Yesterday was parents evening
The last of the primary years
I wasn't sure what the focus would be
Didn't know what I wanted to hear
But then, waiting in the corridor
Seeing parents earnestly questioning
I realised the only thing I care about
Is how happy Rachel is feeling
So I scooted up to the desk
Nearly knocking the table over
I smiled at the teacher I know so well
We were definitely in this together
"So is she happy?" is what I asked
"Yes always" is what I was told
"She's helpful and friendly and cheery"
What else matters in this world?
Of course I heard all the levels
And the progress and points to improve
But I'd heard in the first two minutes
All I needed to feel well soothed
At the end of the figures
And all the necessary stuff
I asked if there was anything I could do
"No, you do more than enough"
So we laughed about parents evening
Her teacher and I as a team
And rather than frowns as I left
I gave Rachel a massive grin
"You're amazing" was what I told her
"Working hard and are happy to boot,
I'm so proud of all you are doing"
That's all I want her to know as the truth
This poem I hope expresses what I value most about parents evening. It's a chance to catch up with the teacher, check that they're happy, that Rachel is happy and that there's nothing I can do to help her in her educational progress. I have never been concerned about the levels which the teachers are required to share; instead I am interested to hear that she's trying hard, being polite, is happy in her class and friendships and is increasing in confidence. Apart from one year the teachers have so far always been pleased with our focus, (that one year we were told we should encourage her to asprire higher - she was 6) and you can see the relief that we're about collaboration.
If you would like a more informative post about the things you can ask at parents evening then you might want to visit this blog post by Diary of an Imperfect Mum for her thoughts as well
8 comments:
You are so right to focus on progress rather than levels, as a SEN parent I have certainly learned that. Thanks so much for referencing my post too.
I think we'd all be a lot happier in life of we aimed to improve rather than feel we're falling to achieve our end goals. And with the current research about childhood anxiety and depression I'm much more interested in happiness than "success". So great to have your blog post to inspire people.
That's lovely and inspiring. I always come away from parents evening with a warm glow when I know the teachers value my children's strong points - this week the teach said that my boys were both kind :) #prose4thought
This is beautifully done. I am so with you on the happiness front - I think that this is the important grounding they need to make sure they thrive and learn properly. A great poem. Thank you for linking to Prose for Thought x
Kindness is completely under rated in our society isn't it, but that is one of the hugest compliments. Good on you for raising such amazing boys
Exactly, without happiness what is life?
Thanks for hosting prose for thought
I totally agree with you on this and I think it's especially important now with the continually changing government guidelines for education which seem to be moving ever upwards in terms of what our kids are supposed to be achieving at a particular age. I want my boys to be kind and compassionate more than brains of Britain. Fab poem #prose4t
As a teacher with responsibility for SEN, I too totally agree that there is a lot more than grades to think about on how well a child is doing in school and developing into a well rounded individual. I really like it when a parent says to me "You know my child so well," because it means I am doing my job properly #Prose for Thought
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