Saturday, February 11, 2017

Celebrate: Yes to Parent Teacher Conferences

I am thankful for a long busy hard week.  That doesn't mean that I am not exhausted and barely made it through yesterday teaching. We just finished parent teacher conferences which are in the evening at my school for two nights from 4:15-9:00 if you're last conference ends on time.  Spring conferences are different for me.  When I speak to the parents, I know their child much better.  I know what their child likes to do in/out of school, their friends, their favorite subjects and areas of growth that we will focus on as we complete the second trimester of fifth grade.  I am celebrating that my parents genuinely were interested in the areas I mentioned above and not test scores.  Test scores are not a dirty word in my vocabulary; however they are a small part of the puzzle.  Nothing makes me happier than when I share celebrations that include:

  • --- is a vivacious reader reading twice as many books this trimester.
  • ---is a stronger mathematician and persevered with long division
  • ---is a growing writer who is writing longer paragraphs with amazing vocabulary
  • ---is a historian who loved our European Explorer unit
  • ---is a wordsmith and collected 28 idioms in her word notebook
  • ---is a friend who is willing to help all students when they struggle with learning
  • ---is a hugger and everyday before she enters the room I get a good morning hug
This week I'm celebrating parents who support teachers and appreciate our hard work. I am thankful that I had a busy, tiring week, and I am anxious to read other celebrations.  Oh yea, and take a nap too. 

16 comments:

  1. Those observations about your learners matter so much more than a test score. They tell a parent so much more about what a student can do than a number/level does. Your night of conferences sound very long. I can see why you'd need a nap!

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    1. Yes Lisa that is the message that I am sending to my parent community. By the way, I am a little more awake now :)

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  2. I am glad to hear your conferences went well. Have a restful weekend!

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    1. Thank you - it's been a fun weekend with my family.

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  3. Teachers truly are superheroes, and so woefully underappreciated. I remember begging my parents to come to a parent-teacher night, but their attitude was always 'unless you're failing, what's the point?' 😉

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    1. That saddens me. I remember going to conferences with our children were in high school and I had a teacher ask why I had bothered to come??? I decided right then that I had a teachable moment for a senior English teacher.

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  4. Maria, kudos to you for being ones of those great teachers who recognize all the roles students have that make them an all-round genuine student and learner.

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    1. That is one reason I chose to say self contained in fifth grade. I want to know the whole child. Thanks Carol for your support in Saturday comments.

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  5. Wow! That's a classroom of celebrations! And Yeah! for supportive parents; I'm thinking, they're celebrating you. Enjoy your nap.

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    1. Just woke up to more celebrations - comments of my Saturday friends. Enjoy your weekend.

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  6. I remember. It's such a celebration to have the conferences themselves be celebrations and to go well. And it's nice to be done. Congratulations, Jennifer!

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  7. Love these celebrations of your students! It shows that you're an astute observer. And I bet the parents loved hearing your observations. Kudos to parents who appreciate teachers. And have a restful weekend. Take a nap both days!

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  8. Your comments are just wonderful. Wordsmith.... Historian.... Everyone is someone important on their learning journey in your room

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  9. We started spring conferences after I left the elementary level. These make so much more sense to me because, yes, we do know those students just as you listed. Dedicated parents are always such a blessing. Hope you found some recovery time this weekend.

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  10. I love parent conference time, even though it's exhausting, for we get to share our work with parents and celebrate what we do together. Enjoy your well deserved nap time, my friend.

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  11. I also love when the conferences are about the whole child and not one aspect in isolation. I also encourage the student to be there - for the celebrations and the needed goals. Glad you made it through and are still positive about being in your classroom to find more things to celebrate.

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