Parent Teacher Conferences

I had both of my pens taken from my table during parent teacher conferences last night. Now I know where my students get their pen-thievery from.

Overall the experience was a good one. The parents I met were supportive - of me, and of their children. We talked about goals and it was good to see so many people concerned about education and not so much about a child's ego or self-esteem.

The conference was held in a different format than what I expected. All of the teachers sat at tables in alphabetical order in the gymnasium. Nothing particularly funny happened until the end of the evening when the math department had to return our "comfortable" chairs to the computer room. We raced each other across the gym. My department chair is a small woman, so I gave her a ride. But I did not slow down. We received some dirty looks from the other departments and from the administration, but no one stopped us. What are they going to do, fire the entire math department?

As many of you may have guessed while you were in high school, after long days, the teachers did go out to a local bar for adult beverages. (And I am shocked by the number of teachers who smoke!) Some had more to drink than they should have. And I learned things about my coworkers that I had not expected to. It was a good time. And I'm excited for the Christmas party, which traditionally includes a karaoke machine. The math department is not sure if we should sing Stacy's Mom or Paradise by the Dashboard Light. We have plenty of time to decide.