Carpool Line

[WifeofBill]

Why is it that the carpool line can turn us into inconsiderate jerks? I watch as cars leave 10 car lengths in front of them, cut in line, and as I was typing this a car drove on the sidewalk in front of me. Last year we had a car go through the bus loop, then jump the curb into the parking lot, knocking down a tree and hitting a half dozen cars. Is it really that difficult to move forward in the car line so cars aren't stuck out on the busy street? Are you that rushed that you feel the need to pass cars while kids are loading or unloading? Please, try and be considerate of those around you. It's almost the end of the school year.

Ok, vent over.

[pastor's wife]

It is frustrating. A nearby middle school has a two-lane, one-way drive in front of their school in addition to a separate parking lot. Parents park in the right-hand side and use the left lane to exit. One impatient mother pulled up in front of the school and parked in the left lane thus blocking EVERYONE behind her in BOTH lanes. When asked to move by other parents, she became belligerent and violent.

I think the interests of the public might be well served if a traffic cop could be assigned to some of the local schools to help keep traffic moving since some parents have either no common sense, no patience, or just an utter lack of decency.

[dramaturge]

Oh let me tell you.

I do one of the two crosswalk traffic duties for our carpool line. There are several parents who are consistently inconsiderate, but typically their worst offense is to stop at their child's grade even though they are well aware they are supposed to pull all the way up, and their child will walk down to them. There is one dad, though, who is just dangerously inconsiderate, and has several times influenced a few other parents to follow him. When he gets his son from the middle school (they're at the end of the school, so there are usually 10-12 cars stopped in the line in front of him), he'll pull out into the other half of the driveway and speed down the line and away. Now. Twice, I had pedestrians crossing when he came zooming down the line without permission. Once he almost hit me. He's been spoken to by the principal several times with whom he has argued about it. I finally took to standing where I could block both lanes when he tried to pull around and zoom off.

And here's the kicker. He's a Sheriff's Deputy.

Also, I just love the parents who park in the spaces along the carpool line and then back out without telling me. That's my favorite. Yes.

[notdrinkingthekoolaid]

My kids ride the bus 90% of the time. I think I've made a wise choice...based on this thread.

[laurat99]

(05-22-2012 12:16 AM)notdrinkingthekoolaid Wrote:  My kids ride the bus 90% of the time. I think I've made a wise choice...based on this thread.

Agreed. I love the yellow school bus.

[amyrose5]

At one school I subbed at recently, the teachers rush to open and close car doors for the students like they are little princes and princesses leaving a royal engagement. Is this common now?

I can understand the assistance for some tiny preK and K students, but I was witnessing this with 3rd and 4th graders.

I honestly feel like if I were a parent picking up 8 or 9 year old children, I would tell those teachers to let them open the car door themselves unless their arms were broken.

[WifeofBill]

It may be to speed up the carline. Our school was built for 700 and we have over 1100, growing closer to 1200. So, if it can speed up the process I'm all for it. Our school uses fifth graders instead of teachers though.

[notdrinkingthekoolaid]

(05-22-2012 10:35 AM)amyrose5 Wrote:  At one school I subbed at recently, the teachers rush to open and close car doors for the students like they are little princes and princesses leaving a royal engagement. Is this common now?

I can understand the assistance for some tiny preK and K students, but I was witnessing this with 3rd and 4th graders.

I honestly feel like if I were a parent picking up 8 or 9 year old children, I would tell those teachers to let them open the car door themselves unless their arms were broken.

My kids ride the bus most of the time, but on the rare occasion that they are car riders, I've seen this practice in car line. I think the point is to hasten the exit from the car and keep car line moving. Typically when my kids ride in the car it's because they have a project due that may or may not make it in one piece if they rode the bus. So the kids have to pick up their backpacks and gather other stuff before they touch the door. If the door's already open, they can get out that much faster.

I could be wrong on this, but that's what I've seen.

[dramaturge]

It's a speed issue. Even some of my 5th graders can take 85 years to mosey to a car, get their book sack in, and finally climb in. Opening the car door for them speeds things up and motivates them to walk up more than if they're just doing it. Plus, about half the time the kids end up with both hands full somehow, so it opening the door is a juggling act. haha. I don't open the door for all the kids, but I do when I need things moving more quickly, or they have their hands full. I close doors a lot more often than opening them because they're usually still situating themselves and their book sack, and they forget they haven't closed the door yet. haha

[amyrose5]

1--It was after school, so not a matter of them getting stuff out of the car. I have no idea what they do in the morning. I was in the room spending my precious 15 minutes figuring out where things were and what I was doing all day.

2--I get that it could speed things up. But it also looked way to servant like to me. Seriously. Anything that puts teachers in a position to look like they are servants to the children disturbs me. This wasn't a teacher here and there closing a car door because a kid was dawdling or opening one because a kid had their hands full. And there were at least two incidents I spotted where a kid stood by the door to wait for a teacher to come open it--one kid I had had through the 3rd grade room--an able bodied child of at least 8 years with nothing in his hands stood by a car door waiting a full 30 seconds or more for an adult to open it for him. I'm not kidding you. I'd tell those teachers not to open my kid's door unless s/he were carrying something or had a broken arm.