You wake up early in the morning. Already not so good. You realise that day is the day: the day of the Parent Teacher Conferences. You collapse back into bed.
Eventually you are dragged out by your over excited parents. “Come on! I can’t wait to meet Mr.Fumi!” Reluctantly you get in the car, and are driven to school.
Stepping in to the main gym, you see rows upon rows of teachers, facing nervous students squirming in their seats.
You’ve been preparing for this the whole week, but you still are unsure what your teacher will say. Will it be critical or praising? A mixture of both?
“Well, there are a few teachers I am worried about, but otherwise I think the PTCs are a good chance to reflect on my work,” says Kynaan.
“I think that it’s great way to express your knowledge and learning to your teachers and parents,” comments Jeh.
“I love it since you get to miss school,” says Scotty. “We all need a few days to rest.”
“The greatest thing about the PTCs is the 4 day weekend,” says Cial.
The teachers generally enjoy the conferences. “The PTCs are an excellent opportunity to take a break and reflect on what we have done in the last few months,” Ms.Vosk comments.
“There are two reasons why I like the PTCs, firstly, it’s interesting to see the students from the parents perspective. Secondly, sometimes I get to know some things about the students that I never knew,” comments Mr.Fumi.
So despite the boo’s that that we all heard at assembly this week when PTC’s were announced, a majority of people like the Parent Teacher Conferences for various reasons.
You finish your last conference, and on the way home they tell you one thing: “Please, communicate with us more about what is happening at school. It is very important to us. Half of what we just heard you never talked about.”
And you say:
“Yeah.”
And never think about it again.
Let’s face it, this has been a common experience for many of us, middle schoolers. Our parents want to know what we are doing, that’s partly the reason the PTCs exist. Just a tip: If you want to make your Parent Teacher Conferences easier, tell your parents about what is happening at school. “But I’m too lazy.” Yes, I know. All middle schoolers are lazy. (Okay, that is a big generalisation. Middle schoolers are lazy at only some things, like homework). But it is still worth it to give your parents at least a vague idea of what is happening at school, believe me.
“Yeah.”