Tonight was my first experience with parent/teacher conferences since I was a high school student, and it sure is a strange feeling sitting on the other side of the table. Long before conferences began, I was briefed on the low parent attendance that plagues the school where I am placed. Although I was aware that it would be a slow afternoon, I had no idea just how few parents really would come to conferences.
Only three parents showed up to talk to my CT in the first three hours. Instead of talking to parents like I thought I would be, I spent most of my time grading papers. I found myself staring at the door, searching in vain for the parents who I surely thought would walk in at any time. What can teachers do to increase the attendance at conferences? We all know how imperative it is for parents to be involved in the education of their children, but how can we help them become more involved? What's even worse is that all of the students whose parents showed up have wonderful grades. It's obvious that the lower performing students have the greatest need for their parents to communicate with their teachers, and I would love to hear advice on how we can accomplish this.
