Who dreads parent-teacher conferences more?  I would be willing to bet that it is the parents..and not for the typical "I"m going to kill my son for doing that" reasons!  Parents often feel that they are being graded moreso than their children.  Time after time in monthly conferences with my families, I hear a frustration and panic of feeling ill equipped for this job that we call parenting.  My husband and I often say that it is required to take classes to get married...why isn't it required to take classes for parenting?  As an educator, I have had classes on love languages, love and logic, child development, and many others.  When I became a parent, I realized just how much my career would bleed over into my personal life.  I have challenged myself to do the following things since becoming a parent and walking in "thier" shoes, and I would like to challenge you today:

1.  Think of yourself raising a child before taking any of your teaching classes.  When sitting down at conferences, remember that things that seem like common sense to us (ways to discipline, encourage, and even show love) are NOT common sense at all.  Either encourage parents to attend specific courses (love and logic, love languages, etc), or offer them some quick tips from those programs.

2.  You are the professional...remember that you may not be overstepping boundaries that you feel you are overstepping.  As a Director of Educaiton for Sylvan Learning Centers, I have the blessing of meeting with each of my 70+ families on a monthly basis.  I have earned the trust of these families enough that they can ask some "tough" questions.  Oftentimes parents are despirately seeking help of a professional.  Don't feel bad for offering tips and stepping in to give an example of how an ideal worked in your life (this is much easier achieved when you have children of your own).  I often have to tell my parents that if they think I go home and remember to practice what I preach they are crazy.  Reminding parents that we all make mistakes is one of the best tools you can give them.

3.  Remember to tell parents what they are doing right.  So often conferences are spent on tips to help that we often forget to praise the good things..imagine if we did this with our students how frustrating our students would be.

Jessica Rollins