meet the teacher night

[chel]

while it's wonderful that my dd's school has a "meet the teacher night", children aren't invited. That so wipes out the babysitter population. Not to mention it's on a school night and last until 8pm.
Is this common?
This school also insists that dc don't come to the parent-teacher conference. Until we moved, dd was going to go to a public magnet school where it was required that the parent and child attend the teacher conference (you would be kicked out of school if you didn't attend).

[menudo]

DD school had a child led parent/teacher meeting for 3rd/4th grades, the rest are parent only. I so too have an isue with elemtary school functions deemed parents only. I learned teh hard way. Never got a note as DD missed the first week of school due to illness. DD tells me last minute so I grab her and then toddler DS and run to the school. Where are the kids?!?! NONE. It was so depressing. I really strained myself to get there and we were not welcome. While I wasn't told to leave, I got the look. So being annoyed and hungry (we skipped dinnerto go) I grabbed the free snack and left.

Must be nice to have babysitters at your whim...Apparently, schools feel we all do. While it is much easier to leave the kids at home for some events, I would possibly miss everything if they are all child free!

[spero]

I no longer attend "open house night" at school b/c of this idiotic rule.

P-T conferences - I can understand the need to meet one-on-one, without distraction. I plan ahead for those - ours are usually during the week of Thanksgiving, and DH is typically on vacay then anyway.

All of my kids' "meet the teacher" events have included children, thank goodness.

[mammastar2]

One thing I really liked about the school dd is starting at is that, at their information session for parents considering the school, they specified that children were welcome, asked if you needed care during the session, and provided a care room with teenage care providers for the session if you wanted to use it (kids were also welcome in the meeting). Thoughtful, but, sadly, rare!

[LovemyBoo]

That's strange. For us, Open House is for everyone to meet the teachers. I wouldn't think of not including the children.

It's personal preference as far as conferences go. I bring the kids since we don't have a babysitter. Even if we did I'd still bring ds as I don't feel the need to discuss him without him being present. Since he's the one we're talking about he should have some input. I would be really annoyed if I didn't even have the choice.

[aniT]

Originally Posted by chel

while it's wonderful that my dd's school has a "meet the teacher night", children aren't invited. That so wipes out the babysitter population. Not to mention it's on a school night and last until 8pm.
Is this common?
This school also insists that dc don't come to the parent-teacher conference. Until we moved, dd was going to go to a public magnet school where it was required that the parent and child attend the teacher conference (you would be kicked out of school if you didn't attend).

We only went to one school where my DD was the only child that showed up. (there was nothing in the flyer that said no children. Shrug.) It was also in the evening and lasted very late. This was in K. I have since learned to go to these things an hour late. The first hour is generally the administration blah blah blahing about fundraiser and other such garbage.

[Karry]

At our school everyone goes to meet the teacher night. It's just curriculum night and parent-teacher conferences that are parents only.

[mata]

I don't know what they do at our school and need to find out. I kind of think the whole family is invited.

[chel]

What do you all think of the idea of children attending the teacher conference? I like the thought that the child can take an active part in their education and this way the teacher can address the child directly (something that probably doesn't happen during the school day). Do you think there are issues that shouldn't be addressed in front of the child?

I would so love it if the school provided some sort of childcare. Like if a highschool group did a fundraiser. I've seen lots of churches do this at Christmas time so parents can shop.

[spero]

Originally Posted by chel

What do you all think of the idea of children attending the teacher conference? I like the thought that the child can take an active part in their education and this way the teacher can address the child directly (something that probably doesn't happen during the school day). Do you think there are issues that shouldn't be addressed in front of the child?

From my 10+ years of experience attending about a billion P-T conferences, IMO it's not that teachers don't want to address issues. It's that they have 15-20 minutes to tell you how your kid is doing academically & socially, whether special services or extra help is indicated, etc. It's also a parent's time to ask questions; and a teacher needs to be able to focus. A kid would be distracting, esp if the parent tried to involve him/her in the conference.

Look at it from the teacher's POV. This is their time to connect with parents. If there are issues, it can be brought up at a P-T conference and then addressed again at a later time with the parents and the child present.

I would not ever bring my children to a P-T conference unless I absolutely could not find someone to watch them. I think it would be terribly inconsiderate towards the teacher.

[teachma]

In the public school where I teach, we have three types of formal parent-teacher interactions on our annual schedule:

1) Open House: This is the day BEFORE school starts. The children come into the classroom with their parents to meet their new teacher and familiarize themselves with the classroom. (We have it tomorrow!)

2) Back to School Night: This is the one to which only parents are invited. It's a discussion about the grade-level curriculum in general, no specifics. It's also the opportunity for parents to sign up for classroom volunteer positions, ask questions about policies (i.e., b-day celebrations in class, homework...).

3) Parent-Teacher conferences: Teachers choose whether they want students to attend. Sometimes, it's the parents who don't!

[aniT]

Originally Posted by teachma

In the public school where I teach, we have three types of formal parent-teacher interactions on our annual schedule:

1) Open House: This is the day BEFORE school starts. The children come into the classroom with their parents to meet their new teacher and familiarize themselves with the classroom. (We have it tomorrow!)

2) Back to School Night: This is the one to which only parents are invited. It's a discussion about the grade-level curriculum in general, no specifics. It's also the opportunity for parents to sign up for classroom volunteer positions, ask questions about policies (i.e., b-day celebrations in class, homework...).

3) Parent-Teacher conferences: Teachers choose whether they want students to attend. Sometimes, it's the parents who don't!

