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I have an inkling there are more parents than teachers reading my blog currently. So, I send this message out to you:
Please show up if you have a parent-teacher conference regarding your child. There are 3 main reasons for this:
- You appear flaky. A teacher needs you as his partner in your child’s education. When the teacher sets aside work hours time or, as in my case many times, my own time to come in at odd hours to meet, she/he may be paying extra childcare top be there and for sure she/he is missing out on valuable time they could be doing personal things that are important. The teacher is less likely to take your issue seriously when you can’t even make a meeting you agreed to be at.
- The child’s issue is delayed on being addressed. If the child is having troubles you wanted to take about with the teacher, please make it your top priority to make the meeting and the BE at the meeting. 90% of the time these types of issues are solved in a simple 15-30 minute meeting. Be proactive.
- Finally, the teacher worries why you weren’t there and starts to become distracted. This ultimately can affect the teaching your child is getting. Try as we might, we can’t just hang our worries up in the closet everyday. They affect the way we relate with your child and we carry large concerns when you don’t show up for a meeting concerning your child.
Currently I have an issue like this going on and as I hear more and more details (though I don’t have many) it is starting to make sense why they haven’t showed up. I fully believe it is a tragic situatiuon but I can’t offer any help unless the parents come to the table with me and discuss solutions.
So … if you are a teacher, I am sure you can probably relate with this type of frustration. If you are a parent, I beg you again to please make the appointment or just call.
