Tuesday, August 17, 1999
I was part of the Open House tonight. That was neat. I got to sit on stage with the teachers and be introduced.
I totally do not remember that. I must have blacked it out. I hate being singled out in front of that many people, children or adults. 25, even 50, okay, but not a hundred.
It was a new setup for me because I am used to “Back to School Night” where my parents would go directly to the classroom and the teacher talked and that was it.
Now, really, how would I know that? I never went to Back to School Night with my parents. All my ten years of teaching, and at three different schools, have been run exactly this way: everyone meets in the auditorium, the teachers go back to the room to get ready while the principal rambles some more, and then the parents come to the room. The only thing I can say for certain about my own elementary BTS Night was that there was only one session with the teacher, because once my sister started school, both of my parents went so one could be in each room. (And in fifth grade, my dad drew Kilroy in the middle of my writing book, and I was so afraid I was going to get in trouble when I finally found it! What a funny surprise that was though, to open the book months later and there was a note from my dad! 
) At my current school we have two sessions in case parents have to go to more than one room. Good for them, bad for me who talks too much.
I guess since most families have so many kids that wouldn’t really work here, so instead the parents go from room to room and chat for a few minutes. What was really great was the students came too. That was fun.
I didn’t know what to do when the parents came around. I typed up a letter to introduce myself so I handed it out. It was awkward because they all wanted to talk to Mrs. J, as they should, so I was kind of just standing around.
And so we begin to see Mrs. J’s flaws. She never did student teaching (because she taught English for two years in Japan, so the state let that count), and missed the first training session with my college, so she doesn’t know what to do with me. She has no idea what the student teaching experience is supposed to be like.
It was amazing, and maybe a little disturbing to see some of the parents come in and they didn’t speak any English – older siblings translated. But I guess it is good that they care enough to show up!
Always the optimist.
