In an effort to boost participation in parent-teacher
meetings, many schools have started including an unlikely facilitator in the
talks: the student. According to The New York Times, attendance at
parent-teacher meetings at a middle school outside Chicago increased sevenfold after administrators started letting students
sit in on the conferences. The principal speculated that parents from low-income
and immigrant families are more likely to attend a discussion with their child
and her teacher than a traditional meeting in which they listen politely to a
15-minute teacher monologue. I would guess that parents are also more likely to
attend conferences when they don’t have to pay for childcare.
Candidly discussing your child’s performance and challenges in
front of him may seem like a joke of a conference (and doubtless it
sometimes is), but, if led well, such a conference does have the potential to
improve more than just attendance. Allowing the student to present her own
academic successes and concerns makes kids feel in charge of their learning
process. As one parent put it, “My daughter is learning that the teacher is not
responsible for her learning. Cierra knows that she is responsible for her own
success.”
On the other hand, parent-teacher conferences can be vital
times for both parent and teacher to fill each other in on important behavioral
concerns that neither party would be comfortable discussing in front of the
student—perhaps your child is having trouble sleeping, for instance, affecting
her engagement in the classroom. To address this need for privacy, some schools
offer parents the opportunity for closed parent-teacher meetings by
appointment. Every school opting for a student-inclusive meeting should—quite
clearly and vocally—offer parents this option.
Photo: New York Times
