IT'S THAT TIME of the year again: réunion. I went to the parent-teacher meeting at P&J's school this evening and listened as the teachers talking about what to expect this year (they are in CM1...or 4th grade). I enjoyed this meeting much more than the one last year because I could understand quite a bit more, although there were still a lot of times where I was completely lost. The teachers were don with their presentation after about 20 minutes, making me think I might get home in time for dinner. But I forgot about...PARENTS.
Augh. Parents. So many questions about every little thing -- and so many questions that are poorly veiled indications that they think the teachers are complete morons. Even with my limited French I could understand that most of the questions were actually suggestions of how to do things better. Just what teachers want to hear 2 weeks into the year. This evening reminded me of one of the main reasons why public (and private, for that mater) education has so many problems: the PTA!!
Oh, settle down, I'm (partly) joking. Parents are a critical part of a good education -- but they serve the needs of children best when they are working with the school, not against it. Believe it or not, teachers and administrators often think things through and have fairly good reasons for their teaching methods and policies. Not always, but most of the time. I understand the need to ask questions, but parent-teacher night should turn into an inquisition. This evening there was one parent who must have asked 25 questions, most of them with an aire of superiority. After the meeting I was so irritated with her I wanted to go up and snap the elastic waistband of her jeans.
I didn't.
CJS
[Note: full disclosure forces me to remind you that I am a teacher. It also forces me to remind you that Sarah Palin is a risky pick for VP not because she has no experience, distorts the truth, or is facing ethics charges in her home state. No, she's risky because her political career started in the PTA.
Simmer down...still (mostly) joking.]
3 comments :
Ahh, you are going to get me riled on this one! I have no idea how it is in the USA, my kids have never gone to school there, but here in France, the parents d'élèves drive me, the American mom, absolutely crazy with all their nit-picky nagging of the teachers.
I was a member of the FCPE (like the PTA) for four years and threw in the towel after endless meetings that lasted until midnight with nothing getting accomplished except a lot of arguing.
What a clever story to get your real point in about Sarah Palin! Makes sense to me! Tina Fey is playing Sarah tonight on Saturday night live! Les
If you /do/ snap the waistband of Madame Supérieure, I hope you will blog all about it for us!
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