Because of the time, I try to choose the most important information. As a parent/teacher team, we look at your child’s self assessments, academic work and discuss learning and emotional goals for the year. It’s also important for me to hear about homework and how things are generally going at home.
I’m not trying to brag at all, but one of my strengths (and one thing I love about teaching) is the ability to understand and connect with each child. I think I’m good at it because I’m able to recall so much about a child (even when I often forget ‘little’ every day things). Throughout the days, I can quickly pick up nuances and feelings/struggles that children are having. And I’m not saying that I don’t miss subtleties or that I totally understand each child, but at the same time I’ve never ‘not liked’ a child; I’m able to see and appreciate the good in each one. This is what I love so much about teaching, too. Every child is perfectly different--in their myriad of learning styles and dispositions—and each has their own wondrous idiosyncrasies. This variation brings color, spice, meaning and life to the classroom community.
When it comes to learning, often things are not clear-cut. Why does a child struggle with spelling or remembering math facts? Why is it that one subject comes so easily and another does not? This is where discussion about what has worked in the past and what hasn't comes into play. And team problem solving is key.
Whether you know it or not, you too are an extension to our classroom community of learners and a link to the past. The more aware you are of what is going on in your child’s life, the more connected and ultimately supportive you become.
Let’s embrace this round of conferences with rich discussion, goal setting and teammwork. I hope they’re as valuable to you as they are to me!
See you at conferences!
Jed
