Teacher Bars Second-Grader from New Year's Party Over 250 Rubles

A pre-New Year«s morning party at a gymnasium in Volgograd ended in a loud scandal. The cause was 250 rubles (approximately $3 at current rates), due to which the teacher did not let the schoolgirl attend the performance because the family forgot to pay. Officials quickly intervened, identified the culprit, and quieted down, but the war in the class continues to this day.

Our colleagues from V1.RU found out how the story ended, how it affected the child, and also asked experts why a teacher, in principle, could cause such a situation.

Alone on the Bench: The Morning Party Where It All Started

The morning party that started the story was held on the last Friday of 2025. Between lessons, second-graders were treated to a pre-New Year«s performance: animators from the »Smile« studio were invited in costumes of Father Frost and the Snow Maiden. According to officials, the school organized it with parental consent, collecting 250 rubles (approximately $3) from each student.

Attendance was supposedly optional, but everyone paid except the family of eight-year-old Zhenya. As a result, the little girl was not allowed into the play and was sent alone to the reading room.

«The teacher told her: »If you have money — go to the dining hall; if you don«t have money — go to the library.» Zhenya went out into the corridor, sat on a sofa, and waited alone for it all to end. She was simply confused: she didn«t know what to do at all,» her mother recounted.

Zhenya couldn«t go home either: there was an English lesson on the schedule, and at the end of the day, the celebration (now with Zhenya»s participation) moved to the school classroom — the children had a fairy-tale quest and received gifts paid for by the school.

«Mom, Why Was I Punished Like This?»: What Outraged the Parent?

Zhenya«s mother learned about the situation from her daughter. The debt was a surprise to the woman: she was sure she had paid the money and thus forgot about the collection. The mother was outraged that the teacher didn»t warn her about the shortfall and instead sent the schoolgirl away.

«She came home and asks: »Mom, why was I punished like this?« I was in shock myself, I thought we had paid. Even if we hadn»t, she could have called me — I would have transferred it or brought it myself, it«s not far to walk to school.

The family has known the teacher for only six months: she was assigned in September to replace the previous homeroom teacher. Although there had been no conflicts with the teacher during this time, her mother called her difficult.

«It»s hard to connect with her, others have complained about her too. Even when you ask her a simple question, instead of answering, she sends you to the child, saying, «All the information is with the children.» And she only sent schedules, money collections, and homework,« the mother says.

She demanded explanations and apologies from the teacher: the latter allegedly just ignored her. The next step was the deputy principal: she listened to the mother, promising to look into it. But, suspecting red tape and not hoping for repentance, the parent went higher — to the education department and the media.

Teacher Gets a Reprimand, Deputy Principal Gets a Warning

After the media uproar, officials took up the matter. Although the teacher was designated as the culprit, they hinted that the mother could have agreed to pay the fee «retroactively» herself, as others allegedly did. The teacher was given a reprimand, the deputy principal a warning, and they collectively apologized to the mother. But the apologies weren«t enough for the mother.

«I gave them the condition that they put in writing what measures were taken with the teacher and what punishment was imposed,» the woman said. «What»s the use of apologies if tomorrow she«ll be plotting against me and my daughter behind our backs.»

The public, for the most part (judging by a poll by V1.RU), sided against the teacher. No one wants teachers to treat their children with such indifference. Some people called the teacher incompetent, while others blamed both sides, designating the child as the victim of the situation. But there were also those who took the teacher«s side.

From a selection of opinions on the conflict:

«In the old days in Rus», it was customary to visit, help the poor, and be kinder to each other. And now? If you don«t pay 250 rubles — kick the child, who is not to blame for anything, out.»

«Why ruin the holiday for a child? They»re tired of the freeloading mother, and a little girl suffers. Ready to strangle themselves over 250 rubles. Just no words.«

«I»m on the child«s side. It»s a pity that he has such a mother and such a teacher. The teacher could have called the mother the day before, foreseeing that the child would be hurt and upset. And the mother really could have missed the request to pay the money. Everything could have been resolved remotely.«

«It all starts small! First, they forgot to pay 250 rubles, then they came to the graduation party for free, like first the dress didn»t suit, then they didn«t want to go at all, but then decided to go anyway, but at others» expense (a case from personal practice)! So, dear parents, be respectful first of all to your children, don«t shame them in front of others with your cunning, don»t accustom them to freeloading from childhood!«

«Those Who Work Are Not Seen»: What Does the Teacher Herself Say?

We cannot name the teacher for anonymity reasons. It is known that she has dedicated over 30 years to teaching children. Both parents and the gymnasium director speak positively of her. However, it took a long time to reach her by phone. Her husband answered once, who explained the ignoring as due to stress and subsequent heart problems.

«She»s tired of answering all these calls: from the school, from good people, and not only. The grandmother of this second-grader challenged her to a meeting, called: «Come! I told you!» — in a rude tone. Who would like that? I«m shaking from all this myself.»

A journalist managed to talk to her at the gymnasium. She admitted that she wants to forget this topic as soon as possible, which is why she gave in in the disputes as soon as they began.

«If your child»s teachers are constantly harassed, would you like that? Children feel it immediately. How does it happen: we hug, love each other, everything is fine, and then — a scandal.«

The teacher speaks positively of the second-grader: a diligent girl, a «good student.» With her mother, as she says, they hadn«t quarreled before. She also denies allegations of intentional ignoring.

«No one ignored anyone. But you must also understand that I won»t allow anyone to be rude to me. Would anyone like that? We«re all people, we should talk humanely.»

