Parents evening..how would you feel if..

[seeker]

....one of your child's key teachers said they couldn't attend parent's evening at all because it clashed with their own child's parents evening at another school?

[seeker]

Well, if anyone had suggested it was anything approaching the "end of the world" you might have had a point..........

[Numberlock]

My DH occasionally has to miss parents' evenings becuase of his work - he can't say to his boss 'I refuse to do X becuase I've got a parents' evening I want to attend' - surely that's the same argument?

Can I ask why he can't politely explain why parents evening comes first once a year? This is what most working mums (have to) do?

[BooksandaCuppa]

I wouldn't have called Spanish a 'key' subject/teacher but only because I would reserve that adjective for English, maths and science.

However, I agree that as MFL are some of the newer subjects a yr7 is encountering, you might actually be more, not less, interested in what the teacher has to say about your child in these subjects.

FWIW, we couldn't see ds's Spanish, history or drama teachers at PCE because they each teach the whole of yr7 but we do get half-termly progress reports and teachers invited us to email them at other times.

(I also do the reading upside down thing so I know the Cats results for those children who share a part of the alphabet with ds... - should read more quickly next time...)

[JenaiMorris]

seeker can I utterly hijack your thread a mo?

DS has come home from Scouts with dozens of bruises (some of which are punctured) which he got from younger ones ("otherwise I'd have punched them back").

He sobbed in the bath :(

He got a (tempered) bollocking for leaving his patrol (he isn't patrol leader btw).

[JenaiMorris]

I really ought to start my own thread, sorry

[seeker]

Oh, Jenai- how awful. Yes, of course hijack with something important like that! Did he tell you any more about what happened?

[JenaiMorris]

Only that they kicked him again and again, but he couldn't do anything because they're younger.

Poor sod.

I will start my own thread once I've come up with a catchy thread title :)

[teacherwith2kids]

Jenai,

DS left Scouts - after many happy years in Beavers and Cubs - for very similar reasons. Scouts took advantage of weak leadership to thump anyone who wasn't 'one of their gang'. Complained, was told that 'Scouts wasn't like school, they don't want discipline'. Left.

If a primary teacher in any of the schools I have any experience of tried that excuse, they'd be laughed at. If my children's parents' evenings clash with my class ones, tough, either DH goes or we have to miss them.

(I did miss one when I lost my voice to the extent that I could neither whisper or hum, as sign language was deemed a poor way to communicate to parents. Who were very understanding, though several made clear - rightly - that not being able to co-ordinate meetings for their several children in the school was an issue, especially for e.g. night-working parents)

[seeker]

There are crap Scout troops- can he move to a different one? Or do something else?

Well done him for not retaliating - but oh, the little sods!

[beachyhead]

I wish we hadn't seen the Y7 Spanish teacher on Monday....she was very shreiky and witchy....

Preferred the German teacher...

[JenaiMorris]

Thank you, and sorry again for highjacking - I was in a right old mess last night (worse than ds!) :)

I'm writing a sternly worded email to the leader. Ds loves Scouts but now he doesn't want to go.

Do they do two MFLs in Y7 at your dc's school, beachy ?

[seeker]

Jenai- could you ring instead? It does sound like a lack of supervision- our lot have lots of freedom, but I'm pretty sure that sort of behaviour would be noticed........


yellowtip, if you're around, I'd love to know why you said that Spanish wouldn't be a key subject in a Kent school. Why particularly Kent?

[JenaiMorris]

They'd gone off around the village in groups - so weren't being supervised as such (not that they should need much supervision). I've sent an email - I don't think there's much point calling at the mo as they'll all be at work.

I have never seen dp so angry on ds's behalf - he is absolutely steaming. We'll see what reponse they give before allowing him back. I know they've had bullying problems before but the culprits were kicked out.

And yes, I'm intrigued as to the Kent reference!

[seeker]

I would still ring, and leave a message. My dp would certainly want to know as soon as possible if this had happened in his troop. And it would give him time to do a bit of investigating before next week.

[glaurung]

maybe kent as opposed to say catalonia. We do have quite a few internationals on here.

[BoneyBackJefferson]

Ragwort

Does your child come second to your job?

[seeker]

Spanish wouldn't be key in Catalonia either. Ever so frowned on in state schools, Spanish is!

[Roseformeplease]

I would say, as a teacher, it really depends on the age of the teacher's child. If a vital parents' evening, day A Level choices or one linked with some change, then I could see the need to attend for one's own child. However, if the child is in Primary, and so the Spanish teacher Mum is just seeing one teacher, then she should see her child's teacher at a different time: inconveniencing 80 sets of parents for one child does not seem right.

However, I would imagine she would not have been allowed to simply go. She would have had to have permission and a really good excuse. Also, surely there would be an HOD there who could answer generic questions about the course, future plans with the chance to phone / email for further information. Missing a parents' evening as a teacher is a pain in the arse as you then have to spend far more time on contact.

[glaurung]

Is it seeker? I rather thought it would be as compulsory as English in Welsh medium schools and pretty much a key subject. I guess the locals despise everything spanish, but there you go. Perhaps spanish in spain (or any other spanish speaking country) would be a better example then.

[seeker]

It may have changed- certainly 10 years ago, Spanish was taught as a reluctant afterthought, and my niece and nephew, as native Spanish speakers were very second class citizens until their Catalan caught up!

[Yellowtip]

It was vaguely along those lines glaurung, so thanks :)

[Yellowtip]

On any interpretation though, Spanish still isn't 'key'.

seeker has any teacher ever told you to relax?

[TheFallenMadonna]

Teachers should be at parents' evenings. It's the job. You make other arrangements for yourself if there is a clash.

[TheFallenMadonna]

I was very keen to see my DS's French teacher at his first parent's evening. Bickering over whether it's a "key" subject is a bit daft.

[teacherwith2kids]

I'm with Fallen Madonna here. Being at parents' evenings is the job. There isn't an option to miss it except through significant illness, whether you are the Maths teacher, the D&T teacher, the Music teacher or the PE teacher. You should be there, because parents have a reasonable expectation that they should be able to get feedback about the performance of their child from you.

'Key' subject or not is not relevant. DS's first priority for me is to see his Music teacher (because that's the only 'Good' rather that 'Excellent'grade he got, and he wants to know how to improve it). If she wasn't there, I would be grumpy.