School days

What is it about teachers? It doesn’t matter what age you are, when you go into a school and talk to a teacher you regress to a spotty 15 year old.

I went to Jack’s parent evening the other day. I was looking forward to having a chance to talk to his teacher one on one, as that doesn’t happen very often. So Jack and myself go in and are met by Miss Holmes. She shows us through to a classroom and offers me a seat hardly big enough for Jack let alone me. But of course she has her own teacher size chair. So straight away I am on the back foot, I am wiggling to try and keep my bottom on this tiny chair, at the same time as trying to have a sensible conversation about my son’s progress.

We go along happily for a while, she tells me how well Jack is doing and gets him to show me some of his work and I commented on how well he had done. Then it gets a little tricky. Miss Holmes, from her vantage point high above me, asks me to ask jack some questions. Well straight away I just know that this is a trap and that if I ask the wrong type of questions I will immediately be put on the “bad parent list” witch I just know they have on the wall in the staff room. So very carefully I ask jack what his favourite subject is and his favourite piece of work he has done this year and if he is happy in school. Unfortunately my normally very chatty son decided that right then was a fantastic time to go mute! It didn’t matter what I did Jack just would not answer a single question. So I told him what piece of work was my favourite and why, then turned back to Miss Holmes expecting her to round off the meeting and for us to be on our way. That wasn’t quite what happened. Miss Holmes repeated back to Jack every question I had asked and He answered them all perfectly and in a nice loud voice! Then we were aloud to leave. Me with my num bum, slightly bruised ego and the sure knowledge that I would be on “that list” as soon I had left the room. xxx