those I'd like to talk to about what we can do to improve achievement won't be coming in.

Went to these last night for my kids.

As I told my wife, Parent Teacher Conferences should be open bar.

Went to these last night for my kids.

As I told my wife, Parent Teacher Conferences should be open bar.

Just sitting here in the cafeteria with my colleagues watching the clock slowly tick towards 1pm. Most of the parents I've met with are making sure their children are doing well, those I'd like to talk to about what we can do to improve achievement won't be coming in. 1pm to 8pm yesterday and then this morning drag by...

Are specific days for conferences even necessary anymore? Can see my kids grades on-line at any time, and receive emails from their teachers about what's going on in class. If my kids miss a day (and we forgot to call the school), or if they are marked tardy/missing a class, I get an email about that too. I don't know what I would actually talk to the teachers about, other than 5 minutes of small talk and "your kid is doing great".

Our first experience with parent teacher conferences.

Conference: Your kid is doing great.
Reality: I'm yelling at your kid every day in school and making his life miserable.

It took us until this year to realize that too when suddenly a new teacher had no problems at all with anything.

That's why you go into those conferences and grill the teachers in as nice a way as possible.

It doesn't surprise you that Rick did not get the information out of the teacher that he needed?

That's why you go into those conferences and grill the teachers in as nice a way as possible.

It doesn't surprise you that Rick did not get the information out of the teacher that he needed?

That's why you go into those conferences and grill the teachers in as nice a way as possible.

I witnessed a language teacher lighting up his 3rd or 4th grade class years ago. I didn't have a child in his classroom at the time. I was standing outside waiting to talk to another teacher about something. When he saw me, he almost shit himself. He apologized a million times. My kids never got less than a 100% from him, on anything, for the rest of the time they were there. He would greet me in the hallways as if his job depended on it. My kids couldn't understand why he acted that way around me. Truthfully, I couldn't understand it either. Besides yelling at the top of his lungs, I didn't hear him say anything extreme. I've always wondered if he crossed a line prior to my arrival.

When I was chairman of the LSC at my kids' grammar school I amusingly often got the same reactions.

Not in the conference. We talked plenty outside of the conference. That's what made the conference so frustrating.

I'm not going to say "Are you sure you aren't the problem and not my kid?" though.

Chairing one of my kid's high school LSCs for 3 years reminded me that MANY adults behave just like kids. The emails, phone calls, and text messages I got from teachers and staff was insane. Everyone wanted me to fight the principal for them and support every idea that popped in their heads because of a few changes we were able to make. I had my child's science teacher crying on a Zoom call with me because she wanted me to fire the principal. Lady, I don't have that power, and I have zero interest in creating chaos just because.