Would you want a meeting with a 1-class teacher?

[SKL]

Just curious.  Usually they school instructs us to sign up for slots with 2 teachers.  But this year it seems (per the technology and messaging) I could sign up for all or none of them.  My kids have math, geography, robotics, and religion with their homeroom teacher, who is new to us this year, so I will be meeting with him.  Their literature teacher is the same as last year, and the kids are doing fine in that class, so I don't feel like I need to meet her again.  I have no plans to meet the art, music or gym teachers.  That leaves the science, English, and Spanish teachers.

 

The only teacher that is new to me out of those 3 is the English teacher.  But to meet with her, I would have to make a separate trip.  I don't really have much to say to the science or Spanish teachers - I kind of know how they operate and don't honestly want to talk to them at this point.  It may be interesting to talk to the English teacher (who is hopefully finally teaching my kids some composition skills), but I'm not so excited to meet her that I want to make a special trip.  :P 

 

Anyway, I'm a person who communicates better in writing.  I always feel like I make a fool of myself in those conferences.

 

Would you skip the meetings other than the homeroom/math teacher?  If not, why should I consider making the extra trip?  Maybe you will talk me into it.

 

FTR at the present time, my kids are getting As and Bs in all their classes, and the only teacher giving accommodations that I know of is their homeroom/math teacher.

[vonfirmath]

Honestly, I'd have been more upset with the previous situation, where I could meet only with some of the teachers. It was very useful last year to be able to meet with both of DS's teachers, and not just his homeroom teacher.  Gave a better picture of what was going on. However, you do have to work within the time you have available.

 

[Tanaqui]

I am shocked and dismayed that previously you were only able to see some of the teachers. I've never heard of such a thing!

[SKL]

Well I guess I could have asked for special permission to meet any of the teachers previously, but it was not the standard way they set things up.

 

I guess I don't see the point in seeing all of them.  I mean you go in there and they pray and then they tell you how they run their class, then you have a little bit of time to talk about your individual kid.  In the past, I used that time to tell the teachers some challenges my eldest has and say a few words about my youngest (who is advanced and rarely challenged intellectually).  This year I don't feel like my kids need any special commentary outside of the homeroom / math teacher.  My eldest does struggle, but she works hard and generally meets expectations.  She likes to write.  She struggles with science, but how do you bring that up - "my kid isn't smart about this stuff, just wanted you to know."  I don't see the teachers giving her a break without some documentation of problems.  I'm probably going to pursue testing to see if she can get accommodations, but at this point I don't have anything specific.

 

OK maybe I am reconsidering about the science teacher ....

[Lecka]

Depending on your kids' ages, part of the reason to go is to project an image of "see, look, my child has an involved parent."  It is an easy way to do that. 

 

If you think you already have that image, you are fine.

 

If you think there is any chance you don't or it is borderline (which could have more to do with what job you have or how you dress, etc) then it can push more to go.

 

I think some professions or "oh I have a job" type of things will still give an impression like "oh this parent is surely an involved parent, he/she is just busy." 

 

And some kids will just easily give an impression like "I have got involved parents at home." 

 

Without that, or with one of those weaker, then I think that is a reason to go, even if you personally don't get much of anything out of it.  It can give a better impression of your kids, to the teachers, sometimes. 

 

For example -- I have one child who could come across a little worse, and my husband is a soldier -- so it could seem like we don't care about school wrt him, and fit some stereotype of "people who don't care about education." 

 

I have another child who just wouldn't come across that way, ever, at this point, because that is her personality. 

 

My older son who can come across worse, does not always have the best social skills, and it can give a bad impression of him, also he is messy and disorganized.  He needs a bit more of a parent to come in and say "he is working hard and we support him." 

Edited October 11, 2017 by Lecka

[SKL]

Depending on your kids' ages, part of the reason to go is to project an image of "see, look, my child has an involved parent."  It is an easy way to do that. 

 

If you think you already have that image, you are fine.

 

If you think there is any chance you don't or it is borderline (which could have more to do with what job you have or how you dress, etc) then it can push more to go.

 

I think some professions or "oh I have a job" type of things will still give an impression like "oh this parent is surely an involved parent, he/she is just busy." 

 

And some kids will just easily give an impression like "I have got involved parents at home." 

 

Without that, or with one of those weaker, then I think that is a reason to go, even if you personally don't get much of anything out of it.  It can give a better impression of your kids, to the teachers, sometimes. 

 

For example -- I have one child who could come across a little worse, and my husband is a soldier -- so it could seem like we don't care about school wrt him, and fit some stereotype of "people who don't care about education." 

 

I have another child who just wouldn't come across that way, ever, at this point, because that is her personality. 

 

My older son who can come across worse, does not always have the best social skills, and it can give a bad impression of him, also he is messy and disorganized.  He needs a bit more of a parent to come in and say "he is working hard and we support him." 

 

Interesting.  My academically weaker kid is reasonably neat & organized and dresses sharp.  The other one, not so much, LOL.  She did finally do something with her nails after much nagging.  :P

[mathnerd]

 

 

Would you skip the meetings other than the homeroom/math teacher?  If not, why should I consider making the extra trip?  Maybe you will talk me into it.

 

 

One reason to go is to get a firsthand idea of what is going on with your kids. When my son was in 1st grade, I went to a meeting with his language arts teacher who told me that DS showed up tired in the last 2 trimesters for LA class in the AM which was at 8:15 AM. He said that my DS needed some prodding to participate in discussions and once he got going, he was alert and great. I was glad that I heard that. I pulled up my son's bedtime that year (dropped 2 afterschool activities to enable that) and also sent him to school 15 minutes early so that he could play with his friends before school started and that made him alert and ready for his day.

 

Another reason to go is to tell the teacher what you see as your child's abilities - some of them are invisible in a classroom setting to your teacher. E.g. your daughters might be in robotics programs afterschool and the teacher might challenge them more in school robotics if she knew about it.

[Have kids -- will travel]

I find that teachers generally enjoy telling parents what they are doing and talking about your children, so I have gone in the past to let the teacher know that we value what she has to say, not actually because we value what she has to say.

 

I'd go to all of them, concerns or not, unless the extra trip was especially annoying to arrange.

 

We don't make extra appointments with optional teachers unless we have concerns, but we go to all the formal teacher conferences.

[kiwik]

We only have one teacher until high school so it has never come up. Teacher interviews really only serve to show you care enough to turn up.

Edited October 12, 2017 by kiwik