The conferences were very interesting and insightful. I really enjoyed getting the chance to meet several students' parents. As parents were walking over to our table I tried to guess who their child was based on looks. I was getting pretty good at it by the end.
Since I am in a small school district several of the parents know the teachers, know each other and/or grew up within five blocks of the school. So the conferences we had were both a time to discuss the students, but also a time for my CT to catch up with old friends. I learned a lot about the parents in a short time, but there were several that gave me a more complete look into the life of a particular student.
The night did not go without its rough spots. A couple parents were upset with the grade of their students. My CT handled these situations much better than I could. All in all, I think the parents were frustrated that their students weren't getting the grade they wanted them to so they needed to let that be heard. It wasn't uncomfortable by any means, but it just took some time to calm them down and try to put a plan in place to best serve their students.
However, there were many great moments in the nights as well. One parent said that her student loved using the new technology in Math class which she thought would never happen. Another said that his student liked having the extra help with both my CT and I in the classroom to further their education and understanding.
Another benefit of these conferences was that I got to know the administration and other teachers significantly better during the "down" times of conferences. It was almost a sense of solidarity in which we were able to converse and laugh. It was a good night and I'm glad I was lucky enough to be a part of this experience!
I like how you had time to get to know the teachers better. This is a goal that all should strive for. Is there a way that you could create this on a daily basis? Weekly basis? I am a huge advocate for collaboration and I don't think it happens enough!
ReplyDeleteReally it was more of a welcoming to me from their perspective. One teacher said, "Since you showed up to parent-teacher conferences both nights during your student teaching you must be either dedicated or crazy." I think collaboration starts with a friendly conversation during free times (whether that's during lunch or during passing periods). It all depends on whether you are willing to put in the time. Right now during student teaching it is easy to use collaboration because my CT is always willing to help and share, but she even encourages it with the other math teachers as well.
DeleteWhat type of plans did your CT put into place with the parents? Is there a sense of parental involvement with your students so that they make sure they are paying attention and coming in for help? It is amazing the difference that parents who are involved make.
ReplyDeleteMy CT always emails the parents of students who are on the D and F list at the end of each week. It helps so that the parents are aware of this, but also so that they know my CT is paying attention to the success of her students.
DeleteObviously there are some parents who are involved, there are those who are not. There are also those who are too involved and those that couldn't care less about the situation of their student's achievement. It's difficult to deal with some of these personalities, but my CT is helping me to navigate these conversations very well.
Sounds like you had a great experience at parent teacher conferences! How do you think the night would have gone differently if the students were present at their conference?
ReplyDeleteI think this is a great idea for the students to come to conferences with their parent. I even told them that at the beginning of class on each day of the conferences. I said that it is always nice to see students outside of the classroom and especially with their parents. Also it is nice that if your parent is angry at something you did or didn't do then it is better to get yelled at with people around rather than at home because they might be a little nicer. Also if they get angry at my table then I can do everything I can to calm them down and talk about your strengths as well. The students thought that it was funny, but ten or eleven of them showed up to conferences that night.
DeleteThat's awesome you had such great parent teacher conferences. How did you CT handle the parents who were upset about their child''s grades?
ReplyDelete