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Positive Parent-Teacher Conferences

We are having Parent-Teacher Conferences this week. This semester the reading teachers are meeting with the parents of the students in their reading class. Last semester I was teaching 5th graders who were reading on 4th grade level. I am truly enjoying these conferences because most of my students made good progress, and their parents leave here overjoyed at a good report.

A parent came in. She brought her son for his conference, and she brought his younger brother and sister. The sister is three. Her big brown eyes sparkled with joy as she ran into my classroom, climbed up a chair, crawled across the table and brightly said, “Hello!” I wanted to keep her. I have a feeling though, cute as she is, she’s very high maintenance.

So far only one parent has been a no-show. That kid probably didn’t take home any of the conference paperwork. He not only didn’t move forward, he actually tested lower than he had previously. It is very hard to progress when all your paper supplies convert into airplanes and fly away. I hope that kid isn’t too surprised by the phone call his parents will recieve tomorrow from our school translator.

Quilly is the pseudonym of Charlene L. Amsden, who lives on The Big Island in Hawaii. When she is not hanging out with Amoeba, she is likely teaching or sewing. Or she could be cooking, taking photographs, or even writing. But if she's not doing any of that, she's probably on Facebook or tinkering with her blog.

5 Comments

  4. (In response to Kat….) Even sadder when they start out not wanting to be reached in elementary school. I don’t see them until High School — and by then it’s beyond hopeless! I’ve often wished I could get our school board to pay me to take these kids one.by.one and work with them in a home-school situation and try to get through to them that way! I think SOME of them would respond away from the distractions of all the other students. But, of course… that’s just a dream….

  5. Melli — Title One is allowing one on one help at lower grade levels — at least here in Nevada. The thing is, it is purely voluntary, so if the parents don’t sign the students up and make them come, nothing changes.

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