So...I did the whole "Back To School Night" thing earlier this evening for my oldest son. He's going to the same High School that I went to.

It was almost - surreal - to walk in there, sit in the same auditorium, walk the same halls, but with a completely different perspective.

My old Spanish teacher is now the Principal of the school. My old gym teacher is still there. And one of the counselors I think is there from my days. (I graduated H.S. in 1988)

So...I'm walking around, meeting and greeting these teachers as a parent, someone they refer to as "sir" and it's really weird to me. I didn't experience this feeling before, b/c up until last year my kids were in a different school district...one which I had no experience with. But NOW...now that junior is in MY OLD HIGH SCHOOL, where I have all these memories from...it's a totally different experience.

Especially dealing with TEACHERS. These authority figures that could cause so much anxiety and torture us with all that damn homework!!!

So now I look at them in the face and introduce myself and convey MY expectations for the year, and ask THEM to reach out to ME should any issues or concerns arise.

It's almost, empowering I tell you.

What about you guys (with children or without) - don't you feel "strange" dealing with teachers as an adult sometimes???

My oldest went to my high school and I understand exactly what you are saying.

Stymie said:

My oldest went to my high school and I understand exactly what you are saying.

Actually I think that the President of the School Board graduated in my class.

PurpleJedi said:

Stymie said:

My oldest went to my high school and I understand exactly what you are saying.

Actually I think that the President of the School Board graduated in my class.

One of the kids I graduated with was his Spanish teacher.

Stymie said:

PurpleJedi said:

Actually I think that the President of the School Board graduated in my class.

One of the kids I graduated with was his Spanish teacher.

My oldest son went to my elementary school. The thing that struck me most on parent teacher night was how small everything seemed.

The place looked so big and imposing when I was a kid.

PurpleJedi said:

So...I did the whole "Back To School Night" thing earlier this evening for my oldest son. He's going to the same High School that I went to.

It was almost - surreal - to walk in there, sit in the same auditorium, walk the same halls, but with a completely different perspective.

My old Spanish teacher is now the Principal of the school. My old gym teacher is still there. And one of the counselors I think is there from my days. (I graduated H.S. in 1988)

So...I'm walking around, meeting and greeting these teachers as a parent, someone they refer to as "sir" and it's really weird to me. I didn't experience this feeling before, b/c up until last year my kids were in a different school district...one which I had no experience with. But NOW...now that junior is in MY OLD HIGH SCHOOL, where I have all these memories from...it's a totally different experience.

Especially dealing with TEACHERS. These authority figures that could cause so much anxiety and torture us with all that damn homework!!!

So now I look at them in the face and introduce myself and convey MY expectations for the year, and ask THEM to reach out to ME should any issues or concerns arise.

It's almost, empowering I tell you.

What about you guys (with children or without) - don't you feel "strange" dealing with teachers as an adult sometimes???

PJ, You know I love you...

When I saw the title of the thread before I opened it, I thought, "Here we go..."

Here is Parents' Night from a teacher's perspective:

Please email me. I will email you back.

chocolate1 said:

PurpleJedi said:

So...I did the whole "Back To School Night" thing earlier this evening for my oldest son. He's going to the same High School that I went to.

It was almost - surreal - to walk in there, sit in the same auditorium, walk the same halls, but with a completely different perspective.

My old Spanish teacher is now the Principal of the school. My old gym teacher is still there. And one of the counselors I think is there from my days. (I graduated H.S. in 1988)

So...I'm walking around, meeting and greeting these teachers as a parent, someone they refer to as "sir" and it's really weird to me. I didn't experience this feeling before, b/c up until last year my kids were in a different school district...one which I had no experience with. But NOW...now that junior is in MY OLD HIGH SCHOOL, where I have all these memories from...it's a totally different experience.

Especially dealing with TEACHERS. These authority figures that could cause so much anxiety and torture us with all that damn homework!!!

So now I look at them in the face and introduce myself and convey MY expectations for the year, and ask THEM to reach out to ME should any issues or concerns arise.

It's almost, empowering I tell you.

What about you guys (with children or without) - don't you feel "strange" dealing with teachers as an adult sometimes???

PJ, You know I love you...

When I saw the title of the thread before I opened it, I thought, "Here we go..."

