me dirty looks for taking what they presumed are "their" parking spaces. I can only imagine what time those folks will show up tomorrow.
There has GOT TO BE a better solution. I have NO idea what it is, but I am flabbergasted that hundreds of parents participate, all year long, year after year, in this ugly, unmanageable, inconvenient, STUPID process for picking up kids every day, and NOBODY has thought to say “Hey, this is NOT a great plan. Can’t we do better?”
So for the record, I’m saying it now:
HEY. THIS IS NOT A GREAT PLAN. CAN’T WE DO BETTER?!?!?
I'm scheduling a meeting with the principal. I stopped in and tried to visit with him this morning, but apparently being neither friendly nor helpful are required to be a secretary at BWE, so I will call him directly and make an appointment.
This may be my new cause, folks. My new passion. That which I will make right before I die. I may also have to video tape it so you gain a true appreciation for what an absolute NIGHTMARE this pick-up procedure truly is.
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2 comments:
:) Good luck with your new quest! My lil' kids last grade school was over-stuffed. Over 600 kids. 5 classes of 20-25 alone were kindergarten. The parking lot was off limits. Just to take my son to K5, we parked about 2 blocks away. Picking them up, I would file down the long line in front of school. About 30+ cars long. At the rear of school, one side of the block was no parking. Due to many parents thinking they were "special" and parked there anyway, the city got to flip the bill to have a police officer standing by, ready to ticket offenders.
One solution, you could point out a spot on the block and have her meet you there.
Sorry you're having a terrible time. But unless there is a round-about or traffic cop, probably won't be a sastifying solution. I plan on walking to school this year with my kids. 5 blocks. We'll see how long that lasts the first day it rains. :) But the option of getting a ride to school in the rain or snow, sure beats standing out at the bus stop like last year. My kids will love me!
Dang! That sucks. Around here they just have a driveway you drive through. You post your kid's name on a file folder and they line them up on 1 of 5 colored squares. You get the kid and drive off. There is nobody getting out of the car.
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