To be dreading face to face parents evening Thursday

[IHateParentsEvenings]

Going to get flamed to a crisp, never mind.

I am dreading it … teaching all day and then three solid hours between 4 and 7 talking to parents, some will be lovely but there will be some really difficult ones, won’t be able to be cut off after five minutes, will enjoy making me justify every detention since September.

Then home exhausted and still got the next days planning to do …

sorry MN, I dread it.

YANBU - why on earth didn't your school keep it online? I can understand there might be issues with parents with limited access but one state school near me offered to let them come in and use the computer room to access it rather than bringing it back in person.

Sorry your thread has been derailed by a troll, OP.

Parents evenings are exhausting, coming home and still having planning to do is the worst. And then next day is awful too because you're shattered.

Try to plan some easy lessons for Friday.

@Caiti19
Perhaps limit of 10 minutes each, limit of 5 per day, and on 3 days of the week only - so meetings are spread over 2 weeks.

This sounds much worse. I'd need more childcare for those two weeks. I'd have to do two weeks for every year group, so that's now 12 weeks per year at secondary.
Why would anyone want this system?

300 minutes every 2 weeks is 5 hours of teacher time. That's 5 hours less time on lesson planning.

I don’t attend parents evening. It’s just the same thing over and over again.

@Smileyaxolotl1 Crikey. How does it work now for those 150 students? Do you meet them all over a few nights?

@Hercisback Yes, I can see how it's much more complex at secondary level. I just think it's nuts that teachers have to psych themselves up for them, not see their kids that evening, be wrecked the next day. There surely must be a better way.

Me too. I'm trying to remember the previous username.

Wow. That's bonkers.

No limits and no boundaries to protect his staff?

I'm really glad he's not my line manager...

Home visits! Seriously. As a teacher and a parent 😂😂😂 You’re def a troll.

@Tolson It works both ways as does most of the things in life, without one you couldn’t do the other.What a bizarre thought process.

@waterrat - have you asked for a longer meeting at a different time to discuss your concerns? The teachers in both the schools my DS has been to will do this if you ask and book an appointment. Often at school pick up time.
It can be very helpful.

I agree 5 minutes is not enough for more than a quick conversation

@Tolson stop referring to 'clients'. Education is not a 'business'. You make it sound a clinical transaction. I have never regarded pupils or their parents as 'clients'. Utterly ridiculous.

He's a bit fucking shit at his job, then. It's a head's responsibility to be available at all times for disasters, emergencies and other serious incidents.

It's why most were working Christmas Day 2020, contact tracing and then overnight in January putting the completely changed plans for back to school (or rather, not back to school) into place.

How many are in a union?

As a parent I really appreciate parents evening but I'm always mindful of the fact that it's done in their time after a whole day's work.

I so much prefer online, I am not concentrating on how much my anxiety is playing up, I dont have to sit on those damn seats, I can hear the teacher. I dont have to sit there waiting for 20 minutes longer because previous parents needed to talk.

If I didn't hear so many teacher friends telling me they preferred it I would suck it up, but so far I havent heard one saying its worse

Sorry you're dreading them OP, I'd agree. Hopefully the posts by @Tolson are making you smile. I'm here for the next nugget.

@waterrat - someone has said what I was going to, to be honest: I’d email the teacher(s). Generally so much easier and so much more time too. If I’ve something to discuss it’s horrible having to do it in public too.

Online is so much better, obviously more private and the time pressure of a fixed slot allows for a more focussed and constructive dialogue.
You can tell the teachers who know the kids and care when they are specific about learning goals, strengths and weaknesses and ask that you email with any further questions, the others are a waste of time.

If a teacher (or a parent) waits until parents’ evening to raise a serious issue then neither are doing their job properly.

Online is crap - trying to keep younger children quiet so you can stay focussed and hear what the teacher is saying. Cuts out after the allotted time. Parents evening is not a new thing. It's part of the job description

Don't let them them run over. Say: I have to see the next parent now, and get up from your seat. Have a stack of cards with your school email and phone number to arrange a time to discuss matters further.

Refuse to discuss detentions, keep saying: Tonight is discuss your DC's progress, I'm happy to make a separate time to discuss the detention. Rinse.Repeat.Hand over the card.

I've done this. Some don't like it, but tough.

I should have said that while refusing to discuss the detention at the parents' evening, lard it with: This is plainly very important and needs a different place and time....." Hand over the card.

I retired recently after teaching many years. Parents’ nights are the WORST. I can’t think of a single colleague who enjoyed them. Then you have to be there on Friday, exhausted after your Thursday evening trial by fire.

LOL - best reverse ever.

@Tolson you sound like a brochure or a press release. And also a little bit brainwashed.

“My husband…” 😳