To think this Headmistress is living in another era

[inabizzlefam]

Picked DS 1 up from school today and he informed me that I had to be at his school on Monday at 1pm for “parents evening “.
Sorry but since when did evening start at 1pm.
I told DS I couldn’t get then as I would be working but he could ask his dad to attend as he is self employed so could juggle stuff around to fit it in.
DS says “headmistress says I had to ask you(mum) because she says all the dads won’t be able to go as they’ll be at work”.
Not sure what I’m more 😮 at: the fact that she assumes all mums spend their day watching daytime tv with a hobnob so can drop everything to attend parents evenings in the middle of the day, or that the dads are all far too busy to put themselves out to possibly be the slightest bit interested in their childs education.

Blimey. If I can'tmake an appointment, I reschedule. This is what I do if I cannot make parents eve. Meeting the teacher in person with my child present is preferable to Skype. My child can show me their work and their classroom. That's it.

At my son’s nursery the Mother’s Day event was at 3pm and the Father’s Day one was from 7.30am. I thought that was quite sexist.

That's totally fine if that's your preference. Our school prefers children don't attend and I visit her classroom and view her work on a separate monthly basis. All I'm saying is Skype would be a convenient facility to offer and the notion that anyone who thinks so would send a terrible message to their children is ridiculous. My daughter knows how much I value education.

*I suppose it shows your priorities to your child if you make time to meet them in person. It's only twice a year. Again, I don't understand why anyone wouldn't want to meet the teacher, unless they simply don't value their input into their child's life. They aren't just an inconvenience"

Firstly, keeping a roof over your head and eating is the biggest priority,

Secondly, not everyone can get leave from work at short notice. I can, DH has to provide 10 days, some people have to provide 6 months' notice.

Thirdly, there is a difference between not wanting to meet a teacher and not being able to.

Fourthly, it's not twice a year if you've got more than one child.

I don't see what the problem with a Skype call is, I work from home and talk to my colleagues via Skype all the time; and when I couldn't attend a parents' evening in year 8 the teacher called me or sent me an email updating me on ds' work.

Splendide, at one of our primaries they ran 'Dads' breakfasts' which started at 8am so they could get off to work, and 'Mums' breakfasts' which started at 9.15 so they didn't clash with the school run. That was the bloody PTA though rather than the school itself, to be fair. Complaining got me nowhere.

I've had Skype calls with senior judges and Government ministers who haven't gone off in a strop about how little I must value them. It's a perfectly good method of communication.

I'm doing first round interviews by Skype today. I work from home regularly and frequently have back to back Skype meetings all day. I work with people with a finely honed sense of their own importance and no one has ever objected.

I've had three weeks' notice of parents evening this term, which isn't really enough time to be secure about planning around it but luckily it fits with my schedule. If I'd had to miss it, my husband would have gone alone. If we'd both had to miss it, the teacher would have offered us a separate appointment. I don't think she would have minded in the slightest if I'd asked if I could Skype in to the original appointment to save her having to find time to see us another time.

Disahster, I am self-employed- if I don't work, I don't get paid which is why I have had to reschedule in the past!
I understand it can be more than twice a year- I have three kids!

Really don't understand why I'm being jumped on.

I think people should be open to using Skype more. I work from home as does the rest of my team. We use Skype and we also "meet" with clients via Skype. My husband's company still makes him travel all over the UK for meetings, where everyone would prefer to use Skype.

I'm not sure why primary schools on the whole only give short notice for parents evening,the times would be made a while before to ensure the teachers who needed to could make their own arrangements.
Secondary schools all notice given at beginning of school year.
Primary schools do this with so many things,can you get your child in costume in 2 days,needs to be authentic Victorian lady was my favourite!
And the always calling the mother if there is an issue,even if Oh answered the phone.

Maread I "jumped" on you because you endorsed the terrible notion that anyone who might find it difficult to attend a meeting in person in the middle of the day saw their children's education as an inconvenience

I've never known a school give such short notice.
Maybe a reminder close to the appointment date.
It does seem like a vital piece of info was missing.
I've also never known a school arrange parents evenings through the children, nor children verbally giving messages that parents can't attend.

OP, for whatever reason it was short notice, check what was said and email in future rather than trust kids

I have experience of a couple of schools giving out notice for things as short as this.

While it's rare, it does happen, for whatever reason.

So a parent can't be bothered or doesn't prioritise their child's education enough to actually meet their teachers? Take annual leave if you work. Pay for childcare if you have other children. I'm sorry but it's those sort of things you need to prioritise when you choose to have children.

As much as my DS's education is very, very important to me. Putting food on the table and keeping a roof over our head is my priority!

Lol at the poster who said take annual leave to attend parents evening

We had less than a weeks notice for parents evening appointment.. I have to give 2 weeks notice for annual leave and another worker has that holiday. We are not allowed to take holidays at the same time where I work.

I work in a factory, I just can’t leave early or do flexible time I’m not allowed.

I’ll just walk out of my job shall so I can lose my house and then not eat for weeks so I can you know prioritise my child’s education

'Maread I "jumped" on you because you endorsed the terrible notion that anyone who might find it difficult to attend a meeting in person in the middle of the day saw their children's education as an inconvenience.'

No I didn't.

The always asking for the mother even if the father answers the phone is infuriating and totally unacceptable in this day and age And a poor example to the DC