Do you bring your kids to a parent/teacher conference?

[Anonymous]

At College Gardens the students were asked to come (not sure if this is still the case). Parents actually did not like it.

[Anonymous]

No, we don't bring your children. Also, agree that I don't want my child or anyone else's children being interruptive during the conference or hanging around. I also don't feel leaving them unattended in the hallway to "entertain" themselves is appropriate parenting. DH and I are parents that don't believe in "technology parenting or babysitting"

[Anonymous]

This is funny. The only correct answer can be given by your child’s teacher and/or school. Who cares if anyone else likes the school policy, especially those misguided souls who twist it into an indictment on parenting? It’s not their call to make.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, we don't bring your children. Also, agree that I don't want my child or anyone else's children being interruptive during the conference or hanging around. I also don't feel leaving them unattended in the hallway to "entertain" themselves is appropriate parenting. DH and I are parents that don't believe in "technology parenting or babysitting"

Congratulations, here's a cookie for being a sanctimommy. I didn't bring my kid to conferences this year, but I saw a few kids in hallways (typically with devices and headphones) while their parents were talking to teachers. And that's totally fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No it’s both tacky and unparental (it would be as unprofessional if the teacher brought her kid). Unless the teacher requested that I bring my child they don’t show up. The child can go to aftercare for a little bit while I conference. To bring your children with you is tacky. If you wouldn’t bring your children with you in the dental or doctor’s exam room why would you do this to a teacher? I also don’t want my child to her herself discussed from the teacher’s point of view. I believe children should be children and adults should be adults. There should be a clear line of demarcation. Suppose you or the teacher need to discuss private family matters, custody issues, social issues, etc. ?

Not everyone has aftercare or a babysitter. Yes, my child goes to my dental and medical exams if not in school. A teacher is there for a job, its different from a parent. I want my child to hear everything and I want to see how they interact to make sure it is a good fit.

You can’t afford a babysitter for half an hour? How do you afford kids?

We do not regularly use babysitters so I am not leaving my kid with someone we do not know.

Oh for the love of God. Do you hear yourself? Sooooo many lame excuses.

[Anonymous]

It is amazing that was once a parents small responsibility to get childcare, use aftercare, find a middle or high schooler neighbor, or swap kids with a friend or neighbor for a WHOLE 1 hour tops - has now turned into swarms of kids in the school building during quiet adult conference times.

It is just too hard, you say? There is no need to follow the rules, you say? I just can’t afford it, you say?

Yes, having an entire year to plan for a 1 hour babysitter is truly tough. I feel for you. Instead, we will make sure the already rushed faculty at the school provide entertainment for your lazy ass so your kids aren’t too much of a PIA during adult conferences.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is amazing that was once a parents small responsibility to get childcare, use aftercare, find a middle or high schooler neighbor, or swap kids with a friend or neighbor for a WHOLE 1 hour tops - has now turned into swarms of kids in the school building during quiet adult conference times.

It is just too hard, you say? There is no need to follow the rules, you say? I just can’t afford it, you say?

Yes, having an entire year to plan for a 1 hour babysitter is truly tough. I feel for you. Instead, we will make sure the already rushed faculty at the school provide entertainment for your lazy ass so your kids aren’t too much of a PIA during adult conferences.

NP. What “rules” are you talking about? Our school sets up spaces for kids to wait in the hallways, and they are also welcomed and supervised in the gym and playground. Kids have been actively invited to the school during conferences for the 9 years I have had elementary aged school kids. I have never once seen or heard of a problem with this system. Clearly you have a problem with it and think you know better than school administrators, but that is truly your own problem. If our school didn’t welcome kids to come they wouldn’t literally invite them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is amazing that was once a parents small responsibility to get childcare, use aftercare, find a middle or high schooler neighbor, or swap kids with a friend or neighbor for a WHOLE 1 hour tops - has now turned into swarms of kids in the school building during quiet adult conference times.

It is just too hard, you say? There is no need to follow the rules, you say? I just can’t afford it, you say?

Yes, having an entire year to plan for a 1 hour babysitter is truly tough. I feel for you. Instead, we will make sure the already rushed faculty at the school provide entertainment for your lazy ass so your kids aren’t too much of a PIA during adult conferences.

Agree! My oldest is 19 and my young set is 9. When the oldest was in ES, there were no kids. Parents actually held themselves accountable. Now, they just expect the school to provide free childcare. It is ridiculous how so much liability is falling onto the school and so much less liability for parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our school provided babysitting for one of the conference days so parents can not worry about childcare.

