It’s the time of year in many schools when parents are invited into schools to have a chat with their children’s teachers about how they are settling into their classes. It’s a chance to get to know the teachers a little bit and find out more about what your child gets up to during the day, which is especially helpful if you have a child who apparently “forgets” everything that happened and refuses to divulge any information about the secret world of school.
But are you really getting the whole story, or is your child’s teacher just being kind when heaping those words of praise? We’ve chatted to some teachers to get the low down on what they say to parents, and what they actually mean.
1. Capability
What They Say:
I know he’s a lot more capable than he lets on, but he seems to be happy meeting his expectations and that’s fine.
What They Mean:
He does the bare minimum to get by, but at least he doesn’t cause any trouble.
2. Behaviours
What They Say:
Your child has been a little disruptive in class with some challenging behaviours.
What They Mean:
Your child is the reason why I drink half a bottle of wine every night.
3. Copies
What They Say:
I would happily have a whole class filled with copies of your child.
What They Mean:
I’m not sure which one is your child because they stay below the radar so they are obviously one of the easy ones.
4. Animated
What They Say:
She can be quite animated when talking about a topic she enjoys.
What They Mean:
She’s a bit of a know-it-all who doesn’t give the other kids a chance to put their ideas forward.
5. Chatty
What They Say:
She’s quite chatty isn’t she?
What They Mean:
Oh my god she never, ever, ever, ever, ever stops talking. Please tell me she’s like this at home so I know I’m not the only one who has to deal with it.
6. Humour
What They Say:
He has an interesting sense of humour.
What They Mean:
He thinks it’s hilarious to disrupt the class with jokes and it’s wearing thin.
7. Personality
What They Say:
He’s got a lovely personality.
What They Mean:
Your child is never going to be a rocket scientist but at least he’s not one of the naughty ones.
8. On Stage
What They Say:
She’s destined to be on stage.
What They Mean:
She constantly demands to be the centre of attention.
8. Handwriting
What They Say:
I think this year we need to try and focus on your child’s handwriting. It would be helpful if you could encourage them to practice a little more at home.
What They Mean:
I can’t read a single word that they have written in their workbooks.
9. Energy
What They Say:
He’s a very energetic child and we need to work on finding an outlet for all this energy.
What They Mean:
He never sits still in class, is always fidgeting, and is generally quite disruptive.
10. Sensitive
What They Say:
He does seem to be a bit on the sensitive side.
What They Mean:
He’s a bit of a cry-baby.
11. Shyness
What They Say:
She comes across as being quite shy and lacking in confidence.
What They Mean:
I don’t think I’ve heard her utter a single word in class.
12. Listening
What They Say:
He occasionally needs additional prompting to complete a task.
What They Mean:
He doesn’t listen to a single word I say and I’m getting fed up of having to explain everything twice to him.
