My first ever PT meeting
As the subject said, today I had my first foray into the incredible world of: Parent-Teacher conference. The subject today at hand: The infamous Banned books project. It was quite unusual actually, but I had already prepared a battle plan for this one.
My class is currently on the English week talent show and play. Since the teacher is sick and hospitalized, I'm flying solo for this week. Still, the backgrounds needed to be done and talent show rehearsals needed to be supervised so the agenda was full.
Then the intercom buzzes. (Yes there's an intercom in every classroom). The principal says there is a parent couple that wants to talk to me right now about the project. She also asks if she wants me to allow her to be in the conference. I say: "No, but thanks for the offer. I'll yell at the intercom if anything."
I left the kids working on the backgrounds and met the parents of a girl student in my class in the privacy of the English Classroom. They were lawyers or something of the like, both well dressed in suits. The mother looked happy to see me, the father looked angry at the sight of me in jeans, a t-shirt and paint all over my hands.
This is how it went (roughly translated into english for your amusement):
Me: Good morning! I'm Miss Cardona, how can I help you today?
Mother: Good morning to you. We're the parents of (insert girl's name here, can't remember her name anyways)
Father: Where's the real teacher?
Me: She's sick.
Mom: That's allright. It's actually you we want to talk to. Actually it's my husband who wants to talk to you.
Me: Oh? What is the problem? Your daughter is a pretty good student in my class. She's actually excited about the upcoming project. *Smile*
Father: That's the problem. *Shoves a copy Speak on my desk* This book is about sex. My daughter says you assigned it to her. *mother looks at ceiling*
Me: *Looks at book and smiles* Your daughter made an excellent choice of book. Yes, I assigned along with other books of similar content.
Father: I don't want my daughter reading a book about sex!
Mother: I read the book after my daughter told me it had rape in it. But I don't find it offensive, he does though.
Me: I see.
Father: You have no bussiness assigning this book to kids.
Me: With all due respect, I do. The school approved it, the teacher approved it and the students chose the book. Have you read it?
Father: Er...no. But it has sex!
Me: no, it has rape. another matter entirely. The book explains a young girl's recovery from that traumatizing experience and encourages girls to speak against such acts, report them to authorities, seek help and avoid such situations. If you read between the lines it actually encourages girls to be more careful so they won't get into the same situation. It also helps provide an insightful view into what is high school life.
Mother: That is very true.
Father: But it's too strong a book for a seventeen year old!
Me: *Smiley face* Is it? Is your daughter going to college, sir?
Father: Yes. To Mayaguez actually.
Me: You must be proud. *He nods* Now sir, professors in college actually assign stuff with actual sex scenes in it and you're not going to travel all the way to Mayaguez to explain to him that you don't want your daughter reading anything rated PG-13 or above. Besides, she's pretty much an adult now, she should not only have learned about sex in health class by now, but also about freedom of speech and choice in history class. Which she is practicing right now within her own right as an independent individual that will soon be a legal adult. I gave your daughter an assignment where she needs to make an intelligent decision based on a book she read, isn't that what you have been teaching your daughter before she came to my classroom? To make intelligent decisions, at least regarding everyday decisions?
Father: . . .
Mother: I know I have. *glares at father*
Me: *smile smile* Don't worry sir. I know what I assigned. You can sleep soundly thinking that your daughter is not being encouraged to have sex. And might I recommend reading the book yourself sir? If you don't you'll only be teaching your daughter that books with taboo words are evil.
Father: Oh, sure thing. I trust my daughter's judgement.
Mother: Thanks for listening to us.
Me: Sure thing. Anything else you come straight to me.
Father: Oh well, thank you.
*They leave*
The evil me in my brain: Your kid should've picked a bigger book to stick up your ass....
End of PT meeting.
It was fun. Whatever, nothing can beat a smart assing a parent.
My class is currently on the English week talent show and play. Since the teacher is sick and hospitalized, I'm flying solo for this week. Still, the backgrounds needed to be done and talent show rehearsals needed to be supervised so the agenda was full.
Then the intercom buzzes. (Yes there's an intercom in every classroom). The principal says there is a parent couple that wants to talk to me right now about the project. She also asks if she wants me to allow her to be in the conference. I say: "No, but thanks for the offer. I'll yell at the intercom if anything."
I left the kids working on the backgrounds and met the parents of a girl student in my class in the privacy of the English Classroom. They were lawyers or something of the like, both well dressed in suits. The mother looked happy to see me, the father looked angry at the sight of me in jeans, a t-shirt and paint all over my hands.
This is how it went (roughly translated into english for your amusement):
Me: Good morning! I'm Miss Cardona, how can I help you today?
Mother: Good morning to you. We're the parents of (insert girl's name here, can't remember her name anyways)
Father: Where's the real teacher?
Me: She's sick.
Mom: That's allright. It's actually you we want to talk to. Actually it's my husband who wants to talk to you.
Me: Oh? What is the problem? Your daughter is a pretty good student in my class. She's actually excited about the upcoming project. *Smile*
Father: That's the problem. *Shoves a copy Speak on my desk* This book is about sex. My daughter says you assigned it to her. *mother looks at ceiling*
Me: *Looks at book and smiles* Your daughter made an excellent choice of book. Yes, I assigned along with other books of similar content.
Father: I don't want my daughter reading a book about sex!
Mother: I read the book after my daughter told me it had rape in it. But I don't find it offensive, he does though.
Me: I see.
Father: You have no bussiness assigning this book to kids.
Me: With all due respect, I do. The school approved it, the teacher approved it and the students chose the book. Have you read it?
Father: Er...no. But it has sex!
Me: no, it has rape. another matter entirely. The book explains a young girl's recovery from that traumatizing experience and encourages girls to speak against such acts, report them to authorities, seek help and avoid such situations. If you read between the lines it actually encourages girls to be more careful so they won't get into the same situation. It also helps provide an insightful view into what is high school life.
Mother: That is very true.
Father: But it's too strong a book for a seventeen year old!
Me: *Smiley face* Is it? Is your daughter going to college, sir?
Father: Yes. To Mayaguez actually.
Me: You must be proud. *He nods* Now sir, professors in college actually assign stuff with actual sex scenes in it and you're not going to travel all the way to Mayaguez to explain to him that you don't want your daughter reading anything rated PG-13 or above. Besides, she's pretty much an adult now, she should not only have learned about sex in health class by now, but also about freedom of speech and choice in history class. Which she is practicing right now within her own right as an independent individual that will soon be a legal adult. I gave your daughter an assignment where she needs to make an intelligent decision based on a book she read, isn't that what you have been teaching your daughter before she came to my classroom? To make intelligent decisions, at least regarding everyday decisions?
Father: . . .
Mother: I know I have. *glares at father*
Me: *smile smile* Don't worry sir. I know what I assigned. You can sleep soundly thinking that your daughter is not being encouraged to have sex. And might I recommend reading the book yourself sir? If you don't you'll only be teaching your daughter that books with taboo words are evil.
Father: Oh, sure thing. I trust my daughter's judgement.
Mother: Thanks for listening to us.
Me: Sure thing. Anything else you come straight to me.
Father: Oh well, thank you.
*They leave*
The evil me in my brain: Your kid should've picked a bigger book to stick up your ass....
End of PT meeting.
It was fun. Whatever, nothing can beat a smart assing a parent.