Best Intentions Gone Awry - Trinkets of Thought

I appreciate teachers. I’ve been a teacher & know how stinkin‘ hard they work! I’ve been there, done that, got the t-shirt, and am glad I’m no longer teaching. Hard work, I tell you! I admire all the teachers that stick with it and do what they can to make the classroom fun. I truly do.

With that said, my friend received a letter from her child’s teacher asking for parents to bring a dish to contribute to their school’s Thanksgiving feast. Good idea, teacher! Really sounds fun! All elementary aged children wanting to participate must come dressed in a Thanksgiving costume. I’m still on board with this plan. It still is a great idea. Now, let me divert your attention to where I think the idea loses its greatness: The teacher is replicating the menu of the original Thanksgiving meal. Here’s what she’s asked parents to sign up to bring (remember this is for elementary aged ‘I-only-like-chicken-nuggets’ kids):

split pea soup

butternut squash soup

venison

turkish dish of shredded meats

indian pudding

watercress salad

carrot salad

turnips

harvard beets

creamed onions

I’m sorry, but when my friend read this menu to me, I had to laugh. I truly admire this teacher’s intentions. However, I can’t see a second grader going back for seconds on a plate of creamed onions, harvard beets, and watercress salad. Seems to me to be a good idea IN THEORY, but a colossal waste of the parents’ time and money. Maybe I’m too much of a realist. But somehow in this case, I think there’s a difference between optimism, realism, and lala land. And perhaps for this little feast, all three of them need to collide. It’s just a thought. I hope for the teacher’s sake it’s a fabulous feast, and each little belly walks away satisfied from the yummy(???) menu! Otherwise, the teacher may not even have to cook for her own Thanksgiving day meal!