Southern California - Parent conference night, ugh

So here I am at parent conference night again. Since I'm an elective teacher, I will be sitting here posting on the forums for the next half hour while parents deal with the "more important" subjects, then I will get more and more until there is a waiting list and it's time to go home. It would be worth it if the parents of my students in need of improvement would come, but most of tonight's visitors will be parents of the A students. Thanks for listening, hopefully not because you're stuck at work at 7pm knowing you'll be back at 7am tomorrow.

So here I am at parent conference night again. Since I'm an elective teacher, I will be sitting here posting on the forums for the next half hour while parents deal with the "more important" subjects, then I will get more and more until there is a waiting list and it's time to go home. It would be worth it if the parents of my students in need of improvement would come, but most of tonight's visitors will be parents of the A students. Thanks for listening, hopefully not because you're stuck at work at 7pm knowing you'll be back at 7am tomorrow.

I think I can see a cause and effect pattern happening here. It is sad more parents aren't involved.

Yep, there is definitely a direct correlation with parent involvement and the student's success. Most of the families around here are broken homes with parents working 2-3 jobs.

30 minutes into the 2 hour session and I've seen 3 parents. 2 are straight A students, and one is a decent performer but talks too much.

Any hot mothers ?

;)

Actually, 1 just walked in after my last post! It's a little disturbing, though, that mothers of these 11-14 year olds are not that much older than me (27).

We had some kind of registration event at our school starting late this afternoon and into the evening. As I was walking back to my office in the same building, I was asked by one of the student volunteers if "I was there for the registration?" "Uh...no. I work here."

I knew I was mostly invisible to the kids but didn't realize I was a non-entity!

Sheldon

Hey you are a music instructor right?

Yep. Why, you play something? Really at my school it's about 90% babysitting, 10% music teaching, but I do my best.

Saw 24 parents tonight. All of them for students with As or Bs. I have about 250 students in all, so that's not a good turnout in my opinion.

You know what I have to really applaud you. The problem with parents today is that they don't take time to get involved in their kids lives.

You know what I have to really applaud you. The problem with parents today is that they don't take time to get involved in their kids lives.

Please don't lump us all together, my kid is my life. You just don't hear about ALL the good, loving parents out there, we don't usually make the 11 o'clock news. At my daughters school, the turnout for conferences is probably 100%, yes it's a private christian school, with married and divorced parents.

I know the feeling. I just did student techer night about a week ago. The parents that I have had to call over and over never show... it is kind of funny - they say they will help their children, but never come when the chips are down. BTW I get all the parents - high school chemistry!

In my classes the parents whose kids are problems will never need to come to teacher parent night - I will have called them more times than not!

Yeah, private schools have a much better turnout because the parents are truly invested (financially and emotionally) in their child's education. Where I teach, many of the parents never finished high school themselves, and they'd rather have their son work at 14 to help pay bills.

I've called plenty of parents already but many of them never answer their phone, don't have an answering machine, and/or only speak Spanish and hang up on you if you make your best effort at saying "yo soy el maestro de escuela" lol

Ralph, you sound like you're quite a bit like my dad. It wasn't until high school that I realized how fortunate I was to have a dad like that. (And a mom who cared equally, but my dad's impact was far more obvious since he spent hours each night tutoring his four children even though he worked long days.) But my parents' example has always had a strong impact on my mindset. Back when I was nine, I was tested for "giftedness" and when asked what I wanted to do in the future, I evidently answered without hesitation "be a father".

Yep. Why, you play something? Really at my school it's about 90% babysitting, 10% music teaching, but I do my best.

Saw 24 parents tonight. All of them for students with As or Bs. I have about 250 students in all, so that's not a good turnout in my opinion.

I used to play the clarinet for 3 years :)

Si, Urban Knight, yo conozco tu problemas. El parentes nunca habla a mi por la telephano con sus chicos y chicas. Los parentes nesecita chicos trabarar por la familia. No se!

The major issue her in california is we have to cater so much to the imigrant population that there is no support on the parents end, and that makes our job harder...

The major issue her in california is we have to cater so much to the imigrant population that there is no support on the parents end, and that makes our job harder...

if you are in this country, its your damn job to learn English. Whats all this **** about catering to other languages? People should be slapped around more.

When/If I become a teacher, I'm not catering to all these ******** parents who dont take the effort to learn the language. Planning on high end math in High School or some college. No way in hell am I teaching anything below Trig, i have a feeling those parents dont speak English.

one of ovoleg's future students: "good morning mr. ovoleg. how are your conferences going?"

ovoleg: "fine. i talked to your parents last night. what are they? a couple of *******?"

one of ovoleg's future students: "good morning mr. ovoleg. how are your conferences going?"

ovoleg: "fine. i talked to your parents last night. what are they? a couple of *******?"

