It's been a week or so since I've written on here, and it's been a busy week. This time of year is always full of reports and doing of things that Must Be Done, and on top of that I've had 3 late meetings this week.
Monday's was the one that really narked me off though. I provide my children with a website from which they can collect homework, email each other, communicate with me, collect extra information and so on. I run it in my own time, and I make sure that it is secure. I have had comments from parents about how they as parents want to know more about it, don't know enough, want to know how they can help their child, don't want their child using the internet, and so on. My response to this was to run 3 meetings.
2.15-3.15 (So they could come to school, go through it all, and then collect children.
3.30-4.30 (So they could finish work, collect children, then go through it all, then go home)
6.00-7.00 (So they could finish work, grab a quick bite, come to the meeting, with or without a child, option being that both parents/partners are home so one can come and one can babysit)
These meetings were held at parents request for more information.
Attendance was as follows.
2.15-3.15 - 0
3.30-4.30 - 0
6.00-7.00 - 2 sets. (mother and grandfather from one family, father and daughter from another family)
So I finished Monday thinking why do I bother? Parental involvement is all very well when they want to moan about what we don't provide, but when we do provide it, in our own time, then they don't want to know anyway! I sent out letters, and reminder slips, so it's not as if they didn't know about it being on. The two sets who did come really enjoyed it and said they got a lot out of it. The Boss came in for half of it and found it really interesting. But no doubt next week I will get a parents saying he hasn't done his homework because she didn't understand what he was on about.
Yesterday's late meeting also annoys me, but not because I had it, just because of why I had to have it. All TA's now are expected to get NVQ L2. Fine! No problem with that - but does it have to involve so much Excel work when they will NEVER use that level of work with a child? I had a TA in tears yesterday because she doesn't want to fail and let people down.
Tonight is my favourite meeting though. Tonight is the feeder school new parent's meeting. They come to us at Y3 from a local infant school, and we provide a meeting, 2 mornings of transition, a whole day of transition, and opportunity for parents to talk to us at any time. It's always interesting to meet the parents, hopefully meet the children for the first time and so on. This year we have 7 coming, so we'll see how many turn up to the meeting. I suspect all of them will! (I hope so, anyway)
And it's been SATs this week - and regular readers will know my opinion on those lol!
Anyway, more work to do - the SIP is coming to watch me teach on Friday week. He's like an area chap who comes in to help schools from a county level. He's coming to me because I went on that long course in January time. It's all good.
So that's work, being work.
Home is home! (When I'm there to see it!)
