Parents, please come in.
Teachers and administrators in the Leflore County School District have invited the parents of the district's more than 3,000 students to drop by today and Wednesday morning for a chat.
"This is so the parents can come out and talk to the teacher about how well the child is doing in school," Assistant Superintendent Willie Jean Hall said.
The district has held parent-teacher conference days for four years, and plenty of parents take the opportunity to visit.
"Some teachers have 95 percent of their parents showing up," Hall said.
The times are from 1 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. today and from 8 a.m. until noon Wednesday.
Students will have begun their holidays by then so the teachers can give parents their full attention.
Teachers will want to show parents samples of their children's schoolwork. Also, teachers will discuss state tests the children will take in the spring of the year and some of the things the teachers are doing to help prepare the children for the tests.
The conferences are not held to discuss discipline problems, Hall said.
Parents should feel free to ask questions or bring up topics important to their children's education. They can take notes, she said.
The National Parent-Teacher Association says it is a good idea for parents and teachers to stay in touch, even when a child is doing well.
When a child knows parents and teachers are regularly working together, the child will see that education is a high priority requiring commitment and effort.
The National Education Association recommends that parents talk with their children before parent-teachers conferences.
The NEA says to ask children what they think are their best subjects, which they like they least and why.
The NEA also recommends that parents ask their children what they would like the parents to ask the teacher.
The National PTA suggests that parents ask teachers these questions to learn more about a child's' progress.
- What subject does my student like most? Least?
- What can I do to help my student with subjects he finds difficult? How can I help my student study? Prepare for class? Improve his work? A good time to ask these questions is when the teacher gives you samples of your son's or daughter's work.
- Is my student trying as hard as he can?
- Does my student participate in class discussions and activities?
- Is my student in different classes or groups for different subjects? Which ones? How are the groups determined?
- How well does my student get along with others?
- Has my student missed classes?
- Have you noticed changes in the way my student acts? For example, have you noticed squinting, tiredness, or moodiness that might be a sign of physical or other problems?
- How are you measuring my student's progress? Through tests? Portfolios? Class participation? Projects?
- What kinds of tests do you give? What do the tests show about my student's progress? How does my student handle taking tests?
