meeting the parents

Earlier this week, Rachel told me that my list of appointments for the parents-prof evening was really long. "They all want to see you." I panicked at first - I didn't even know we were having a meeting this week! What cultural mistake had I made that so many parents requested meetings with me? Then she said that they probably just want to meet The American who has come to Poix to teach their children. Okay, that's somewhat reassuring, but I was still a bit unsure. What the heck would I say to these parents? And what if I didn't know which was their child? The rest of the week, I practiced first and last names with the students in sixième just in case they didn't come along.

When I finally laid eyes on the list of appointments that the vice-principal scheduled for me, I nearly fainted. 37 names, every 5 minutes, from 5:10 - 8:15pm. Talk about a whirlwind! And it definitely was exhausting. I saw even more parents than were on my list, because some just stopped by. I was suprised that not all of the students had told their parents about me. Others were fully aware, and one even extended a dinner invitation, but made sure to tell me that she didn't expect special treatment for her daughter. Another surprise is that it is apparently the parents' job to make the teachers aware of any learning disabilities. Unlike the American system where educators have to abide by laws related to special education, that doesn't seem to be the case here. I did talk with the mother about giving her son more time and perhaps modifying some assignments to help with his dyslexia, but as far as I can tell, there's nothing that says I am required to do so. Interesting...

My last conference came was when I had already closed the room for the night. The dad was quite talkative and had a lot to say about the U.S. Like a lot of people I've met, he had a profound knowledge of American pop culture, but was very candid and said he did not like our politics. How do I respond to that? And how do I end the conversation so I can go home?

On my way out, Rachel called to invite me to dinner. (She could see me turn out the light from her apartment next door). Her sister and brother-in-law and 2 nieces were coming for dinner after the meetings. Charlène is one of my students in 6ème, and she was petrified throughout the meal that I was going to tell her parents that she wasn't a good student. She even whispered in her mother's ear that I hadn't said anything bad yet! After her nervousness wore off, she couldn't stop giggling because she couldn't believe she was having dinner with her teacher. We have an inside joke now - when dinner was served, I didn't recognize the main course. They told me it was poisson, but I wasn't convinced. It just looked different. Thomas, Rachel's son looked at me and said, "C'est du FISH," and then we all had the giggles!