At our school they have the kids buy the tickets at the beginning of the week, or at conferences. Then every Monday the teacher passes out the tickets for the week and they go in a little envlope taped to the inside of the kids desk. Some of the kids bring a buck on the day they like the menu. <p>I understand how you feel when the kids ask about the free lunch deal. Poverty sucks. <p>My Chris is in 2nd grade, and I explained to him that he didn't need to discuss buying the tickets, that I handled that with the teacher in the beginning of the year. If anyone asks him about buying tickets he just says "my mom and the teacher are friends, she gave her the money before." End of story. <p>In Wisconsin we have our food stamps on a debit card system, so the kids just think I am whipping out a visa to pay the grocery store.<p>Elizabeth
elizabethwilkie@yahoo.com<p>So my point is, see if you can't get the school, or at least the teacher to exersize a little bit of compassion. Good luck.<p>[ February 17, 2002: Message edited by: justthewife ]</p>

Thanks for the suggestion. I wish the schools would be more circumspect about revealing the kids' income levels. When we lived in PA, and 1/4 to 1/3 of the kids at the school got free or reduced price lunch, embarrassment wasn't really an issue for kids, but here it is only a few percent.<p>Fortunately, my older kids don't seem to mind so much. The school doesn't use lunch tickets - you just give the lunch lady money unless your name is on her list. I don't think my kindergartener is really embarrassed - she doesn't have a really good grasp of the concept of poverty vs wealth - but she seems to feel left out, because everyone else "gets" to pay.