Wow. Let’s see... out of about 100 kids I’ll usually see... 25 parents? That’s about right, yes. And they are invariably nice. Their kids are generally the nice kids, too. The little knuckleheads don’t usually let their folks know anything about parent/teacher night. LOL... we send notices but the kids intercept them. Maybe one little troublemaker shows up looking guilty, with mom and a handful of little brothers and sisters running around...
Most of the kids that I get are pretty wounded academically and sadly much of the damage was done at the elementary level somewhere along the way by someone. Sometimes I think it's from the parents themselves who were not successful at school and so they just assume their kids will take the same path, much like the mother I talked about earlier. Sometimes it's from incompetent, but well meaning teachers - the kind that metaphorically pat the kids on the head, call them good boys and girls and don't demand they work too hard so they won't be dissapointed. Sometimes it's tragedies I don't want to even imagine.
I just do my best with what walks through the door.