Does the school provide child care for back to school night? I would not attend if my child was not invited or child care was not provided. I think it is extremely presumptuous of a school to think that every parent has access to child care.

I have also taken my kids to the school for conferences but have them play on the playgroud if they are not invited.

This is the first time in my life I have actually had access to a babysitter.

[teachma]

Originally Posted by aniT

Does the school provide child care for back to school night? I would not attend if my child was not invited or child care was not provided. I think it is extremely presumptuous of a school to think that every parent has access to child care.

I have also taken my kids to the school for conferences but have them play on the playgroud if they are not invited.

This is the first time in my life I have actually had access to a babysitter.

My school provides middle school Girl Scouts to mind the children...however, they do charge, but only $5.00 per child, I think. The other drawback is, well, they are middle school girls. Most people would not feel comfortable leaving a baby or young toddler with these "babysitters." I know that in my district, the parents not only have access to childcare, but most reside with their childcare...and are very free-sharing so that if one mom had no place for her children to go, she would likely be invited to drop her children off with someone who has a babysitter for the evening. Now, whether she'd be comfortable leaving her children with a stranger is another issue...

[aniT]

Originally Posted by teachma

Most people would not feel comfortable leaving a baby or young toddler with these "babysitters."

Heck no. My baby comes with me. If my baby is not invited, neither am I.

So I guess the schools need to decide if it is more important for parents not to bring children, or for the parents to show up in the first place.

[UUMom]

We've had to attend public and private meetings, and there have never been times where we were told children were not welcomed. There are children at every school event we've ever attended.

Non -issue here, thankfully.

[UUMom]

Originally Posted by chel

while it's wonderful that my dd's school has a "meet the teacher night", children aren't invited. That so wipes out the babysitter population. Not to mention it's on a school night and last until 8pm.
Is this common?
This school also insists that dc don't come to the parent-teacher conference. Until we moved, dd was going to go to a public magnet school where it was required that the parent and child attend the teacher conference (you would be kicked out of school if you didn't attend).

Can you show from the handbook where that was stated?

I am asking because we were told that magnet schools are the same as public schools. Meaning that once in, kids cannot be kicked out. I want to know how/ if they skirt this. We have multiple children. They are in public, private, and hsing situations.

[joycenjackiesmom]

In our district each school seems to do it's own thing.

My daughter's school has a before school ice cream social for kindergarten only which is parents and children. During the third week of school they have curriculum night which is parents only, they do let us know the date about 3-4 weeks earlier when we pick up our packets with all of the registration papers in it, they also send home a reminder early the first week of school. Either one of us will go or we will use a babysitter--since I work outside of the home I have limited interaction with the school and this event helps me feel somewhat connected at least for a little while. Conferences at my daughter's school are for parent and teacher but children can be in the hallway or classroom while they are happening. They are held in October and late April.

At my school (where I teach, in the same district) we do things a little differently. We have "meet and greet" early in the evening before school starts this involves both parents and children in all grades--this is when children find out who their teacher will be and drop of supplies in their new classrooms. We also have a curriculum night the second week of school. We do ask that children not accompany their parents--this year we are going to have a Mad Science demonstration for children to attend which will be supervised by school staff that do not have classrooms we are doing this in hopes that more parents will be able to come to curriculum night. Conferences are in October and March. In October they involve the parent and teacher while in March they are student led. This school also has an ice-cream social and a math night during the year.

[chel]

UUMom
here's what I could find off the internet. But yes, you can get kicked out if you don't come to the teacher conference. You also get booted if the family doesn't complete 18hrs a year of volunteer service for the school. I agree, this isn't normally how magnet schools go. The city has several, and this school along with it's sister school, are the only ones that don't do a lottery for admissions. There are lots of hoops to jump through. I stood in line for 52hrs to turn in the application (I, along with 100+ other families slept on the sidewalk). Only 24 new students got in that year. I think its the intense family involvement that makes it a wonderful school. I cried when my Dh was offered a job in a different state.

"The most important criterion for admission is a high level of commitment from both students and parents. Students are expected to do their best in their studies and perform community service; parents are required to volunteer at least 18 hours per year and attend two conferences with teachers each year. All prospective students and parents must complete an application and participate in an interview with members of the admissions committee"

[Golden]

We have an open house the day before school starts that the kids are expected to go to. P-T conferences are for parents only but they have childcare for your 15 minutes slot in the activity room. I suppose you could bring your child with you ( I do bring my toddler with me with a snack, it's only 15 minutes), but I really can't imagine having an easy conversation about issues with my big guy there.

For our school to offer childcare for conferences, it really isn't a big deal. There are 6 or 7 classrooms and one family is conferencing at a time. So 6 or 7 kids, or maybe nearly double that with the comings and goings. If it was a open house where everyone arrived at the same time, that would be a 100 plus kids to occupy. There also isn't a space in the building to accomodate 100 kids sitting together (like for an assembly) nevermind playing. So even if they had the manpower, they couldn't physically offer it at the school. This is a montessori- 2.9yrs to 9 years old school, BTW.

If they didn't offer childcare for him during the conference, I'd be screwed.

[CarrieMF]

Only the K and Grade 1 classes have Meet the Teacher nights. They do K the first hour and Grade 1 the 2nd. Kids can come though many don't bring them as there are 20 parents in the Grade 1 group and 40 in the K group. The other classes the teachers usually send a welcome note home and anyone can go in after class to speak to the teachers.

Parent/Teacher interviews the children are all asked to come. The teachers let the child show off their work, demonstrate reading and participate in the meeting through telling their favorite subjects, what they like don't like, etc. Other silblings are welcome to attend too.