Parents’ evenings are strange affairs. I usually spend the entire evening telling the lovely students how wonderful they are, while the children I actually want to see avoid me at all costs.
We are supposed to have a system in place where we can request appointments with certain pupils. This works to an extent (in that they book appointments), but there is no software that can physically make a parent and their child sit down in front of me.
We started the year with the year 11 parents’ evening so that the students involved then had time to work on their problems or issues before their exams this summer.
For me, this was the most productive parents’ evening of them all. Parents were engaged and the students actually wanted to make improvements.
All of the students in my class made an appointment and I saw real progress in the weeks that followed as a result.
Furthermore, parents looked pleased when I confidently said: “Yes of course. Please have a go at some past papers at home – I would be happy to mark them.”
I definitely regretted it when around 50 per cent of the class came to me the next week with fistfuls of practice questions to mark. However, despite the extra marking, it did make me happy that the students had made the effort and clearly wanted to improve their grades.
The year 10 parents’ evening, which happened a few weeks later, was less productive. I had a handful of students on my hit list and had a whole script prepared about how they needed to take their GCSE more seriously and how they were no longer in key stage 3 etc, etc.
Unfortunately, the year 10s were particularly sneaky and none of my problem students turned up on the day. I had to spend the afternoon telling my hard-working students to just keep working hard.
I know their parents like to hear that, but I can’t help but feel that it’s a bit of a waste of time.
The best parents’ evening for me was the year 7 one. It wasn’t the best because it was any more productive – if anything the year 7 parents’ evening served even less purpose than the others this year – but it was just really pleasant to meet the parents.
I have three year 7 classes which I see six times a fortnight. I have gotten to know them very well this year. This made it really easy to talk to their parents about their progress and about their personalities in class.
I could tell that the parents of my year 7 students actually appreciated the work I had put in to teach them this year. In fact, several of them actually thanked me.
I know that they don’t have a huge amount to compare it too, but it still makes me happy when I hear that humanities is their children’s favourite subject. Hearing their parents talk about their children’s new-found love for history or current affairs makes me proud to have been their teacher this year.
I know year 7s are easy to impress, but it still feels good to know that I have inspired at least a few of them to love the humanities.
Parents’ evening season is now over for the year and for that I am incredibly grateful. However, I am happy that I could end it on a positive note with the year 7s. I just hope they keep the passion for humanities next year and beyond!
- SecEd’s NQT diarist this year is a teacher of citizenship, RE and humanities at a school in England.