Here is Parents' Night from a teacher's perspective:

Tonight is our Back to School night...

I start getting knots in my stomach about a week before...

We are there to "meet and greet" the parents. We are told to give general overviews of our classes. But every year, there are a handful of parents who come ready to derail the program:

1. It is not a conference. We are not there to discuss YOUR child. Make an appointment.
2. If you have a question about my methods, please do not try to start a "parent revolution" by putting me on the spot in front of the other parents. Make an appointment; we'll discuss it.

Teachers have it hard enough.... Parent Night is not your opportunity to "deal" with us.
You could have gone to school to be a teacher, but you didn't. Please let us do our jobs...

Thank you!!



** Also... I'd like to say I reach out to every single parent for every single thing, but your child is not my only student. I also have a life and don't live in the building. I am not using my home or cell phone to call you, because then you'll have my number... Not everyone has boundaries...

Please email me. I will email you back.

Lynn I guess "deal" was not the right word...I meant it in the sense of "interacting with" teachers (as an adult).

Junior's school did something different...they had all the teachers sitting at tables in the gymnasium...grouped according to subject...and you'd wait in line to sit and do the "meet-&-greet".

Every teacher handed out a sheet with standard topics: How the grades are arrived at, expectations, tutorial times, etc. There wasn't much room for "my kid wants this & that" because you had a line of people waiting behind you LOL, but I did come across ONE parent chewing off the teacher's ear about her daughter...but other than that it was pretty cut-&-dry.

INTERACTING with these teachers was a different experience for me...considering it was my old high school...and I'm in a different role.

If you were one of my kids' teachers, I would have asked to see what I could do to get him extra credit.

Did any of them remember you?

Did you have any problems with them when you were the student?

I bet it's kind of cool when teachers see their "kids" all grown up and successful!

clubon36 said:

Did any of them remember you?

Did you have any problems with them when you were the student?

I bet it's kind of cool when teachers see their "kids" all grown up and successful!

I didn't have to interact with them...and even so...I was the well-behaved, quiet student that NO ONE remembers.

All the trouble-makers are the ones the teachers remember 20 years later.

PurpleJedi said:

chocolate1 said:

PJ, You know I love you...

When I saw the title of the thread before I opened it, I thought, "Here we go..."

Here is Parents' Night from a teacher's perspective:

Tonight is our Back to School night...

I start getting knots in my stomach about a week before...

We are there to "meet and greet" the parents. We are told to give general overviews of our classes. But every year, there are a handful of parents who come ready to derail the program:

1. It is not a conference. We are not there to discuss YOUR child. Make an appointment.
2. If you have a question about my methods, please do not try to start a "parent revolution" by putting me on the spot in front of the other parents. Make an appointment; we'll discuss it.

Teachers have it hard enough.... Parent Night is not your opportunity to "deal" with us.
You could have gone to school to be a teacher, but you didn't. Please let us do our jobs...

Thank you!!



** Also... I'd like to say I reach out to every single parent for every single thing, but your child is not my only student. I also have a life and don't live in the building. I am not using my home or cell phone to call you, because then you'll have my number... Not everyone has boundaries...

Please email me. I will email you back.

Lynn I guess "deal" was not the right word...I meant it in the sense of "interacting with" teachers (as an adult).

Junior's school did something different...they had all the teachers sitting at tables in the gymnasium...grouped according to subject...and you'd wait in line to sit and do the "meet-&-greet".

Every teacher handed out a sheet with standard topics: How the grades are arrived at, expectations, tutorial times, etc. There wasn't much room for "my kid wants this & that" because you had a line of people waiting behind you LOL, but I did come across ONE parent chewing off the teacher's ear about her daughter...but other than that it was pretty cut-&-dry.

INTERACTING with these teachers was a different experience for me...considering it was my old high school...and I'm in a different role.

If you were one of my kids' teachers, I would have asked to see what I could do to get him extra credit.

PurpleJedi said:

clubon36 said:

Did any of them remember you?

Did you have any problems with them when you were the student?

I bet it's kind of cool when teachers see their "kids" all grown up and successful!

I didn't have to interact with them...and even so...I was the well-behaved, quiet student that NO ONE remembers.

All the trouble-makers are the ones the teachers remember 20 years later.

Not necessarily.