That’s a great idea! Is it free? What kinds of activities do the students do?

The PTA coordinates with high school volunteers. They play games, do crafts and color and read in the cafeteria. It was perfect for that short window.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our school provided babysitting for one of the conference days so parents can not worry about childcare.

That’s a great idea! Is it free? What kinds of activities do the students do?

The PTA coordinates with high school volunteers. They play games, do crafts and color and read in the cafeteria. It was perfect for that short window.

It was free.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is amazing that was once a parents small responsibility to get childcare, use aftercare, find a middle or high schooler neighbor, or swap kids with a friend or neighbor for a WHOLE 1 hour tops - has now turned into swarms of kids in the school building during quiet adult conference times.

It is just too hard, you say? There is no need to follow the rules, you say? I just can’t afford it, you say?

Yes, having an entire year to plan for a 1 hour babysitter is truly tough. I feel for you. Instead, we will make sure the already rushed faculty at the school provide entertainment for your lazy ass so your kids aren’t too much of a PIA during adult conferences.

+100

[Anonymous]

I agree with a previous poster. The parents want the schools to do everything except discipline their children. They want free childcare all day with a myriad of enriching activities, small class sizes or aides in classes but no increase in taxes, textbooks and a better curriculum but no accountability because they want Larlo/a to have many paper and exam retakes as possible.


Some schools allows for:

-student led conferences (a circus IMHO)
- A child in a corner or outside in the hallway with technology (a bad parenting substitute IMHO and children roaming all over the place)
- Student High school volunteers (probably the best option but also requires that children are not allowed to roam freely or disappear)
(Seems to me if this option were exercised and a volunteer lost a kid then the school would then be liable)

Most schools and teachers according to some of them on this thread would appreciate you not bringing your children and their siblings to the conference. It’s pretty sad that people have an entire ~300 days to plan for an hour conference max and they don’t do it.

I’m a MCPS teacher and I plan for one hour parent conferences. I cannot get through everything in your child’s portfolio, enriching things that you can do at home, things to watch for, etc, if we have to constantly stop for your kid or someone else’s kid who is interrupting because they got lost or they are hungry for dinner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our school provided babysitting for one of the conference days so parents can not worry about childcare.

That’s a great idea! Is it free? What kinds of activities do the students do?

The PTA coordinates with high school volunteers. They play games, do crafts and color and read in the cafeteria. It was perfect for that short window.

It was free.

So they watch infants, toddlers, preschoolers, kids from other schools (my kids go to private and public)

Nope - they don't have the liability for it, nor should they.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Asking for a friend.

You’re not supposed to but they have Spanish speaking sitters since it seems to happen

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree with a previous poster. The parents want the schools to do everything except discipline their children. They want free childcare all day with a myriad of enriching activities, small class sizes or aides in classes but no increase in taxes, textbooks and a better curriculum but no accountability because they want Larlo/a to have many paper and exam retakes as possible.


Some schools allows for:

-student led conferences (a circus IMHO)
- A child in a corner or outside in the hallway with technology (a bad parenting substitute IMHO and children roaming all over the place)
- Student High school volunteers (probably the best option but also requires that children are not allowed to roam freely or disappear)
(Seems to me if this option were exercised and a volunteer lost a kid then the school would then be liable)

Most schools and teachers according to some of them on this thread would appreciate you not bringing your children and their siblings to the conference. It’s pretty sad that people have an entire ~300 days to plan for an hour conference max and they don’t do it.

I’m a MCPS teacher and I plan for one hour parent conferences. I cannot get through everything in your child’s portfolio, enriching things that you can do at home, things to watch for, etc, if we have to constantly stop for your kid or someone else’s kid who is interrupting because they got lost or they are hungry for dinner.

We're in year 7 of MCPS, and I've never had a regular scheduled conference that was longer than 15 minutes, even at our CES, unless I asked for a separate one at a different time. (And even then, it's never run more than 30 minutes. Frankly, I'd never ask that of a teacher unless there was a serious issue.) Usually 15 minutes has been fine, even if it was just to determine that we needed to meet at another time to discuss something in greater detail.


But I have a serious question for you: how on earth do you manage 25+ one-hour conferences in the two half-days allotted for them? My understanding was that those two half-days on Veteran's Day and the day after were designated as the MCPS-wide conference period, but I can't see how you could possibly squeeze in one-hour conferences for even a small class. Or do you do something on your own, outside of the school's regular Fall conference window?