Terry H. posted:Cookies are such a time investment and even when we get paid we barely come out ahead.
I sympathize that the director ok'd the deal and now it's all backfiring. It sounds like some of the parents are expressing themselves in harsh rather than helpful ways. I can see that feelings are running high and you're stuck in the middle.
However, I'm very surprised the director let this through. Money in the classroom can be fraught for any number of reasons. For one thing, it's the holidays and some people are stretched thin; what if a family doesn't have the money? Would their child have to sit out? And I can see how this situation would make some parents uncomfortable. From your point of view, you're just doing a nice thing and wanting fair compensation for your many hours of time. But little Johnny's mother feels like you're using her child's classroom time to promote your business, and meanwhile, Larla McDoodad is realizing she can charge the class to take a lesson in creating crocheted guinea pigs with twig feet. (It's educational! They'll learn all about Caviidae!!)
All your options are fine and I agree with Julia that having said yes, the director should stand by you and by her agreement with you. If she does that, though, it might not ease the hard feelings. It might come down to you deciding how much you want to preserve a relationship with other parents at the school.
I've done this for my daughter's school, and never been paid. Curious if many people get paid?
Hope it all turns out well, good luck.
Good thoughts! I'm sure the school politics are more complex than I know; I don't have kids and so have never had to deal with this!