As working moms, we often feel pulled in every direction. On the one hand, we want to retain our careers and independence. On the other hand, family responsibility constantly calls us home. While this feeling of split priorities does lessen slightly when our kids enter school, this new reality throws up a brand new problem in the form of seemingly endless school meetings.
While you might have been prepared for parent’s evening, you probably didn’t anticipate the sheer amount of events going on in school. Before you know it, you could be bending over backward not to be the notorious absent parent in the class. But, is it a good idea to clear your work diary to attend every single school meeting?
As well as adding unnecessary pressure on yourself, ditching work for every school event could quickly see you professionally blacklisted. And, the truth is that it’s not always necessary to take that risk. While you won’t want to miss the most important school calendar events, you should decide whether or not to clear your calendar for the next school thing based on a range of exacting criteria that we’ll consider here.
# 1 – Are the Kids Involved?
Some school events, such as nativity plays and in-class activities, will directly involve your child. While attending these things isn’t compulsory, seeing other parents in the school could prove distressing for your child if you’re not there. This is true even if you warn them in advance, as the reality of not having a parent present can hit a lot harder when other kids around are with their families.
As a general rule, it’s therefore always advisable to clear your schedule for school events where your child plays an active role. This shows the teachers your commitment to assist your child’s learning, and ensures that your child always feels supported, rather than being singled out.
# 2 – What’s the Subject Matter?
There will be some things, such as one-on-one teacher meetings about your child’s progress or assemblies about specific school initiatives, which you won’t want to miss. But, if the school is hosting a parent assembly about broader topics like phonics techniques, you may find that you can access a lot of that information in your own time at home.
Simply make sure that you know the gist of the topic, and then do your own research via companies like Begin. Here, you can find a range of parent-aimed learning resources containing everything from synthetic phonics examples to home reading tips. By exploring these platforms, you can ensure that you never miss out on vital information, even if you don’t have the time to turn up on the day.
# 3 – Is There an Alternative to Attendance?
Your child’s teachers ultimately want to work with you, and they’ll probably do what they can to make meetings available even if you’ve got a demanding workload that day. Instead of stretching yourself thin trying to manage everything, it’s therefore worth simply asking whether there are any alternative ways to access the information included.
Even if there isn’t a specific alternative to attendance, your child’s teacher may be able to guide you toward third-party relevant resources as already mentioned. Alternatively, they may offer to send you a PowerPoint presentation outlining key focuses. In some instances, school meetings are even recorded for video viewing, meaning you could see everything just as if you were in attendance, but at a time that doesn’t throw your working day into disrepair.
# 4 – The State of Your Working Day
Whether a school meeting is vital or not, it would be silly to refuse attendance if you’ve got a light working day booked in. Even if you use your lunch break, you can feel more settled, and impress your child’s teachers, by showing up.
But, let’s say there’s a school event on a day when you have vital work meetings booked. Canceling your work commitments could annoy a lot of people, and even lead to disciplinary action. In this instance, a meeting about small-scale school issues probably shouldn’t take precedence.
Before committing to anything, you should therefore always consult your work diary, consider how much advance notice you’re able to give, and whether or not the overall risk vs reward of attendance is worthwhile.
You naturally want to support your child’s school journey, but remember that work is important, too. Instead of jumping to clear your diary every time the school calls, weigh up these pressing realities to decide which area of your life should take priority in each instance.
