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2024 Back To School Night

(2024-08-28 16:26:17) 下一个

1.

"Do you mind if I skip it this time?" Bill asked on their way home Wednesday

afternoon. He had attended the previous three back-to-school nights as he

believed it his duty as a parent. Each time it was a replay of a student's week

in two hours, exhiliarating for one evening and gone till next year.

 

"No. Not at all" muttered the 17-year-old dozing at the back. Since the fall term

started, his day kicked off at around 7:00am and ended mid-night. Between 3:30pm

and 6:00pm, he had been building robots on his feet in the lab.

 

By Thursday afternoon, however, Bill changed his mind: he had to go.

 

2.

Second half of August, a heat dome moved in and hovered over the Bay. Bill was

sweating in his dark jacket while walking across the campus thronged by parents

and student volunteers, well-preserved and immaculately attired. His teal blue

T-shirt underneath with a giant black octopus printed on the chest wouldn't help blend

in. Nor would his short straight black hair tinged with a hint of gray, taut

middle-aged Asian face, trim athletic frame in slim-fit black jeans, and 

minimalist sport sandals identify him as a typical patron of Jesuit education.

He was aware of how he stood out. Only it bothered him less each year. He made

no eye contact and marched with a proud chest through the lawn straight for the

the entrance of the building on the south end, his first stop of the evening.

 

The routine had worked well over the years. Each of the seven teachers gave a

seven-minute talk in his or her classroom. Then parents had eight minutes to

commute to the next lecture. Mr. Gonzalez taught calculus, Mr. Synder Marriage

and Family, Mr. Bensen cyber punk literature, Mr. Yav, physics AP, Mr. Tam, art

history, Mr. Lindemman computer science, and Mr. Goldstein industrial design.

 

Some achieved high in their past lives. Mr. Gonzalez used to work for Sun

Microsystems as a distinguished hardware engineer, Mr. Bensen wrestled at

national level and was a head coach at the school, and Mr. Lindemman worked for

Lockheed Martin. They switched to teaching for a more fulfilling life.

 

In the physics classroom, Bill was sidetracked when Mr. Yav asked each parent to

write and seal a note for his or her student to pick up later. After much

tapping on the phone, he scribbled

    Sometimes, carrying on, just carrying on, is the superhuman achievement.

    -Albert Camus

 

He knew his boy was smart and lazy. He wanted to show empathy.

 

Mr. Tam, a squat muscular Asian in his 40s, with the picture of a urinal in the

Richard Mutt Case in the background, told his gaping audience that his class was

good for dating and if their sons learned how to bull-sh*t, he considered his

job done.

 

3.

"Did you get my message in your physics class?" Tuesday morning's train was late

and dad again had to chauffeur the boy.

 

"Yes. I did" came a foggy reply.

 

"I was glad that I went when Mr. Yav asked us to write a note" Bill was sincerely

thankful, and maybe even a bit smug, for attending the event.

 

"About half of the class didn't get a message."

 

"Still. You take it for granted when you get it and you don't know how the other

half felt. And imagine if you were the only one without it."

 

"That's fair."

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7grizzly 回复 悄悄话 回复 '暖冬cool夏' 的评论 : Thank you, 暖冬, for reading and your kind comment. I had a memorable trip and a lot to write about afterwards. Will post some soon.

Bill fumbled with the phone for a long time and they both liked Camus. So there you go. :-)
That said, he did feel proud of being there, or carrying on as the quote says. Maybe that's in itself the kind of success one should hope for, as it lies within one's control.

Yes. Teaching might be a good idea. I hope I can teach jiu-jitsu some day.
暖冬cool夏 回复 悄悄话 I thought I had a week to leave a comment:) Welcome back! Hope you had a great trip!
How many quotes are in your mind that you can simply spit them out at the right moment? Tim should be proud of you, who exceed at least half of the parents:)
For sure, he will carry on his success!
It's a good idea to be a teacher after retired from the industry. Nice write-up!
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