Whats the most important thing parents and teachers should do to prepare for a conference?
Parents should come prepared to share their very intimate and complex view of their child, bringing a vivid anecdote or story that will help the teacher know their child better. Teachers need to come to the meeting prepared with evidence of the child’s work — writings, homework assignments, tests, and observations gathered in a portfolio that will help focus the conversation and make it productive. In other words, teachers should be prepared to offer parents a vicarious view of their child’s life in the classroom. Just as important, parents and teachers must both come to the conference with their defenses down and their hearts open, prepared to listen, to really hear and appreciate the other’s perspective. Q: You say parents must acknowledge “the ghosts in the classroom.” A: Every time parents and teachers come together in the classroom, their conversations are shaped by their own stories, unconscious replays of childhood experiences. The parents sit facing the teacher in the chairs th
