Most parents know that the end of the month of October in St. Louis means Halloween, Cardinals in the World Series, and parent-teacher conferences. The first two are joyful events, the third…not so much.

I remember as a kid liking parent teacher conferences because I was the kind of kid that loved school. My mom was also a teacher in the school district, so there wasn’t much she didn’t already know. For me, it was a great time to show off my drawings, stories, etc.

For my son, conferences are an anxiety producing, gut wrenching, figure-out-a-way-to-be-too-sick-to-go event. Last night was the fabulous opportunity to meet with Ms. B. Williams to find out what my ultra-smart athlete had really been doing with his time. Of course, there were great things (he’s my kid right?) and there were not so great things (he’s his father’s kid right?). All was going fine until we got to the “things that need improvement” section. That’s when the conference hit the fan!

Ms. B. Williams mentioned that homework needed to be turned in to her in a more timely fashion. WHAT?!? Homework? That thing I ask my son if he has completed every night? The thing I am assured by him each night that has been completed and turned in already during class? Oh, Momma! Someone is in a lick of trouble now! Needless to say the X-Box is dark until the homework is caught up.

Moral of the parent story: I came away with some good tips for how to be better prepared for the conferences than I was.

• Know more earlier on.
• Keep in touch with the teacher.

Here are some great tips for conferences from experts (because I am obviously not one on this topic).

• The Learning Community
• The Washington Post

Do you have any more tips on how to be prepared?

Wishing you great conference, happy Halloween, and GO Cards!

Mills Properties