Some questions you never can anticipate – SCN Encourager 6/27/2014

And unfortunately my answers typically toggle between the unknowing and the defensive.

Yesterday I was in charge of our annual all-day (drop-in) putt-putt golf outing and hot dog picnic for families in our school district.

I’m grateful that the “helper moms” who helped me with this event gave me their permission to tell you that I was the person “in charge.” (in today’s Encourager only)

I wish I didn’t have to rely on their assistance and much as I do.

Whenever we have events and a parent comes up to the registration table and wants to know who’s “in charge,” it always bugs me that they can’t just direct the person my way without laughing.

I’d fire them on the spot if they weren’t such selfless volunteers.

Besides, my superintendent thinks the world of them, so my options are limited.

As the coordinator “in charge,” I fielded a number of important questions for which I’ll probably never receive full credit and appreciation.

One father came up and asked me why I had scheduled the district’s putt-putt golf outing on the exact same day that the U.S. Soccer Team was playing against Germany in the FIFA World Cup.

As my luck would have it, another dad overheard the question and even butted in, “Yeah, why did you do this? This doesn’t seem like good planning?”

In the true spirit of school communicators everywhere, I apologized for the oversight and said that I’d work to improve our local district’s relationship with FIFA in the future; all within the parameters of board policy and limited state funding, of course.

Another parent then waved me over to the picnic area, where we had the grill stationed near several tables which held grocery bags of our food.

He pointed at the packages of hot dogs and buns.

“Why did you buy this assortment?” he asked.

“What do you mean?” I asked, sincerely wondering what the heck he was talking about.

“Why did you buy hot dogs in packages of 10 and the buns in packages of 8?” he queried. “Did you count them correctly so we won’t get stuck with extra hot dogs or extra buns?”

In the true spirit of school communicators everywhere, I just answered, “yes.”

And no one will ever know.

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