Parents' evening
For those of you with children at school it's approaching the time of year again for Parents' Evening.
Yes, it's time to squat on a low chair, come out with the wrong things, sound like a over protective or pushy parent and ask if your child is going to work for NASA.
However, Parents' Evening is a valuable opportunity to meet the teachers to discuss your child's progress and to support your child's efforts in school. But it's not always easy to remember to ask the right questions -you know, the ones that flow into your brain as soon as you get into the car.
Most schools will arrange a specific time for you to see each teacher. These appointments are usually about 10 minutes, just enough time to lower and then extract yourself from the dolls house chairs.
So it's a good idea to prepare a list of questions to make the most of the limited time. Read your child's report carefully before attending, it's an opportunity not only to discuss your child's schoolwork, but also to find out more about their attitude to school, their ability to make friends and their behaviour.
You can discuss with the teachers whether you can offer any extra help to back up the education your child receives in school. Don't panic there's always the Internet if you can't remember how to do long revision or how to say 'excuse me, a cat has just eaten my sandwich' in French.
Some of the things you could ask about are:
If there is unfamiliar jargon in written or verbal reports don't worry about asking them to explain - they might not know what it means either (you may want to consider another school at this point).
Most important of all make sure there's a bottle of wine in fridge when you get home!
