Carolyn's Classroom: Conference Time!

October is such a crazy busy month - in the classroom and at home with my own kids! Our Parent-Teacher Conferences start tomorrow and last for two evenings, so I have been spending a lot of time getting ready for them. I thought I would share some of the things I do for my conferences:

I always leave the students' journals out in the hall with pens in a cup. This way, if I get a little behind, the parents can read their child's journal while they are waiting. I also encourage them to write a little note in the journal - the students love this!

I have a folder for each student. This folder does not go home until the end of the school year. I keep a writing page from each month, their number writing page for each trimester, their latest DIBELS reading page, and a Reading Growth Chart to show the parents where they started, where they are, and where they're headed.

Our next conference is in February. I love pulling out all their writing pages and their reading graph - it always shows tremendous growth!

I count "books read at home" instead of "minutes read". I like to show the parents how their child compares to the rest of the class. This is a great tool for those students who should be reading more at home. Reading at home has nothing to do with a child's ability. Anyone and Everyone can read at home! :)

I always keep the conference positive. If a student is growing than we have success! Not every child crawls, walks, and talks at the same time. Every child is unique. They are not all going to read and write at the same pace. Each child learns at a rate that is perfect for them. We can nudge them and push them along, however, always compare "Johnny" to "Johnny" not "Johnny" to a STAR test score. I was told my son was doomed in the 4th grade because he could not spell (either can his mother!) That son is now a straight A student in computer engineering at the University of Idaho. My daughter scored a 2.8 on her STAR test .... she's in 3rd grade. Oh the horrors!!! She is a great reader with great comprehension . The important question to ask is - Is this student growing? Are they learning?

I always send the parents home with a little treat for taking time out of their busy schedules to meet with me. I found this idea on Pinterest and came up with my own way of doing it. I used small brown bags I found at Sam's Club, a spider stamp, kite string and tiny wiggle eyes. I then stapled a little note that says, "Thanks for dropping in!" It took me less than 40 minutes to make them and fill them. They turned out cute!