Get your priorities straight: who needs field trips?

I was more or less told off today, in the parking lot, by a parent - her son was in my class last year, and is a wonderful little guy. Not so his mother, it seems...

Mabel : I've heard that the grade 5's are going on a field trip tomorrow?

Pistâche : yes....

Mabel : Well, it would be REALLY NICE if we knew this ahead of time. Don't you know it's Subway Day tomorrow? It's been ON the CALENDAR for MONTHS... we can't cancel, nor can we offer refunds. Grade five parents are NOT going to be happy to be paying for lunches when their kids aren't getting it.

Pistâche : Well actually the kids said they wanted to have their sandwiches when we return at 2 pm. The VP said she'd make sure they were put in the fridge until then.

Mabel : Oh... WELL!.... That just won't do - sandwiches with ham and mayo left sitting hours after they were made? No, we have to have them fresh. You realize that I now HAVE to waste my WHOLE DAY doing ths? I'll have to make a trip to Subway at 10 for the grade sevens who are going early to Kits, and then at 11:30 for the rest of the school, and then again at 2 pm for YOU. We have hot lunches every friday, either pizza or Subway... so either way, SOMEONE's going to be put out: me, or Martha, the pizza lady. Can't you just avoid Friday's for field trips? We're FUNDRAISING.

So much for the value of what WE do at school... Evidently I've again managed to get my priorities mixed up. Selling soggy sandwiches is clearly more important. How silly of me.