to send this letter to DS (Yr8) History teacher

[notapushy1]

Parents Evening is coming up and one teacher has said he doesn't need to see me.
OK, I know DS is doing OK, but that's not the point. AIBU to send this letter?

Dear X

I have been looking forward to Parents Evening for some time, and am therefore
pleased with DS' keen efforts to secure an appointment time with all his teachers,
almost all of whom are different to those he had last year.
I was therefore very disappointed to learn that you did not feel the need to discuss DS
progress with me and chose not to allocate a time slot.

Of course I understand the huge pressures all teachers are under with targets and admin and realise they are overworked and underpaid.
DS enjoys your lessons very much and I am grateful for your efforts as he is clearly learning.
I can fully appreciate why you might wish to spend the limited time you have on Thursday night talking with the parents
of children who are having serious difficulties, whose studies may not be overseen by a doting graduate mum...

But given that XXXX is such an enormous office-like institution with precious few opportunities to talk to teachers
I am keenly anticipating the Parent's Evening as a chance to disabuse myself of the notion that it might be an impersonal
exam factory, concerned with more the punctuality and attire of future wage slaves than nurturing pupils and individualising
learning so that each pupil is stretched and intellectually challenged.

I welcome Parent's Evening as a two-way process and a valuable opportunity to:
-Put a name to a face,
-To have greater insight into the nature of lessons by meeting the lesson-giver face-to-face
-To ask questions eg how is he doing in relation to his peers, does he contribute to discussions, recommendations for homework websites etc
-To reinforce the notion that there is partnership between parent and teacher and that both sides take their roles seriously

I look forward to being able to talk to you

[cornsilk]

blimey
just ask for an appointment

[pagwatch]

Send it. It will give the staff room a laugh.

Or just drop him a note saying you would quite like to see him.

[coraltoes]

I would not mention pay and would just say you would like to meet him and would appreciate a slot. No need for a long letter...

[KnittingRocks]

You're kidding right!! What cornsilk said!

[LaWeaselMys]

Bit OTT of you possibly?

[Serendippy]

YABU. It sounds patronising, sarcastic, rude and makes you sound a bit mad.

Dear X, please can you make an appointment with DS to see me on parents' eve. Thanks, notapushy1

[Changeisagoodthing]

No wonder they don't want to see you?

Has your charming manner been inherited by your child?

Just ask for an appointment and get down from your high horse.

[Serendippy]

Also, if you do send this you may have to change your name

[FreudianSlippery]

Completely agree with the sentiment - don't take no for an answer. It's bloody cheeky to wriggle out of an appointment IMO!

But FFS don't send that letter. Doting graduate mum?! Um, patronising much?

[MrsDeidreIppy]

I think you are being a bit OTT. When I was at school teachers were given limited time and sometimes there just wasn't enough time for everyone. Not the individual teachers fault. IMHO if your child is in yr8 and is doing fine you only need to see the 'main' teachers; Form tutor, Maths, English and Science

[pagwatch]

Oh don't talk her out of it!

I want her to send it and have all the teachers looking out for gengis-mum on parents night.

Except her poor ds ...

[Merrylegs]

Ha ha. v good.
No. Seriously. Just email the guy.

[JoBettany]

Yikes!! Just a bit OTT, verging on the scary.

Try requesting a appt first.

[Hassled]

"a doting graduate mum"? Blimey.

Do not send it unless you want to be dismissed as a slightly hysterical mother who gets issues wildly out of all proportion. And I mean this kindly, as I'm given to getting things wildly out of proportion myself. But this is way way way too much. Please trust our judgement on this.

Ring the teacher, or email or whatever saying you would like a chat and if there's no time at the Parents Evening can he/she suggest a slot another day.

[pagwatch]

Oooh I had missed 'doting graduate mum'

[cornsilk]

oh no - this has got to be a pisstake

[practicallyimperfect]

He probably doesn't have enough appointments. We no longer have parents evenings, only review days with form teachers. However when we did I couldn't possibly see all students even in three hours back to back appointments. Many teachers teach three-four classes in each year group.

[roomonthebroom]

As a teacher this would bring a smile to my face and I would squeeze you in if at all possible. However, I'd leave out the last long paragraph or reword to make it slightly more in keeping with the rest of the letter. YANBU.

[Changeisagoodthing]

Not as odd as tbe phrase 'looking forward to parents evening for some time'

[KnittingRocks]

I missed doting graduate mum too - pure genius!

[JoBettany]

I'd missed that too!

[LoopyLoopsHasComeBackBrighter]

What a pompous and ridiculous letter! Do you want your child to be laughed at by all his teachers? Send it and you are marking him out as a PITA by association.

Also, 'understanding' (smug) as you claim to be regarding the time pressures on teachers, do you understand that many subject teachers (Art, ICT, RE, Music, Drama, Humanities etc.) often only see KS3 pupils once per week or fortnight? That means they could be teaching around 1000 different kids, so about 200 from each year group. How do you propose they fit in that amount of appointments into one night?

[MrsGangly]

Definitely send it!

[bgrin]

[SleepingLion]

Of course it's a piss-take! No-one in their right mind would send that, would they?

Although as a teacher, I would love it if they did.

[Nippolopolis]