Warm Fuzzies

I completely enjoy having conferences with parents who obviously love their kids and want what is best for them. It totally makes me day...my week...my year! And I have had several lately.

Things I Like to See From Parents

* They show up at the conference. Extra points for being on time. No points lost for calling and rescheduling BEFORE the assigned time.

* They know how to find the room in which their child spends the school day AND they know my last name. Bonus points for knowing my first name. Extra bonus points for having visited or contacted me regarding something prior to conferences.

* They have reasonable expectations for their children. This means if their kid is really bright, they know that and expect them to perform to the best of their ability. If their kid struggles with something, they understand that and simply expect them to perform to the best of their ability. It is so simple, and yet so complicated.

* They know what to expect when I pull out that report card. There are no surprises or horrified gasps because they have been reading the weekly assignment sheets that I send home.

* When I praise the child for doing something well, they say something along the lines of, "Good job. I'm proud of you." When I give suggestions for imporvement, they say something like, "That is something that we will work on. We will help them at home by_____."

* They avoid the phrase "Our _____ is just perfect!" no matter how brilliant that kid may be, and they refrain from giving the kid dirty looks and saying, "I told you so!".

* When I ask if they have any concerns or questions, they have something to add to the conference. This whole education thing is a two-way street and I need the information parents can provide just as much as they need the information I can give them.

* Super Duper Extra Bonus Points for any parent who tells me about how they
a) changed jobs/shifts so they could be home with their kid to help with school work and get quality time in the evenings.
b) worked things out with their exes so that everyone got along and cooperated to best support the children in the families.
c) are going to implement changes in the home to assist the student in improving their academics AND FOLLOWS THROUGH ON IT.

Kudos to all the great parents who are out there. As my dad commented, parenting is the hardest, most underpaid, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants job there is and it takes an amazing person to do it right. Thank you for putting your heart into this, the most important influence you will have on the future. It gives me hope. :)