The school teacher decided to execute a neat and ingenious plan when they were forced to pay for all the students on the trip.
School trips are often some of the most memorable experiences for students, filled with bonding moments and fun activities. But for teachers, these trips come with a host of responsibilities, from ensuring students' safety to keeping everything organized. But what happens when school authorities expect teachers to cover the costs for every student out of their own pockets? Reddit user u/Unfunded_Teacher shared a frustrating story about being put in exactly that position—with no offer of reimbursement from the school.
"Want me to pay out-of-pocket to take students to the zoo? Okay, but you'll miss out on a killer photo shoot," the Reddit post was titled. The teachers shared at first that they were in charge of 18 kids in a class back in 2017. "The curriculum changed near the end of the school year and it was expected for the kids to visit the zoo. The school admin told me that since their budget was created at the start of the year, they wouldn't pay for the entrance fees and that I would have to pay out-of-pocket for all 18 kids," the post continued.
The teacher was also asked to take photos during the zoo trip for the school to post on its Facebook page. Left with few options, they decided to comply—on their own terms. "I love my students but I love my savings too, not as much as my students but still. I couldn't justify spending over €360 (approx $389) on a single, non-tangible thing. So, I took the kids down to a local farmer, Pete's farm. All Pete asked for was a 5 euro ($5.46) donation per person and that too was voluntary," the post continued.
Instead of spending hundreds of dollars, the teacher offered about €50 (around $54) to Pete and showed the kids all the domesticated animals on the farms like cattle, sheep, goats, and chickens. "I gladly emailed the pictures to them, with a subject title of 'Petting Zoo Pictures'. I got an email back simply saying that my conduct was not exemplary. No reprimand, no written-up warning but no photos for admin too. The kids enjoyed it though," the post concluded. The original post on Reddit was later deleted but the community continued to express their surprise at how the school authorities dared to make the teacher pay out of their own pocket.
u/saraphilipp wrote, "I'd have told them for $400 you can have the photos. You see, my budget was created at the beginning of the year and you'll have to pay out of pocket for the photographer fees." u/GozerDestructor joked, "You should make the photos look as bleak and Soviet as possible. A cold, grey field, with one sad child holding the tether of a single goat (Use the ugliest child and ugliest goat available)."
u/river_song25 added, "I would have told the school flat out hell no. The zoo trip is the school's idea, not mine, and I won’t be spending my money for myself and 18 kids (and probably some adults since no way am I dealing with 18 kids by myself at the zoo) to go to it when the school can pay for it themselves. Either the school pays or the kids can simply NOT go to the zoo at all, because no way am I spending my money for my own needs to pay $360+ in admission tickets fees to the zoo for other people."
Editor's note: This article was originally published on July 14, 2024. It has since been updated.
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