*

I reconnected with my 4th and 5th grade teacher (same teacher - small school) a few years ago. I was that quiet, well-behaved, smart student, and I really didn't expect the teacher to remember me, but he had a huge impact on me back then and I just wanted to thank him. He had believed in me when I didn't even believe in myself.

*

He did remember me. He said, "I do remember you. You were the one that ran really fast and were extremely smart." I found it kind of funny that he remembered me because I ran fast. He was the one that got me interested in athletics in school, was always encouraging me, telling me I could do it. It was being involved in sports that helped a lot as a young teen and his belief in me was incredible to me, when, even my family, didn't believe in me. And I just wanted him to know how much I had appreciated that belief and what I had done with my life because of his belief in me.

prittypriss said:

PurpleJedi said:

I didn't have to interact with them...and even so...I was the well-behaved, quiet student that NO ONE remembers.

All the trouble-makers are the ones the teachers remember 20 years later.

Not necessarily.

*

I reconnected with my 4th and 5th grade teacher (same teacher - small school) a few years ago. I was that quiet, well-behaved, smart student, and I really didn't expect the teacher to remember me, but he had a huge impact on me back then and I just wanted to thank him. He had believed in me when I didn't even believe in myself.

*

He did remember me. He said, "I do remember you. You were the one that ran really fast and were extremely smart." I found it kind of funny that he remembered me because I ran fast. He was the one that got me interested in athletics in school, was always encouraging me, telling me I could do it. It was being involved in sports that helped a lot as a young teen and his belief in me was incredible to me, when, even my family, didn't believe in me. And I just wanted him to know how much I had appreciated that belief and what I had done with my life because of his belief in me.

I have dated teachers. They remember students, go to happy hour after work to talk about them. Talk to their boyfriends and girlfrieds about them. Their kids make a big impact on them.

V10LETBLUES said:

I have dated teachers. They remember students, go to happy hour after work to talk about them. Talk to their boyfriends and girlfrieds about them. Their kids make a big impact on them.

We love to see how they're doing later in their lives. I get so excited when they come back to visit.

I have my first student whose parent I also taught... it's been interesting.

chocolate1 said:

V10LETBLUES said:

I have dated teachers. They remember students, go to happy hour after work to talk about them. Talk to their boyfriends and girlfrieds about them. Their kids make a big impact on them.

We love to see how they're doing later in their lives. I get so excited when they come back to visit.

I have my first student whose parent I also taught... it's been interesting.

My mom taught elementary school from 1st through 4th grades. She showed me a letter one of her students wrote her after he finishing high school. She had taught him during fourth grade. He thanked her for being such a great teacher and he told her how much he appreciated her teaching him better reading skills. He had been a slow learner, but she took the time and patience to teach him which helped him become a better student in his later years. I thought that was so touching. For him to go back that far in his memory and to acknowledge her skill and devotion made her years of teaching all worth while.

PurpleJedi said:

So...I did the whole "Back To School Night" thing earlier this evening for my oldest son. He's going to the same High School that I went to.

It was almost - surreal - to walk in there, sit in the same auditorium, walk the same halls, but with a completely different perspective.

My old Spanish teacher is now the Principal of the school. My old gym teacher is still there. And one of the counselors I think is there from my days. (I graduated H.S. in 1988)

So...I'm walking around, meeting and greeting these teachers as a parent, someone they refer to as "sir" and it's really weird to me. I didn't experience this feeling before, b/c up until last year my kids were in a different school district...one which I had no experience with. But NOW...now that junior is in MY OLD HIGH SCHOOL, where I have all these memories from...it's a totally different experience.

Especially dealing with TEACHERS. These authority figures that could cause so much anxiety and torture us with all that damn homework!!!

So now I look at them in the face and introduce myself and convey MY expectations for the year, and ask THEM to reach out to ME should any issues or concerns arise.

It's almost, empowering I tell you.

What about you guys (with children or without) - don't you feel "strange" dealing with teachers as an adult sometimes???

I have a slightly similiar situation I'm now a teacher at my old school so I have parents I went to school with talking to me about their kids!?!

I stormed the principal's office last week. Turned out real well, though.

When I went back to school for my highschool reunion my teachers remember me, I wasn't a bad student, but I was a jokester. Somebody I went to school with now teaches there.