Parents evening

So, last night, I attended my daughter’s parents’ evening. This was an experience. I used to attend parent’s evenings all the time, but as the teacher – so it used to be an exercise in tactfully explaining to parents that the reason that their little urchin wasn’t getting the top grades in my subject (Science) wasn’t because I wasn’t teaching, but more because they were sitting in class scratching their arse, picking their nose or, on the rare occasions I trusted them to do practicals, burning their pens in the burners. So it’s always interesting to be on the other side of the fence. 

Last night, instead of how I have always had to conduct these conferences (in Arctic Halls or Sports facilities, with every other teacher in the school on tiny desks so we can all witness what the others are saying and – more importantly – what is being said to our colleagues) I was escorted to my daughter’s classroom, where her teacher went through her work to show that her handwriting was improving (there were indeed some recognisable letters now) and that she is blasting through her numeracy targets – not really a shock given her entire family is in STEM subjects. She then shows me the arts and crafts board. They are working on farm animals, and while every other child has made a fluffy sheep out of a paper plate and some cotton wool – with varying levels of disturbing eyes – my daughter has made a horse. 

This horse is a mini cereal packet attached to a large blue foam circle, two cardboard tubes for legs and a silver glittery pipe cleaner for legs. There had been a pencil smiley face scored onto the circle that denotes the head. I was glad someone told me what it was, because I would not have had a clue otherwise.  

She had also scrawled some red lines that apparently were supposed to be a sheep dog for the sheep on a piece of paper as well. I admire her spirit and will to think outside the box (honestly I think she’s lost the box – it may be the body of the horse) but when it comes to art, she makes a good scientist.