P-T Conferences: Preaching to the Choir

When it comes to school, no parent wants a child to fail. That's the easy part, right, and for the most part obvious. Schools do not have to convince parents that they should want their children to succeed: parents do a very good job of that already.

The problem is that when it comes to school, many parents don't do much more than hoping and wanting for their children. They hope the school day goes well, and send the kids out the door, without doing some of the very easy things that can help make sure success for their children is exactly what happens.

The Parent/teacher conference season is upon us, and as a teacher I know that I will see somewhere around 25% of the parents of my students over the three days of conferences. We will sit together for five or ten minutes and talk about their children and my instruction, and try to find common ground about the successes and challenges their child experiences in my classroom. I really enjoy these conversations with parents, because as a teacher I always come away understanding my students and their needs better, and I try to send parents away understanding their children and their children's needs better. And I always work to focus my comments so that they are positive; parents deserve to hear hopeful things about their children, even if those children are struggling.

I also know that of those 25% who come to conferences, most of them will be the parents of children who are doing well. Many of them will be parents that I already hear from on a regular basis, through email or over the phone, and conferences are just one more "check in" for us to make sure that together we're keeping the child on track. I call this phenomenon "preaching to the choir", because the phrase fits. Often the parents that I need to see are in the other 75%, and because they don't make a regular habit of being informed about their children in school, they don't make time for conferences.

I know that time is precious, and I know parents are busy. But research is clear that the children of parents who stay informed about school and in contact with the teacher do better than the children of parents who do not speak to the teacher at conferences, or at other times.

Hoping and wanting your child to be successful is the necessary foundation for children. You have to start there, and parents, you get an A+ at that already. But that's the easy part. The next step is to be in contact with your child's teachers so you're informed about what's going on, so you're working together with the teacher on your child's behalf, and so your child knows there is no crack they will fall into between home and school. Join the choir: I guarantee you'll get a great deal out of the message.  

Note: This blog post is from a series originally published as personal essays written for the Van Buren County Advertiser from 2008-2014 by Corey Harbaugh under the title It's All Good. The It's All Good columns were written to feature and celebrate life in and around Gobles, Michigan.