The Guardian – Staff Writer
“After years of teaching, I am pretty experienced when it comes to writing reports and talking to parents. But this year was different: I was attending parents’ evening as a mum, and I wasn’t looking forward to hearing what my son’s teacher had to say. My son struggled this year. He tries hard and he has made progress, but his interests and passions lie beyond the classroom. Talking to his class teacher and looking at his grades, it was clear that his test scores and predictions do not reflect who he is, or the talents that he has. It made me wonder about the reports I have sent home to families over the years. It’s impossible for me to fully record all the things a child has learned in my class – or to anticipate what will spark their interest the following day. I could never track how they have developed socially or gained confidence among their peers, for example.”(more)