Mr. Man and I had to go to Lady Bug's preschool and have a "pre-admission interview". It was supposed to be a time for the teachers to get to know us and a time for us to get to know them. It was a formality and for the most part it was silly. They asked us questions like
"what is your form of discipline?"
"What is your daughter's favorite thing to do"
"Is there any area you feel your daughter is behind in developmentally?"
But the one question that made me chuckle was "What are your expectations of this class?" When we both hesitated in answering, the teacher said, "What I mean is: What do you want your daughter to walk away from here knowing or understanding most?" I joked and said "We expect her to be college-ready by this time next year."
I looked over to see the teacher frantically writing that down on our paper. I stopped her and said "no, no, no. I am kidding." She said "Oh.Ok. Well there are parents who expect their child to learn certain things or be able to accomplish certain tasks."
I replied to the teacher that at 3 1/2 years old I expect her to play and have fun. I expect her to enjoy going to school and I expect her to laugh and be happy while she is in school. I went on to explain that one of our reasons for choosing a preschool setting for her as opposed to finding a nanny or an in-home daycare is that I think Lady Bug will really enjoy all the different activities they offer (plus she is ready for preschool, to learn to write and recognize numbers, etc.). I certainly have no expectations of what she might learn though, my main objective is for her to have fun and make friends.
So that, my dear preschool teacher, is what I Expect!
6 comments:
That is absolutely CRAZY!!!!! What???? I can't believe she was writing that down. I don't care what "other parents" want, that is just silly...
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Wow - an interview with the parents is interesting. We didn't have anything like that last year with Dos. It was like, these are the rules and this is what you pay us!
I love your expectations. My big one is that they learn to LOVE school. They can get the didactic stuff later. Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting. I look forward to returning.
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I feel the same way. Right now I just want Emma to learn how to make friends and enjoy school. I've already taught her the basics at home (letters, numbers, etc) so she just needs to have fun.
But it is scary...I've read magazine articles about parents who get tutors for their preschoolers because they are afraid they will fall behind and not get into an ivy-league school. WHO CARES?!? They just need to have fun.
That poor teacher needs a break. How could you not think that was funny? Great list of what you expect-- I would've stuttered and stammered and left feeling like I needed to be enrolled.
Geez Louise! It is sad that some parents really do have outrageously high expectations for their little ones.
You are so right. You want her to learn the basics and have fun doing it!!
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