Often, during the early time of a school year, the school holds a get to together where the parents get to meet the teacher. My youngest son's school required us to walk with him around to each class, I guess so we could experience his schedule.
I wonder if that is the best way to use our time? Would face to face telephone conferences, via the internet, be better? More privacey, less interruptions, and more efficient scheduling? Whatcha think?
James1
~Tiffany~
www.myspace.com/powersinger1985
Are the presentations done by the teachers themselves, or do they play a CD/DVD? I had heard that DVD's were being used in our local high school, at least partially-as something from the prinicipal.
Yeah, but what kind of questions does a parent have then? I think the conference should be later, or at least, a private second conference.
And, I guess it has to be that way. All that a class room teacher can talk about, the first or second week of school, is what (s)he intends to cover in class, and maybe some class procedures. It usually takes at least one testing cycle before a teacher develops a professional knowledge of the student.
I think that first conference could be done via video, cd, or letter.
And who knows, maybe a parent will think (s)he is back in school again?
James1(with worried look on his face)
Off the record, I also think it could....even though I'm still somewhat in favor of face to face meetings. It makes things more personal. However, we must follow what we're instructed to do. It used to be that conferences were done mid-year. Now, they say they want to take a more proactive approach to intervention.
>>Now, they say they want to take a more proactive approach to intervention. <<
But at what cost? The utilities, baby sitting costs, time of the parents, time of the teachers (don't they have to be paid for this time?) , time of the staff? Just to meet? Sorry, I think it is a horrible waste and communication could be done more efficiently and appropriately. Why not set up an appointment for each parent the first 30 days of school? Ten minutes each, or have the teachers come by a room to meet each parent. They can have their own handouts for the parents (especially if the handout is the same for the kids ).
OK, that probably does work with special ed or challenged kids. Why everone else?
>>>>But at what cost?... time of the teachers (don't they have to be paid for this time?)
We get no additional salary for parent-teacher evenings, James. It's all part of the job. We do get additional salary for going on a week long field trip to Slovakia or Sweden or the Czech Republic, but I never volunteer for those. Too many home responsibilities....and tooooo long on the bus!
>>> Why not set up an appointment for each parent the first 30 days of school? Ten minutes each, or have the teachers come by a room to meet each parent.<<<
Let's see....In my teaching job I begin my day at 8:30, have a half hour lunch and two 15 minute breaks (when I'm usually changing classrooms, at the copy machine, having quick conferences with colleagues, putting information into an e-mail, etc. etc) and I finish teaching at 3:10 (Tues.) or 4:00 PM (Wed,Thurs) If I have a conference set up with a parent, it's at 4:15 on Thursdays. I attend a 'coaching' course twice a month until 6:00PM and every Monday we're finished at 2:10 and it's a 'meeting day' until 5:00PM. An appointment for each parent in the first 30 days of school?? I have 110 students!
I agree with what Sweetums said...sometimes meeting a parent face-to-face gives so much more information about a kid. It can be an 'ahh-ha' moment.
We have another parents information evening on the 17th...when we will explain the "life style" mentoring method we use, the requirements for each level of study in the 3rd and 4th year (there are several) and the sort of "study hall" method we use. I think we have about 400 students in this particular department at our school. We might get 60 parents who attend.
While we don't get paid anything extra for these parent-teacher meetings, we do meet in the teachers' room afterwards for wine, beer and snacks. I suppose that's a benefit!
kathleen
Don't you think that parents have just as tight a schedule? I have been teaching at the college/university level since 1973, and its part of our contract that we will meet with students, during "office" hours. For the parent not interested, or for the parent with a child who is making straight A's, taking AP courses, a tour of the high school is probably a waste of time.
Sometimes we have to watch and stop someone from building a custom, or accumulating power over people. I have heard teachers say that they think they ought to report it as neglect when a parent doesn't show up for these conferences. I think that is a bit absurb. A parent might be working, or on orders fighting in the military in Afghanistan, or simply think very little of teachers. Or the parent may already be attending required training imposed by a social worker because the parent missed last years meeting! I just think that parent should be left in charge, not the school, not the social workers, not the grand parents, etc.
IMHO
>>Don't you think that parents have just as tight a schedule?<<<
I sure do! I'm one of them!
>>>I have been teaching at the college/university level since 1973, and its part of our contract that we will meet with students, during "office" hours.<<<
That's on a college level. You don't have parent-teacher meetings at college. That would be silly. Students can make an appointment to see you during office hours, or you may choose to have open hours on certain days, no appointment necessary. It's a system that works.
>>>for the parent with a child who is making straight A's, taking AP courses, a tour of the high school is probably a waste of time.<<<
and yet THEY are the ones who show up!
>>Isn't that the truth!<<
I agree with that observation also. Even in out of school groups, such as Scouting, the child who advances often has a very supportive, knowledgable parent. In U.S. Boy Scouting, the number of boys who attain the Eagle rank has moved from 1 and 1/2 percent of those boys who join, to about 4 percent. The leadership did an analysis of why the increase, and found out that parents have become much more involved in seeing that the boys do advance in the program, to the point that many of the parents volunteer to become leaders, thereby being able to spend fun, valuable time with their kid while he is growing up.
Still, with all the loss of time, I wish that we did not HAVE to attend a school conference.
