Yippee! It's Back to School Night! The night once a year that parents go "back to school" to visit and meet their children's teachers. The night that you rush through dinner get dressed and try to look like you are the parent who has it all together. Not to mention finding a babysitter in the middle of the week and hoping the kids don't have homework tonight. So we can go "back to school" and try to gracefully sit in a desk that is half our size, listen to the teacher so intently that so she doesn't realize where your kid's ADD came from and most of all make a good impression while trying not to wince from the pain that is running down your back side. It's hard to smile politely at the parents who you do not want to see and try to duck out of the conversations that you wished you had never made eye contact to provoke.
I must admit I used to look forward to this night...the smell of the crayons, pencils and chalk. Meeting the person responsible for your child's education. The sheer sense that between these walls great minds are molded everyday. It was down right inspirational.
But when you come to realize that sometimes, we as parents, must try to undo some of the things they learn in school. Like the "mating habits of dogs" and what "johnny" saw his older brother doing with his girlfriend.
While a few are great..... not many teachers know what their doing or have the desire to do it better. I feel lucky that I've had the pleasure of meeting only a few good ones over the last 10 years that my children have been in school. Most are adequate , some have the potential of becoming great , but few are. I am optimistic that by the time all of my boys are done High School I can add to that list of good ones who really made a difference. I do have eight more years of teachers to meet...
So wish me luck at back to school night. Wish me strength to ignore the mindless chit chat, to keep my eyes to the floor and act like "this is the most interesting 40 minute monologue about classroom rules I HAVE EVER HEARD".........
Sarah and I both have the distinct pleasure of attending our Back To School Nights on Thursday night, the 24th. I really just do not enjoy it at all, but it is important to my kid! She will be attending with us this year. To show us around. That will make it alot easier.
ReplyDelete