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.
Leslie,
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain!! I too am concerned about A.)Parent turnout for conferences next week and B.)My involvement during the conference itself, what is expected from me? These conferences will be my first and I am anxious to see how they're run.
My CT has been gearing up for conferences next week and I know she has been hitting the email trail and making phone calls like crazy to set up times and make appropriate plans with parents.
In what ways does your CT communicate with parents? Has your CT had successful parent attendance in years past? Do they remember if they did anything different to affect attendance that year?
What ways do you plan to communicate with parents? I am sorry to say I don't have the answer to how you get parents, the parents you want/need, to show up for their kids.
In semesters past professors have advised to be proactive in reaching out to parents via email, phone, face to face meetings, notes sent home, etc. The main thing is you are trying no matter how little the parents are. I think the one thing that might eventually help parents show up is the continued effort of the teacher. As long as you stay consistent and show you care about their kid hopefully they will come around and show that they do too.
Best of luck to you in your future conferences, I hope they go really well and you don't have a moment to grade papers :).
Leslie,
ReplyDeleteHas your teacher continually reminded the students of their upcoming conferences? My CT tells them at least once every class period! She also did something that was rather unique. I'm placed at a school that has a very high Hispanic population, and since she is aware of this and there are some parents who cannot speak English, she encourages them to bring an older sibling, or an aunt or uncle. She says she just wants someone there that she can talk to about the student's grades! I thought this was a very nice gesture, and it may put the kids at ease and less fearful about bringing their parents. My sister is 6 years older than me, and if she would've been invited to conferences, she definitely would've attended. She would have taken what the teachers said seriously, and held me accountable for making improvements. Luckily my dad was able to attend my conferences, but he had to be late to his 3rd shift job in order to make it. It would be hard for others to make this type of sacrifice, because he was a manager. If he hadn't been so high up, he wouldn't have been able to attend, and no one would've made it to my conferences as a kid! So after all that rambling, I guess I'm trying to say that teachers can reach out to more than just the parents. The parents aren't the only ones who care about the student's success in school! What will you do in your classroom that will bring the parents out in droves? :)