On parents and perfect children.

[icarus]

In tutoring high school students I've learned that most parents don't know their kids.

One parent who wanted her son to get 2000+ on his SATs just hit reality.

His parents were wondering if he were making progress. I sent him home with an essay he did five months ago, and an essay on the same topic he did last week.

The original essay was incoherent. The new one is simplistic, but understandable.

I thought she'd be pleased at his dramatic improvement. His scores have increased by 300 points and are now within striking distance of his peers.

Instead, she's pissed. At him. She read the original essay and was floored. She said, "This doesn't even make sense!" She had no idea.

Actually, he's doing much better than five months ago. I'm really quite pleased with him.

She's finally getting it though. The initial test scores were not an aberration. Teaching him is a delight, because he's so enthusiastic. But it's a bit like trying to keep a grasshopper on the table.

That shattering sound was the (highly durable) parental fantasy. Good to see it in pieces before they force him into some inappropriate college major.

Comments

[amalthia]

the scary part is that many parents probably have this fantasy and don't send their kids to tutoring centers. I gotta give the parents props for doing their best to make sure their kids get help even if they don't realize just how much help the kids really need.