Compared to the simple, straightforward parent-teacher meetings in India, where you meet one class teacher, dust your hands and go for a movie, the Singapore equivalent is a complex algorithm designed to confound aeronautical engineers. Not knowing this the first time I got invited to one, I responded with foolish enthusiasm.
It was a balmy day in April – or October, but definitely balmy (it’s always balmy in Singapore) – when my son returned from school with an envelope.
“It’s for you,” he announced, “You’re both invited to meet my teachers next month.”
“Wow!” I said, excited, “How come? Did you top the class? Are they giving you a medal?”
“No, no, of course not,” he corrected me (a bit hastily, I thought), “It’s a routine parent-teacher meeting. Here,” – he opened the envelope and showed me a list – “you can select up to seven teachers from this list.”
“Why only seven? I want to meet more.”
It was a balmy day in April – or October, but definitely balmy (it’s always balmy in Singapore) – when my son returned from school with an envelope.
“It’s for you,” he announced, “You’re both invited to meet my teachers next month.”
“Wow!” I said, excited, “How come? Did you top the class? Are they giving you a medal?”
“No, no, of course not,” he corrected me (a bit hastily, I thought), “It’s a routine parent-teacher meeting. Here,” – he opened the envelope and showed me a list – “you can select up to seven teachers from this list.”
“Why only seven? I want to meet more.”