Some other parents came to the teacher«s defense. They also stated that they had reminded about the collections more than once, including at meetings, but some dragged it out until the last day. The teacher, however, has no claims against the family and is ready to continue working.

«We have all kinds of parents. Sometimes they come, shout, swear. In the end, we part peacefully. After all, we»re a family with them, and these are our children too — we pull through everything together.«

«I Consider Depriving the Girl of the Holiday Inappropriate»: Opinion of an Honored Teacher

We asked history teacher and honored pedagogue of the Russian Federation Alexander Snegurov to analyze the situation. From his experience, he said that preparing holidays for a teacher is a big hustle, so they expect reciprocity from parents.

«Organizing holidays is very difficult, and here, of course, you need to appreciate the efforts of the teacher who decides to do it and handles it. They are almost always overloaded, exhausted, and the object of criticism. The teacher»s efforts should be supported by the goodwill of parents: if a minor collection is announced, it«s better to respond without unnecessary disputes, understanding that they are collecting for the children»s needs.«

If someone doesn«t pay their share — forgot or took a »stance« — Alexander Snegurov advises teachers not to dig into their own pockets. But to exclude a child from an event where the student could be allowed without money, he considers unfair on the teacher»s part.

«I consider depriving the girl of the holiday inappropriate. Especially since it»s not a trip on a bus where everything is assigned by seats. And of course, you need to look at the circumstances that prevented paying the money: need, illness, or arrogance, neglect of the school, irritation at a specific teacher. However, I personally would have seated such an «unpaid» child on the bus too.«

However, no matter who is right here, taking the scandal to absurdity, in the opinion of the honored teacher, is not a solution. It will only worsen the situation when there are fewer and fewer willing to teach children each year.

«Although I believe that the child should not have been excluded from the holiday, it is also unwise to continue tormenting the teacher. Yes, the teacher made a mistake, but try to act for years without blunders! What does the mother want to achieve in the end — expelling the teacher from work? The administration can do that, that»s how it goes. But if we follow such methods, soon there will be no one left in schools, and your children will dance at the New Year«s party with robots or with an animator for completely different money!»

«We Have No Rights, Only Obligations»: What Other Teachers Say

We asked for opinions on the situation from ordinary teachers who wished to remain anonymous. Of course, they unanimously sided with their colleague, explaining their choice with sad experience interacting with parents.

«What»s outrageous here is the mother«s irresponsibility. If she didn»t want to pay the money, she could have warned the teacher in advance. The animators, moreover, were surely not invited by the teacher, but by the parents. We have no rights now, only obligations. And the only way to avoid such situations is not to participate in any paid collections.«

The only way for teachers to protect themselves in such a situation, they say, is to lay low and wait until the uproar subsides. Otherwise, the consequences for the teacher will be even worse.

«If the principal is strong, they will defend the teacher. But if not, and the parents take it by »assault,« then what is there to say? They don»t want to see anything bad in themselves and their child, and we have absolutely no rights. So all that remains is to wait until the mother calms down.«

How Will the Conflict Affect the Child? A Psychologist«s Opinion

And while the teachers pity themselves, a small child is caught between a rock and a hard place. The argument of the public siding with the mother included the fear that excluding the child from the community could become a psychological trauma and a reason for bullying. Whether this is true — we asked Elena Sushenko, a clinical psychologist at the Volgograd State Medical University clinic of family medicine and the private school «Generation.»

«Childhood trauma refers to events that a child»s psyche, due to age and the individual characteristics of the specific child, cannot process. The situation with the morning party is unpleasant for all participants, but whether it«s a trauma for the specific child — it»s hard to say in the abstract. What does the child feel in such a situation? What is their attitude towards this event? In any case, support is needed: both at school and at home — then there is every chance to overcome the situation without long-term distress.«

When a child is opposed to the collective, it can change the classmates« attitudes. This is confirmed by Elena Sushenko, but here, both the teachers» work with the children and the atmosphere in the class are important.

«If in such a situation excessive attention is drawn to the child in the collective — that is a certain risk associated with the reaction of the other children. But here everything depends very much on the adults. Bullying is a problem of the class as a group, and the group is managed by the teacher, who can significantly influence the relationships and behavior of the children. So the situation is very contradictory, and its favorable outcome depends on how competently the adults behave. If we ourselves show children how to resolve any contradictions by negotiating, respecting both sides» opinions, allowing that everyone reacts to the same situations differently and that«s normal, helping and supporting those who are more distressed, seeking compromises — the chances are high.»

What Is Happening in the School Now?

Here, everyone already knows about the conflict. Many, although they have taken sides, prefer not to get involved. The principal doesn«t want to raise the topic: she admits that since the beginning of the year, she»s been on «edge» and waiting for everyone to finally forget about the morning party.

«See this? (Points to a blood pressure monitor.) I start every morning with it. And the teacher too,» the principal says.

Eight-year-old Zhenya continues to attend classes. Although the principal claims that her relationships with classmates haven«t changed, her mother tells that their class has split into two opposing camps. And this has affected not only the parents but also the children.

«There is one particularly proactive girl there. She specifically removes my daughter from all chats, school and friendly ones. I tell her: don»t pay attention to her. Real friends won«t treat her like that. The teacher also changed the parent committee — to one more loyal to her,» the mother recounts.

The mother and the teacher haven«t personally crossed paths yet, there was no occasion. She continues to work as usual, doesn»t plan to resign, and only hopes that everything will end soon.

«Everyone has their own opinion. Who is on whose side — I»m not interested,« the teacher says. »I do my job properly, and my main job is the children. Common sense always wins, no matter what.«