I suppose the title conveys the main point. We meet with the lass’ teacher this afternoon. We actually don’t have a meeting with the boy’s teacher. When we asked for a little consideration regarding scheduling to avoid conflicts with the lass’ teacher, she replied that she was comfortable with where the boy is at and unless we really needed to meet, she didn’t feel it necessary.
Now, my first reaction was, I think, completely predictable. Something along the lines of “Yes! We have the best 1st grader in the history of 1st graders.” But then my mind started turning and questions started bubbling up. Like, what criterion is being used here? Does she mean that he can walk down the hall without tripping and that’s good enough? Does she mean he doesn’t habitually pick his nose and burp and fart in the middle of class? Does she mean he’s ready for algebra? Maybe he can skip 2nd grade! Or does she mean that he doesn’t habitually drool on himself and his classmates? Or maybe he’s going to be writing a novel! Perhaps he’s ready to work at the Hadron Collider!
In the end, we figured if his teacher was “comfortable” with where he was at and didn’t think the meeting was necessary, we’d abide by that judgment. After all, she can probably use the break.
UPDATE: The boy’s teacher caught us after the lass’ conference. The boy is doing fine and apparently “right where he should be.” His “report card” is full of D‘s, D+‘s and W‘s. The D‘s were a little jarring initially, but the report card format is not from our era where we got a letter grade for a subject. These report cards have about 50 categories and they are graded on an “emerging”, “developing”, “well-developed” scale. So his report card shows good progress in everything- particularly math.
I’d still like to know more specifically what “right where he should be” means. My best guess is it’s just a standard response, designed to be unoffensive and keep parents mollified. But based on what can be gleaned from his report card, he is on the right track.
3 replies on “Parent Teacher Conferences”
… a wise conclusion … 🙂
But WHAT of the lass … questions remain unanswered, curiosity is peaked …
“…does she can walk down the hall without tripping and that’s good enough? Does she habitually pick her nose and burp and fart in the middle of class? Is she ready for algebra? Maybe she can skip 2nd grade! Or does she mean habitually drool on herself and her classmates? ….’ Answers please !!!! 🙂
The lass is apparently a “pleasure” to have in class. The teacher actually has to ask her to not raise her hand so that other kids can have a chance to answer questions. So, while she probably isn’t ready for algebra or the Hadron Collider, she doesn’t have any of the other issues either.