I have been teaching at the British School here in Alexandria for just over a month. There is lots and lots to commend the school for, my class is wonderful, colleagues supportive and enough prep time to make you wonder why you would ever leave here. But there are challenges, one of which is dealing with overly enthusiastic parents. This is no different to North America or the UK, so it was very timely that I came across this TED talk from 2015 by Julie Lythcott-Haims.
As a parent with a six year old son I have recently become aware how easy it is to fall into a trap like the one described by Julie. I have also seen first hand, within a month of being in the British School, a parent who is already a long way down this rabbit hole and her son is only nine. Of course we want the best for our children, but I think a big part of that is letting children be children and letting them find their own way and that seems to becoming harder and harder.