Parent teacher conferences in high school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a HS teacher, don't request one unless you have specific concerns.

I love when I get an email from a parent who says something like: I am happy with my kid's progress in your class so far. Is there anything I should be made aware of or do we need a conference?

It's so much better than me blocking off time for a parent to come whose kid is doing great just to hear me say that. Meaning, they come in because they feel obligated, not because they have concerns.

Or they come in because they wants us to hype up their kid for 20 minutes but the kid is completely average so all we have to say is “they’re doing fine.”

[Anonymous]

Are you in public or private? We are in an independent school and the teachers always have am open door ans have a fraction of the number of students a public has . Even then, starting in middle school my kids school put a gigantic emphasis on becoming an independent learner. By the time high school hit they were fully managing themselves. We've never had reason to walk through that open door. The school is even handling the college application process, including kids who go for early decision.