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Oct. 2011: Parent Teacher Conferences

When I began teaching  in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA,  we conducted home- visit conferences with all students and families as our initial parent-teacher conference. I went to each of the 28 homes of my homeroom students to meet the families and talk about how the child was doing in school.    “La teacher is HEEEEERE!” shouted one father when he opened the door to find me standing there.   It was an aggressive approach towards establishing more collaborative relationships between teachers and parents, in some cases helping teachers to better understand the whole child and in others, it was a way to insist that parents become more involved in their child’s education.   The main premise: parents and teachers need to talk and work together.
Next week, we will hold our parent-teacher conferences here at school; we will not be visiting your homes.  Though we do not visit your home, our purpose is the same: collaborative relationships between parents and teachers that center around how your child is doing and how we can work together to help him/her continue to develop both academically and socially.  More important than the report card or MAP scores (for 3rd and 4th grade students) is the conversation between teacher and parents. Talk. If you have concerns, share those. If you want the teacher to know some of the special abilities or qualities that you see in your child, things that may not be as apparent in a classroom, share those, too.  Listen. Hear the teacher’s observations, notes about progress, and requests for support as needed. We have a staff of qualified, caring teachers who work as a team to do their best for each child. They have insight.
We expect a lot from our students, from our children. We expect them to do well academically and socially, to eat healthy, participate in sports and arts activities, read for pleasure, and on.  And we have a tremendous group of students and children who constantly rise to the occasion.
Let’s also rise to the occasion and meet our children’s expectations that we work as a team with their best interest at heart, celebrating what they have accomplished thus far, and setting goals for their continued progress. I look forward to seeing everyone next week.

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