This week was Parent Teacher Conferences at my son’s school… he is doing extremely well, just a few little things to work on, and we are very proud that he got advanced scores in both Reading and Math!

So, the conference was pleasant enough. Until his teacher pulled out a contract for me to sign. Now, I get it. Not every parent is responsible and makes sure their kid eats a good breakfast and goes to bed on time or makes sure they practice reading every night. These are great parenting tips. However, when did it become the public school systems job to make parents sign a contract? A.) Do they really think just because Cathy Crack Head signs a contract at a parent teacher conference that the bright light of clarity and self respect will shine down and she will join her local NA and start baking whole grain muffins for breakfast? Yeah, probably not. B.) When are people going to get tired of being treated like idiots? The school system homogenizes our kids, slaps a disorder label on them if they act differently than the prescribed norm, as does our medical system. Does anyone ever stop and think that maybe these people don’t know whats best?

So I signed the contract anyway, and kept my ranting to myself. The teacher was looking nervous and its not her fault, she’s only the messenger. And frankly I want the person in charge of the care of my child for 8 hours a day to be comfortable with me. But for the record, I think it stinks.