The only thing they're raising is my blood pressure.

Listen up people! I have zero interest in:

terry cloth exercise towels with the school logo

bendy pens with pigs on top

candles that smell like peach cobbler

candles that smell like mint chocolate chip ice cream

candles that smell like peanut butter toast

travel mugs with a built-in digital clock

gingerbread house kits

snowman shaped candy dishes

lawn ornaments of those talking M&M's from the commercials

dream catchers

peach cobbler that smells like candles

or whatever other useless, over-priced piece of junk that the clubs at school try to push on us to raise money.

Even if it was semi-decent stuff, I still couldn't get over the idea of putting a portion of my paycheck back into the school. That would be like a prisoner springing for the bullets for the firing squad.

The worse thing about having this stuff pushed on you is the particular student who hits you up. They're usually the shy ones, where the club means everything to them, and they desperately want to earn enough money to go to whatever annual thing it is that they do. It's heart breaking, but...

That's the great thing about my spoiled students. Their parents will just cut them a check for fifteen musical cookie jars, so they never bother me with the crap ever again.