So last night was my first back-to-school night as a parent. It was weird walking into a school's hall as an unknown mom instead of a popular staff member. And then it freaked me out a little bit to realize that nearly everyone there was white. I used to teach in an urban school, so I'm more used to being the only white chick than to being the only white chick not wearing high heels. Or the only white chick without a tan. This place was pale enough to be a Klan meeting.
It was pretty awful at first. Everyone seemed to know each other, or be with a spouse (Hot Guy had to stay home with the kids) or be designer-clad. And this is the cheap preschool. I'm much better at including people than at being included, but I did manage to chat with a few people during the main meeting.
Things got a lot better when I went to Ironflower's classroom. Her teacher's presentation was better than mine ever was, she seems great. AND I had so much fun chatting with two other moms (who did know each other and looked very glamorous but turned out to be former teachers) that I actually had a good time.
The only problem is that on one of the many forms I filled out to enroll Ironflower, I must have checked "yes" to be a class parent. I got a list of duties along with the regular info pack last night. The list is long. Two of things on it are extorting money for teacher gifts and calling people to harass them about volunteering. If I was good at such things I would be selling Mary Kay and have a pink car, not trying to write and driving a seven year old Subaru. I can only hope someone else was dumb enough to be co-class parent with me. And I hope she's outgoing (I could be pc and say she or he, which I would do in most situations, but there were only about 10 fathers out of a hundred parents there last night) and likes to bother people.
I hope my failings as a class parent don't make Ironflower unpopular.
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