Although it’s hard to believe, school is just around the corner. And with those first few weeks will come countless Meet the Teacher nights and information sessions. As a mother of four who has sat through more of these than I care to recall, please allow me to share some advice.
Don’t ask stupid questions! The old saying, “There are no stupid questions” is true only for children. It does not apply to adults in a meeting. There are, absolutely, stupid questions. Here are three of the most common:
- Any question you ask before the end, after being told to hold all questions to the end. Teachers are professionals. They’ll have anticipated almost everything you want to know. Let them finish before raising your hand!
- Any question you ask after the teacher has already shared the answer. There is nothing more annoying than Mr. Gallagher having to back up his PowerPoint two slides just for you. Put down your phone and pay attention.
- That question about the special exemption that your child will need because she is co-president of the state 4-H this year and will probably miss several exams to organize goat and squash competitions (true story): If posed through an email or after the official presentation, this question is of course not stupid. But to waste the time of everyone in the room with such a specific, applies-only-to-your-family, passive-aggressive “my kid is awesomest!” query is ridiculous and frankly rude. We’ve got places to be, lady!
For the love of all that is holy and for the sake of parents everywhere, listen and heed! No more stupid questions ev-uh! Peace out.