Around the world, teachers and parents meet. It's pretty much the same everywhere, and then again it's not. It becomes curiously interesting when we all come from diverse cultures and have to find common ground. Not to mention crossing the big language divide. (Actually the religious divide is bigger, but we won't mention that.)
Two evenings with parents. Too many kids (in school and per family). And they all show up. Maybe not all on time, and maybe not on the evening that was booked for them, but they still show up. Except for one, the one you needed to see most. (That's the part that doesn't change.)
I loved meeting the parents. I enjoyed getting to know them. Mostly doctors from across the region. They all have high expectations for their kids. The headmistress said "They have never heard the expression: You can't make a silk purse out of sows ears." Being unfamiliar with the expression, I heard "you can't make a silk purse out of Saudis"!
Meet the boys (and two girls) and their parents:
· Osama’s mom (Jordanian) is a tonic. Needs ‘The Nanny’. (Her words!) Laughs as she tells me she’s a bad mother who can’t discipline her boys.
· Amna’s dad (Pakistani) says ‘yes mam’ to everything I say. He’s an army officer. The mother says nothing.
· Tom’s father (Indian) has the broadest smile. A dentist I think. The only non-muslim in the class.
· Hytham’s father (Sudanese) is special. Big man with a small boy. Doctor Mubarak. Pater familias. Devout muslim. Halfway through parents’ evening he asked for a place to go pray.
· Medhat’s parents (Egyptian) only came in to thank me for making a difference. (I allow their son to be as clever as he is without feeling threatened when corrected by him. Happens frequently! Ask him anything – speed of light, infrared, gas or liquid, how much…? He is my walking encyclopedia.)
· Shoaib’s mother (Pakistani) kept referring to him as ‘careless’ . When the father came, he used the word ‘carefree’ and I realized that was the word she was looking for.
· Nasrallah’s dad (Palestinian) told me how busy he was. I tried to explain his son’s ADD tendencies to him. He says: ‘You know his mother was Russian.’ (Now that explains everything. These damned Russians!)
· Salma’s parents (Egyptian) were great. She’s new in class. Whispers instead of talks. (So I whisper back!)
I realize that I saw more fathers than mothers. And when together, the mothers said nothing. NOTHING. Why is it that only the fathers speak? Only the teacher-parents have very outspoken mothers. Two of them Egyptian (and loud), one Syrian (and quiet but strong)
They all love their children dearly. That much is blatantly clear. They also think that their children are exceptionally gifted and talented. They do not like hearing that the kids struggle with English and that I am happy with a result of ‘average’ coz we are comparing them to British kids who were born and raised English. ‘Average’ does not feature in their vocab. ‘Minimum requirement’ is an insult. ‘Distinction’ is all that matters.
Precious little girl - my hope for the future!
