Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Top Ten Reasons why I like going to Parent/Teacher Conferences

#10.
I get to go back to High School...
MY high school.
Yes my son attends the same HS that I attended.
I will admit it's slightly freakish
but I like it.
I enjoyed HS.

#9.
I get to see friends who are teaching there
and the ONE teacher who still teaches there
from when I was a student, Ms. Stanton.
(Who was one of my all time favorite teachers)
She actually remembered me
and we had a great chat.
Jona could possibly have her as a teacher for
English next year.
Fingers crossed!

#8.
Getting told by afore mentioned teacher
that I haven't changed one. single.
bit. since HS.
(I thanked her and refrained from pointing out the
100 or so extra L Bees on my body)

#7.
Listening to Footloose on the radio as I
drive up the road to the HS.
If Footloose doesn't bring the memories
of days of yesteryear flooding back
nothing will.
"Eight hours. For what?
Oh tell me what I got.
I got this feeling
That times just a holding me down!"
I actually jumped out of my seat and yelled when
Ren flew off the deck at prom and kicked Chuck in the face.

All talk of a remake is heresy.

Unless it's all done by Flight of the Conchords...


#6.
Seeing that they've actually named the hallways there
in the school and that one of them is named
Asgard.

#5.
Getting asked
"Are you related to Mr. Ormond
that used to teach here?"
and answering in the affirmative
and that he is my Father in law.

#4.
Seeing all the changes that they have made
to the HS so that while it does take
me back to go there I know that they
are a forward thinking and moving
school and they aren't stuck in the past.

#3.
Talking with Jona's seminary teacher and
finding out that we went to school together.
He was a couple of years younger than me
but he said something about remembering my eyes.

#2.
Hearing what a great kid Jona is.
How bright he is and how well he is doing.
His teachers know who he is and think
highly of him.

And the #1 reason
I love going to P/T conferences
Because of stories like this that his teachers
always seem to share with us...
About a month ago in health class there was a sub
so the teacher had a video for the kids to watch.
It was about an alcoholic father who beat his kids,
his wife and even hit on one of his daughters.
The mother finally had it and got a divorce.
It ended well with the mom pulling things together
and taking care of the family.

When the regular health teacher returned she
wanted to have a conversation about the video
so she stood up in front of the class and asked
"So what did you all think of that video?"
Jona's hand flies up, she calls on him and he says...
"That man was a bastard!"
The teacher said the class just went ballistic.
She held it together and told Jona that yes the man
was a bastard but that they probably shouldn't
use that word in class.
She LOVED it! She loved that he was so
forthright about how he felt about that man
in the video and she said it opened the up
the discussion in class wonderfully.
Awesome.



12 comments:

Kristina P. said...

I literally cannot remember a single teacher that taught at my high school. It wasn't a great time.

i'm erin. said...

Ha! I love you even more now because Footloose is one of my favorite movies of all time, and that Flight of the Conchords vid was priceless! I love Brett!

the fowlers said...

it would be so strange if ellie were to go to all the schools i went to ... but i guess we have the opposite end here - she's already been born in the same hospital as her dad and we see his old pediatrician (who also remembered him from when james played baseball with his son).

and that story from health is hilarious. i love it!

the fowlers said...

p.s. - even though i didn't love everything about high school, i had some really great times there. it's a good place to be. :)

"we'll never weep, pine, or sigh!"

Barbaloot said...

I'm so in love with Bret and his dancing right now.

I used to love P/T conferences: I was such a nerd I couldn't wait for my mom to come home and tell me all the wonderful things my teachers said about me.

tammy said...

We had a kid in high school who looked EXACTLY like Kevin Bacon in Footloose. It was so weird. And funny thing, my sister ended up marrying him later.

I would love to go back to my high school and check out the changes and relive a bunch of memories.

My friend ended up getting pregnant at 18, and her daughter ended up going to our high school when my friend was only 32. A lot of the same teachers were still there. Talk about weirdness for her.

Cheeseboy said...

Well, first off, you liked high school WAY more than I did.

That story is awesome. I do hope my kids use their swear words as wisely when they are that old.

wendy said...

What fun reasons to go to parent/teacher conference...and wow...at YOUR high school.

and well Jona, if someone is a Bastard...well, they are a Bastard.
enough said.

Amander said...

I like Jona :). And I think those are great reasons to like PT conferences.

I thought I liked high school when I was in it - but as I got older I realized I really didn't like it. Weird, no?

Vanessa said...

She is still there? I never had her, but I remember her.

And I did have Mr. Ormond, but I have told you that before :)

I need to check out all the new remodeling. I didn't even recognize the outside last time I drove by.

Teachinfourth said...

Wow...I try to avoid my old HS whenever I go back to my hometown. Guess I have more memories I don't want to remember than you do. Of course, there were some good times as well.

mCat said...

Jona is officially my hero.

Love the list. I would HATE going back to my high school.