Throughout Tuesday Experience I have always wondered how to tell a parent about their child’s strengths and weaknesses for conference time. The teacher I am working with says that conferences are one of the hardest things to do because no parent wants to hear that their child is lacking in an area or is not working to their best capacity. Last Tuesday I was able to sit in on a conference which was such a wonderful learning opportunity. The parent that let me sit in was so excited to have me there it was just such a great experience. The teacher that I am working with showed me how to set up a conference folder and what types of examples of student work to include in the folder. She also showed me what their report cards look like, even though every school is different, so that was very interesting to look at. She explained to me how at Aiken the parents do not receive the report card until conference night. She said she likes it this way because she is able to just go through the report card and not have the parents wondering why certain areas on the report card could be lower or higher than their child’s last one. It was great to see how important it is to have clear cut examples of student work to show to the parents and let them take home. I feel that this really shows the parents how involved you are in their child’s learning and shows them examples of where they may be excelling and where they may need extra help. I was so happy that I was able to sit in on one conference because it let me really see one way to do a conference since I had never seen one done before.
One thing that she really explained to me was that not all parents are accepting of what you tell them, they may come in with complaints and issues that you are going to have to deal with right there. I learned that you can never be too prepared for a conference. This really helped me since I am more of a visual learner, but I wondered if anyone else was able to sit in on any conferences and what the teacher may have done differently or the same. I look forward to hearing what you have to say!
1 comment:
I was also able to sit in on a conference and having the materials prepared ahead of time is really helpful. My teacher also keeps a folder for each child so she has everything ready. Having the examples also helps so the parents can see what's going on with their child within the context of their own work. I also think the report cards being handed out at the conference is a great idea because it gives the teacher a chance to explain, and the parent a chance to ask questions on the spot. Parents often don't understand what a category or grade means, so being able to get the answers right away and from the teacher must be helpful.
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