Published: October 07, 2009 12:47 am      

GESENHUES: Parents need to speak up for all children

Last week, my daughter came home with a letter from the New Albany-Floyd County Consolidated School Corp. informing parents that the school, “ ... will not have scheduled parent/teacher conferences as we have in the past.”

According to the Assistant to the Superintendent, the decision to eliminate parent/teacher conferences is a result of a ruling by the Indiana Department of Education that determined parent/teacher conferences do not count toward the 180 days required for student instruction.

No parent/teacher conferences? How is this a good idea? It’s one thing to tell me — an overly cautious, sometimes annoying parent of a grade schooler — that I won’t be required to meet with my daughter’s teacher. I can e-mail; I can call; I can write a column.

But what about the children whose parents do not have the same accessibility as I have? Not everyone can jump online and shoot an e-mail to a teacher or the administration. Not everyone can take 10 minutes away from their job to call the school during school hours. And, not everyone is even going to read the letter sent home informing them that they will not be asked to attend a parent/teacher conference.

Upon reading the letter, I immediately e-mailed my daughter’s teacher asking if she could keep me posted on my daughter’s progress. I then e-mailed the Assistant to the Superintendent to show my concern and ask a few questions.

In a follow-up e-mail to me, the Assistant to the Superintendent stated his administration was discussing options with the Teacher’s Association for this school year. It appears that now the administration must work with the teachers to determine how to fit parent/teacher conferences into their schedule outside of the 180 instructional days.

In his e-mail, the Assistant to the Superintendent stated, “Parent/teacher conferences are essential for student learning. Everyone will lose if we are not able to make adjustments in the bargained contract. I have the highest regard for our teachers, and I know that they will continue to have quality communication with our parents. I am hopeful that together we will be able to resolve the situation, and parent/teacher conferences can continue this year.”

My knowledge of the Teacher’s Association is limited. I did write a column this summer questioning comments that the President of the Teacher’s Association had made about a kindergarten student. And while I disagreed with his comments then, I am sure his association members, the administration, and the state’s Department of Education all want what is best for the children.

My problem with the decision to eliminate parent/teacher conferences is on a community level. When one child suffers — when one child is not given the same encouragement, support, and opportunity as their fellow classmates — then the entire system suffers. While I will continue to check-in on my child’s educational progress, what can I do to make sure that each of her classmates in her class, in her school, and in the New Albany Floyd County school system receive the same attention?

For each of our children to have a positive educational experience, as a community, we must strive to provide every student with the same learning tools and resources to fulfill their potential.

I get that our teachers are strapped. They are not compensated nearly enough for the work they do day-in and day-out. (I was shocked when I learned what my own sister, a first-grade teacher in another state, spent out of her own pocket on classroom supplies.) Asking teacher’s to give up more of their own time to meet with parents is not an answer.

Personally, I disagree with the state’s decision not to include the parent/teacher conferences as part of the 180 days of student instruction. What better instruction is there than to alert parents of their child’s educational needs and make them part of the educational process? But I do not have a background in academics besides being a student. I have not studied best practices for our educational process, nor do I have any immediate understanding of scholarly methods.

What I do know is that I want to be intimately aware of what is going on with my child and her education. I want her to have the best possible educational experience and be appreciative of the tools, resources, and even more importantly, the educators who are there to instruct her. But most of all, I want her classmates to have all the same opportunities that she has.



Amy Gesenhues is a freelance writer who lives in Floyd County. You can read her daily commentaries at www.AmyWroteIt.Wordpress.com. E-mail her directly at amy@amywroteit.com.



So you know

• As parents of school-age children, we need to be involved in the discussions even if we have to initiate the conversation. To send your comments to the state education department or our local school administration, here are the contact numbers:

Indiana Department of Education

Superintendent: Dr. Tony Bennett

317-232-6610

tbennett@doe.in.gove

New Albany-Floyd County Consolidated School Corp.

Superintendent: Tony Hibbard

Assistant to the Superintendent: Bill Briscoe

812-949-4200

On the Web

You can contact either of these individuals and find your child’s school contact information at: www.nafcs.k12.in.us/.