I need to take a quick minute to share, Smith STEM was a WFSB Cool School this last Friday. My classroom was featured having a video conference with NASA about Mars exploration! (Along with 3 other segments- one on our 3D printer, one on engineering mortar walls, and one on 'Bee Bots' robotics in primary grades) I always thought 'Cool Schools' was a great idea to expose schools and what is going on, and I couldn't be any more proud of my colleagues & awesome kiddos for representing Smith so well! Take a peek!
Smith STEM is a Cool School!
Anyways- on to more pressing issues. Parent-teacher conferences. This week is one of the longest and most important of the year. In November, teachers are still getting to know their students, and most conferences are lovely. By March, the honeymoon is over, the mandated testing has begun and it's time to really get down to business. In West Hartford we have 30 minutes conferences, which seems like a long time to talk about just one student but somehow I always find myself squeezing in last minute comments as the next parent is waiting in the door. For the past 2 years, I have used the same sort of routine to let parents know everything they should about the apples of their eyes. I always start with the comments- because I feel like if I didn't parents just flip to that page and read them first regardless. That usually jettisons into a conversation about the student as a whole, which I try to wrap into the personal and social section at the tops of our report cards. I then go through academics, and eventually we come to the specials report cards and more general chat about the kids.
I am bored though. This routine is feeling old, slow, and monotonous to me. I need some spice in my conference life!
Here is the question I am posing to all of you who read this: How do you/ would you do your parent teacher conferences? I am looking for a change in my routine so any and all suggestions are welcome!
At my school we have implemented Student Led Conferences this year, and after the first go around at it, I enjoyed it very much. It gave students ownership over their work and their behavior. Students did most of the talking and was honest with their parents because the teacher was there to guided the conversation and correct them.
ReplyDeleteI work in a High School and get very few students/parents to show up for conferences. I like Kailyn's idea about students led conferences, giving them the lead and ownership is great. Just remember that no matter how long you do the same thing - it is probably the first time for that parent. :)
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work.
Since I'm in a middle school, my conferences are only 10 minutes. Parents sign up for an hour time slot and then rotate through the five middle school team teachers. Because I only have 10 minutes, I get right down to business when the parents come in. Parents have already seen report cards before they come in, so they already know their child's grade. So we can really get into why the student got the grade they got and what exactly the child should focus on in the future.
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