I wont be as blunt, but man if your parents cant do math or add worth a damn...dont blame the f'ing teachers is my opinion. The teacher isn't there to teach your dumb kid from the ground up, he/she is only there to reinforce what they SHOULD BE reading in the textbook and doing the problems.

I've found the biggest problem with students now adays is that they dont take the effort outside of the class and they think the teacher is there to teach them everything and they dont need to do crap outside.

Parent teacher conference? I'm going to quiz the parents before we get into such formal discussions.

if you are in this country, its your damn job to learn English. Whats all this **** about catering to other languages? People should be slapped around more.

When/If I become a teacher, I'm not catering to all these ******** parents who dont take the effort to learn the language. Planning on high end math in High School or some college. No way in hell am I teaching anything below Trig, i have a feeling those parents dont speak English.

If you want to teach anything less than college here in California, or even in many parts of the US be prepared for spanish speaking ELL students - that is life. Also no teacher in secondary mathamatics teaches only trig/analytic geometry and above - unless you have been teaching for 20+ years and you have outlasted about everyone in your school!

Mucho baddo espanglish being hablo'ed in this lugizzle.

Also no teacher in secondary mathamatics teaches only trig/analytic geometry and above - unless you have been teaching for 20+ years and you have outlasted about everyone in your school!

Isn't trig+ what they teach in high school anyways?

Ralph, you sound like you're quite a bit like my dad. It wasn't until high school that I realized how fortunate I was to have a dad like that. (And a mom who cared equally, but my dad's impact was far more obvious since he spent hours each night tutoring his four children even though he worked long days.) But my parents' example has always had a strong impact on my mindset. Back when I was nine, I was tested for "giftedness" and when asked what I wanted to do in the future, I evidently answered without hesitation "be a father".

Hey Jason,

I'm no saint, well I am, but that's a different subject. I make plenty of mistakes with her, but if my divorce did anything for me, it's that I will never take her for granted again. This is one of many reasons I don't make as many rides as I would like; when I have her, I don't ride alone! The best thing about this is that it's NOT a chore, I love being around her and doing things with her.

But to the OP, I do know that there are many out there that couldn't care less about their kids and our society shows it. Sorry you have to see it so up close.

Please don't lump us all together, my kid is my life. You just don't hear about ALL the good, loving parents out there, we don't usually make the 11 o'clock news. At my daughters school, the turnout for conferences is probably 100%, yes it's a private christian school, with married and divorced parents.
My son goes to public school and things are very different than at a private school. I was not lumping "all" parents together ... Urban obviously works for a public school. I see many parents at my son's school do exactly what Urban was stating. I also do not attend many BF rides just for the simple fact that I like to spend as much time with my son as possible.

Isn't trig+ what they teach in high school anyways?

No pre algebra, alg 1, 2, geometry, then a few will take trig/analytic/calc

No pre algebra, alg 1, 2, geometry, then a few will take trig/analytic/calc

pre algebra in HIGH SCHOOL?

Ouch...

We learned Geometry in 5th grade in Russia(well there were only 10 grades I think theres 13 here?)

pre algebra in HIGH SCHOOL?
Ouch...
We learned Geometry in 5th grade in Russia(well there were only 10 grades I think theres 13 here?)

not everyone is good at math... I know that I have taken trig 3 times (high school and twice in college) and have yet to grasp the core concepts. However, do not despair because there was 1st year algebra available in 8th grade in my school system, but you had to wait to 9th for geometry.

not everyone is good at math... I know that I have taken trig 3 times (high school and twice in college) and have yet to grasp the core concepts.

I took AP Calc in high school... still have no idea of the basic concepts. Just knowing how to study and take tests got me through it. My math teacher said if I kept trying I would someday come to see math as language. Never happened.
I can, however, identify and mix 300 shades of brown... something my math teacher cannot do!

I took AP Calc in high school... still have no idea of the basic concepts. Just knowing how to study and take tests got me through it. My math teacher said if I kept trying I would someday come to see math as language. Never happened.
I can, however, identity and mix 300 shades of brown... something my math teacher cannot do!

Your calculus concepts will be used in physics. That's when you really start to know the math.

Your calculus concepts will be used in physics. That's when you really start to know the math.

I took physics, too. Oh, if I studied long and hard enough I got the answers on the tests right... but it didn't mean I really "got" it. My brain doesn't function properly when it comes to numbers, sorta goes all haywire and dyslexic. I'm like those illiterate people who are so used to hiding it that no one suspects...

fwiw worth guys I did go to a public school myself, but it was in a more affulent area (Agoura) where the general expectations was to go to college. I'm working on my own feelings regarding my job and realizing that even though I have 250+ children per semester, I should rejoice if I touch the lives of only 10 of them.