Back To School Night

I just got back from Back To School Night. At our school, parents follow the 6-period schedule their students have, and we teachers have 10 minutes to brief the parents in our "classes".

I've always preferred Back To School Night to Open House, which is held in the spring. At Open House there's no set agenda--we're just supposed to show off what our students are doing in class. As a math teacher I'm not one who likes to hang student work on the wall (what am I going to hang up, a test?), so I don't have a lot to talk about at Open House.

At Back To School Night, however, I can get the parents eating out of my hand. I thank them for raising such polite kids, and the kids at my school are, for the most part, very polite. I tell them that I, too, am a high school parent, so I understand the position they're in. I let them know their kids are in good hands.

The vast majority of the parents at our school are probably like parents everywhere else--a little richer, perhaps, but just like everywhere else--they work hard and want what's best for their kids. And for the most part they're nice, kind people. But at Back To School Night there's always one, and sure enough, I met that one tonight....I'm glad I don't even know whose child that one was the parent of, as I might be tempted to draw conclusions based on that parent.

Other than that one, it was a pleasant, receptive atmosphere. Now it's bed time.