I agree ! I am teaching in the Middle East at the moment. Parent's evenings are NOT forums for dicussing the progress and general welfare of the student, no, the parents are interested in one thing and one thing only : why their child has 80 % and not 90 % ! It is absolutely a feeding frenzy for marks and the tear-struck student is standing there, right next to the demanding father / mother..speechless ! These kids are pushed severely to perform Free time and discovery does not exist. If you are female, then you are even worse off. I consider myself a good, caring teacher who tries, in the limits set by administration, to get the students to think a bit for themselves. However, at the moment I am practising what I call "sanitised" teaching because so many topics here are simply taboo and freedom of thought is not encourage. I have had it ! Another ons bites the dust.