The Fair Grove School District hosted this year’s parent teacher conferences on October 21st and 23rd. Allowing  teachers and parents of middle and high school students to met at the school and discuss their child’s academic successes and where improvement could take place.

“The purpose of the parent teacher conference is to ensure communication between the parent and the child’s teacher,” says Chris Stallings, the middle school principal. He goes on to say how a majority of what the parents know of their child’s education is based on what the student relays to the parent. ” . . . When parents and teachers are able to sit down face to face they have the ability to engage in meaningful conversation about the child’s progress.”

Donna Wilson, an eighth grade middle school English teacher comments about how parent teacher conferences don’t just benefit the parent and student, “As parents share past experiences of their child, or they discuss the strengths and weaknesses, I can make a better plan of how to help the student. It might be tutoring before or after school or challenging a student in certain areas,” says Wilson. In this way it helps teachers become better in their teaching methods.

To go along with what Mrs. Wilson says, Mr. Stallings comments further saying, “. . . Teachers can glean new information from parent teachers conferences that they might be able to use to approach situations differently,” says Stallings.

Communication between parents and teachers can be vital to a student’s success. “ Parent teacher conferences  is a teacher’s chance to meet with parents if we have not had the opportunity to meet them already.  Perhaps we have talked on the phone or e-mailed each other, so it is nice to meet them face-to-face. We have now had their son or daughter for one quarter, so we can give the parents good feedback as to how their child is progressing. Parents are eager to know how their child is doing on a day-to-day basis,” says Mrs. Wilson.

Even students have input on their thoughts about parent teacher conferences. Kolten Coddington (8), a middle school student, says, “I think it is good to have my parents know my teachers personally and see how I am doing in school.” He goes on saying it is nice to know parents care enough to be apart of even the small things like academics.

Jane Elliston, another eighth grade student, talks about her parents being part time college professors, and how good grades are super important. “ Having the support of my parents really helps me work hard and I like that my parents can see what kind of level I am on,” says Elliston.

Often times when students feel like they must do well in their academics it has a lot to do with wanting to not only show their teachers their best, but also their parents. Stallings explains further saying, “Parent teacher conferences lead to student accountability. When students know that both the teacher and their parents are on the same page they will typically find it harder to slack off and will work towards their academic goals.”

“Even outside of parent teacher conferences my parents still keep up on what all is going on. They stay updated with lumen and make sure to know when I have upcoming test days,” Coddington says talking about how his parents stay updated on his education.

Parents want to see their children succeed and do well in life. One of the most important things is for parents to be active in their childs education. Stallings emphasizes this when he says, “Something we always try to advise to our parents in the middle school is to communicate with your child’s teacher. We want to maintain an open door policy and if a parent has questions or concerns about anything going on in our school we want them to be in contact with us. The opportunity for success goes up exponentially when parents partner with their child’s teachers to ensure academic success.”

The parent teacher conferences are an opportunity for parents to do exactly that. The entire school participates in hopes to better  education as a whole.