Supporting Students

We've come to one of the most exciting and anxiety producing events of the year: Parent-Teacher Interviews!!!  I remember as a childwatching my parents leaving to go and visit my school, wondering what they were saying and what they would come home with.  As a parent, I find myself wondering and worrying about what I will find out about my children, whether they measure up, or what difficulties they may be having.  As a teacher, I worry about what parents are thinking, whether they will perceive inadequacies in my teaching or abilities to reach their child.

All that stress!  Let's peel some of that away and uncover the opportunities that present themselves.  Parent-teacher conferences can be one of the most important meetings of the year in the life of a student.  They celebrate a student's strengths, they enable goal setting for areas of improvement, and they set the ground work for further communication and progress over the year. For this to happen, keep in mind the following:

• PTI's are a two-way conversation.  To be productive, both parties need to talk and listen.  By learning from one another, sharing stories of home and school, we can help our students more effectively.
• PTI's are about learning.  If we are going to take seriously the many kinds of minds in our school, we need to discuss strengths as well as areas for improvement.  We talk about how our students are doing.  We talk about how they can grow and do better.
• PTI's are about opportunities and challenges and ultimately about setting goals.  Be ready to ask questions about ways you and the teacher can help your child in the school context and at home.

Finally, talk to your child(ren).  The PTI's are about them!  Share with them what you learned.  Show them how you will help with learning at home, and ultimately that we are all on the same page:  We care about them, and about their development as a child of God!!!  We want them to take hold of God's story.