Parent-Teacher Conference Time Reminds Him of ‘Animal School’

Published October 23, 1986. The day we have parent-teacher conferences is an interesting time at our house. It takes some effort to keep track of where everyone is in their educational endeavors. During the past week or two, we have had such conferences with the teachers. It is a day of accountability for all.

Before we leave for the conferences, we talk to the children to see how they are doing. Then we go and talk to their teachers.

I soon learn that “keeping up on homework” really means they are only two assignments behind. And “I’m doing all right” is interpreted to mean they aren’t anticipating any “D” grades.

After meeting with the teachers, Susan and I go home and have some interesting conversations with each child. Once again, the perceptions of performance seem to differ. We are assured that additional assignments have been handed in, and each child claims the report in many classes will be one grade higher than what was suggested to us just an hour earlier by their teachers.

As we talk, comparisons unintentionally begin to be made. One child does well in English, but not in math. Another does well in health, but is borderline in economics. The children also say we compare them to their older brother Doug, who is currently serving a mission in Guatemala. They claim he is approaching sainthood since leaving home.

They remind us that Doug, Elder Barlow, who excelled in computers at Orem High, nearly failed English one semester when he somehow “forgot” about a long overdue book report. Susan and I can’t recall the incident, but the children at home remember it well.

Perhaps we parents do err in our perceptions of our children. We may expect them to do equally well in all subjects. Maybe we don’t allow for individual differences.

I was reminded of this a few days ago after our parent-teacher meetings. I happened to find the following in my files from a few years ago. It is titled “The Animal School” – written by Dr. George H. Revis, assistant superintendent, Cincinnati Public Schools.

Once upon a time, the animals decided they must do something heroic to meet the problems of a ‘new world’, so they organized a school. They adopted an activity curriculum consisting of running, climbing, swimming and flying. To make it easier to administer the curriculum, all animals took all the subjects.

The duck was excellent in swimming, in fact better than his instructor, but he made only passing grades in flying and was very poor in running. Since he was slow in running, he had to stay after school and also drop swimming in order to practice running. This was kept up until his web feet were badly worn and he was only average in swimming. But average was acceptable in school, so nobody worried about that except the duck.

The rabbit started at the top of the class in running, but had a nervous breakdown because of so much make-up work in swimming.

The squirrel was excellent in climbing until he developed frustration in the flying class where his teacher made him start from the ground up instead of from the tree top down. He also developed a ‘charlie horse’ from over-exertion and then got a ‘C’ in climbing and a ‘D’ in running.

The eagle was a problem child and was disciplined severely. In climbing class he beat all the others to the top of the tree, but insisted on using his own way to get there.

At the end of the year, an abnormal eel that could swim exceedingly well, and could also run, climb and fly a little had the highest average and was valedictorian.

The prairie dogs stayed out of school and fought the tax levy because the administration would not add digging and burrowing to the curriculum.

Does the fable have a moral?

To the young duck, rabbit, squirrel, and eagle living in the Barlow home, I apologize. But STILL, GET THAT HOMEWORK IN!!