Monday was Back-To-School Night and I was thinking how those nights really mean three different things to the three concerned groups: parents, teachers, and administrators.

When my sons were in high school, we went to Back-To-School Night primarily to get a feel for their teachers, determining if they were competent and had reasonable expectations for my sons. We looked for teachers who would educate our sons well while pushing them sufficiently but treating them fairly and even-handedly.

When I go to Back-To-School Night as a teacher, I look forward to explaining my expectations to my students’ parents, but also how they can help their students in ways I cannot possibly do in only 44 minutes per day. I want parents to be active participants in their children’s education, not merely passive bystanders expecting the teachers to pick up the slack for all the things they are unwilling or unable to do.

Administrators look at Back-To-School Night as a public relations event, for teachers to say the “right things” to parents that will reflect well on the school’s learning process. I have no problem with that goal, but I believe that it is also an opportunity to get parents involved in their children's education more than most of them already are.

In any case, I always enjoy Back-To-School Night probably more than most teachers or parents do, in spite of the fact that I got home so late I am still tired three days later.

Changing the topic: If you’re a baseball fan, and I definitely am, this weekend should appeal to all of you no matter whether you are a Yankees fan or a Yankees hater. Normally we get the Yankees vs the Red Sox during the playoffs, but here is a real treat as they play the last series of the regular season with the expectation that the loser could very well find themselves out of the playoffs totally. Whether the Yankees win or lose–although I am certainly rooting for them to win–it is much more exciting to be in this position than the poor Mets fans who have not been this close to the playoffs in 5 years.