Thursday, February 11, 2010

Parent Teacher Conferences

This is parent teacher conference week.  We had conferences after school yesterday from 4 to 7:30:  a 12 hour day for me.

We hold conferences in the cafagymatorium.  It doesn't seem to have heat.  I left feeling a bit like a popsicle! We go again tonight, and I'm thinking of packing a lap blanket.

And I saw the parents of 17 students last night.  (17 out of 85!)  Spring conferences tend to pull in fewer parents.  They came last fall so they could see what the teachers looked like.  Tentacles?  Fangs? Third eye in the middle of the forehead?  They discover we're fairly harmless and don't always return in the spring. 

There  is one perk to parent teacher conferences that I love.  It seems like there is always one set of parents who don't like their student's grade very much.  They don't necessarily blame the teacher, but usually start in on one bad habit their kid has that makes them mad:  talks too much, a procrastinator, unorganized, or maybe sloppy.  After they finish berating the child to me, I like to smile at them and ask sweetly, "OK, so which one of you does he/she take after?"  There is almost always a bemused grin and one of them will admit to it, while the other points the finger.  Yep.  Most nuts don't fall far from the tree!

7 comments:

Shannon said...

You need one of those Snuggies - to go with your fangs and third eye of course. Good luck tonight! Thanks for doing what you do!

Heidi said...

It takes a lot of guts to be a teacher and a double load of guts to be a teacher at a parent/teacher conference.

If I ever need a gut transplant, I'm coming to you, you probably have some to spare.

Teachers Rock!!

Pugelicious said...

Parent/teacher - an awesome combination. Always admire what you do and what you have to say is enlightening.

Gayle at Planet M Files said...

Wow! Our high school doesn't have any conferences, just an open house at the beginning of school. Happily my son's teachers looked mostly normal!

puna said...

I read this the other day and had to come back and leave a comment. I have found myself doing this in conferences and your come back is perfect. I always seem nervous that my child's "faults" would reflect on me. How selfish I know. I hope you get warm soon...it's a cold winter.

Mrs. E said...

I just think it is funny because our kids do act like us! And it is good for parents to remember that they succeeded and their kids will, too. I hope it reminds them to love their kids just the way they are--warts and all. Sometimes they are so hard on their kids- and I want them to remember there is a lot to love!

Unknown said...

I wish Gracie's school would have open nights - and that the teacher would give me some honest points about what we should work on as well as what she's awesome at.