Three half-days in a row: Why?
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Anonymous
OP here. I’m sorry to the teachers who opened this thread and saw the obnoxious comments aimed at them. That is why I was hesitant to even ask the question. Thanks to those who answered without dragging teachers. So my next question (rhetorical, since it’s been pretty much answered here) is why does MCPS force the middle and high schools to follow this same parent-teacher conference-driven schedule when they don’t do conferences. My kids are in middle and high school now and it’s annoying that they have half days for what looks like no reason. |
Anonymous
Middle schools and high schools do do conferences. Or at least, the middle schools and high school my kids have been at, do conferences. |
Anonymous
Which high schools have conferences? |
Anonymous
Our middle school had a weird thing where you could stand in line to talk to your kids teacher, and then I think they may have changed to a system where you could have one if you requested it (or maybe just if they requested it?). High school I have never heard of them but don’t know if they schedule them for kids who they think would benefit. |
Anonymous
Those are conferences. |
Anonymous
| High schools in MCPS do not have conferences which is why they didn't used to have these half days in November. Middle schools usually offer these ridiculous stand in line events that are a complete waste of time. There is nothing private about them and you certainly can't learn anything substantive about your child in that environment. FYI parents, you can schedule a "conference" with your child's teacher any time you want during the school year. If they can't meet in person, they can arrange a phone call which I've done and works just fine. Some high school and middle school teachers may schedule private conferences on these half days for students who are having difficulty in their class. |
Anonymous
It's so crowded, nobody goes there anymore. (I, personally, have learned substantive things at those events.) |
Anonymous
| Wait, MCPS does not have conferences in high school? Why |
Anonymous
They still have back to school where you can meet (some) teachers. I think the idea is by HS most don’t need a conference and any issues are better handled through other channels? The utility of conferences also diminishes as kids get more teachers for different subjects, while the number of kids per teacher increases. |
Anonymous
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It's a coincidental intersection of the end of the first marking period (Nov 8th) and parent-teacher conferences (Nov 11th and 12th) which are all supposed to be half days. When school started in late August, the two did not coincide like this. Some people we know actually went out of town for a mini-break 
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Anonymous
Probably because class sizes are too large and MCPS is afraid teachers won't be able to meet with everyone who wants a conference. When my high schooler was in middle school, the conference day was absolutely jam-packed, and it must have been very tiring for teachers. I still think it's important to encourage parents to meet with teachers. Without a dedicated meeting date, a lot of parents don't dare to schedule a private conference. And high school is when students need the most guidance, and when their brains are sometimes not mature enough to take responsibility for themselves entirely. |
Anonymous
Why have one day off when two half-days would suffice? It's one way to blow tax dollars since half-days require just as much bussing as whole days. This is why I'm against tax hikes for education since they don't use what they have with any restraint. |
Anonymous
I know people with kids in several local counties and have never heard of hs conferences..nor did I have them growing up. If you need to talk to a teacher schedule a conference at a mutually convenient time. |
Anonymous
Our middle school has a sign-up genius for this afternoon so parents can reserve time slot(s) to meet with up to two teachers privately in their classrooms. If you didn't get a reserved slot, you can also wait to speak with them first come first served. |
Anonymous
How would one do that when teaching five sections and having about 130+ kids per semester? |