As the 4th school has just put me into the aggressive parent category after fairly minimal communication, I have been wondering how come that schools nearly instantly hate me, when I am quite certain that this is not the kind of reaction I provoke in the rest of my life, including my complex and not always uncontroversial working life.
This time all I had to fo this time after being summoned due to ‘concerns’ , was to request information about the nature of the concern, who else would be attending the meeting (would not have been the first time that what was portrayed as a ‘chat’ had me face half the school staff), and also ensure that the school’s records in relation to the concerns would be available with specific information of what happened, when, involving whom.
But back to the point: Your blog has made me think that the authoritarian, unquestioning culture of ‘because I decide or say so’ and ‘suck it up’ does not only play out for the children, but is fundamentally entrenched in those working within that system and applied by extension to the parents also. The same submissive stance and gratefulness for attention is expected from parents.
I have separately wondered about the incredible arrogance of ‘school’ in terms of ‘we know best’, ‘what we don’t see does not exist’ and similar beliefs. But those are all manifestations of the same unquestioning, defensive culture of fear of challenge.
So, I think I too am a feared catastrophe, in a small way. I bet my life and work habit of educating myself, questioning and challenging oozes out of my every pore even when I try hard to signal that I come in peace.
Wish me luck for my meeting tomorrow, not for my sake, but that of my child. Because cuffley you are a feared catastrophe, your child suffers.
What an epiphany.
As the 4th school has just put me into the aggressive parent category after fairly minimal communication, I have been wondering how come that schools nearly instantly hate me, when I am quite certain that this is not the kind of reaction I provoke in the rest of my life, including my complex and not always uncontroversial working life.
This time all I had to fo this time after being summoned due to ‘concerns’ , was to request information about the nature of the concern, who else would be attending the meeting (would not have been the first time that what was portrayed as a ‘chat’ had me face half the school staff), and also ensure that the school’s records in relation to the concerns would be available with specific information of what happened, when, involving whom.
But back to the point: Your blog has made me think that the authoritarian, unquestioning culture of ‘because I decide or say so’ and ‘suck it up’ does not only play out for the children, but is fundamentally entrenched in those working within that system and applied by extension to the parents also. The same submissive stance and gratefulness for attention is expected from parents.
I have separately wondered about the incredible arrogance of ‘school’ in terms of ‘we know best’, ‘what we don’t see does not exist’ and similar beliefs. But those are all manifestations of the same unquestioning, defensive culture of fear of challenge.
So, I think I too am a feared catastrophe, in a small way. I bet my life and work habit of educating myself, questioning and challenging oozes out of my every pore even when I try hard to signal that I come in peace.
Wish me luck for my meeting tomorrow, not for my sake, but that of my child. Because cuffley you are a feared catastrophe, your child suffers.
Thank you for confirming once again why we home educate our kids.