Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education
Date of this Version
1985
Document Type
Article
Citation
To Improve the Academy, published by The Professional and Organizational Development (POD) Network in Higher Education, volume 4, 1985.
Abstract
Parents' Day at St. Olaf College is like Parent's Day at any number of small colleges. School has been in session about a month. The leaves on the maples are starting to tum. In the distance, one can hear the pep band warming up for the football game, while in lounge or classroom, parents of freshmen and teachers of freshmen stand about holding coffee cups and making awkward conversation. Awkward, because they tend to talk past each other. Teachers try to keep the conversation light, offering general information about their courses. They don't know their freshmen well yet. The parents are more serious, more specific. They want to know, "How is Karen doing?" "Is Paul working as he should in your class?" "Does David seem happy, interested? Has he told you any of his own ideas?" Unexpressed, at a deeper level is implied, "Did we make the right choice? Is this the right place for our son or daughter? As a teacher, do you represent what we looked for, what we hoped for when this choice was made?"
Comments
License: CC BY-NC-ND