We are 3 hours away from the Thanksgiving break. Conferences are complete, and we're all staring at 4.5 days of relaxation ahead. No homework, no projects, no planning (at least for the kids). I'll likely take a day or two then put some work into the next block of teaching time, ensuring instruction and assessment are in line.
Conferences do many things. The amount of work put into instruction is less, simply because there is less instructional time to work about. Work is shifted to looking closely at assessment data, and deciding where some instructional gains can be made. Time is invested in building relationships with parents and families, and it has been fantastic.
I walk away more committed to my kids. I'm excited to rest up, take a fresh look at what is coming up, and ensure that I have quality instruction planned. That is, of course, after lots of turkey.
I love to hear that you come away from conferences feeling excited and more committed to kids. I'm a student teacher and the attitude I've witnessed from many teachers is that conferences are a necessary evil--something to survive. I'm glad to hear that you find value and motivation in conferences. What do you think makes that difference for you?
ReplyDeleteThere is an element of survival. You have 20+ kids that you need to grade, and make meaningful comments about. That is in addition to ensuring that your instruction isn't simply busy work. Plus going 5 conferences in a row, followed by a 10 minute break and another 4 conferences really isn't fun.
ReplyDeleteFor me, it was nice to have the kids at many of them so that we were having a conversation out in the open. I also feel like it is a combination of personal goals and attitude. I want to be the best teacher I can be, so conferences points out those areas where you need to improve your instruction. Additionally going in feeling like it is just something you need to do can be smelled out quickly, just like it can be in the classroom.