Conferences... Done! (Almost)

Thirty-one conferences finished and one to go!

Fonts by Jessica Stanford

It seems like every year I try a different strategy to make conferences run more smoothly. And, every year, I think: Next year I am going to try something different!

My conferences are twenty minutes long, and I usually end up wishing I had a half an hour instead. After eight or nine conferences in a row, I am asking myself: "What were you thinking?! If these conferences were half an hour long, your comments would be completely nonsensical! You don't even remember your OWN name, not to mention the name of the child in front of you!" (More than once, I had to look at the child and think (quickly!): Oh yes, I DO remember you!)

Graphic by Scrappin Doodles

I have parents whose schedules vary greatly, so I try to have a "something for everyone" approach to conference scheduling. Kids come to conferences too, so that requires a further twist to the arrangement. I choose one day to stay late and a few mornings to come in extra early. (Our start time for kids is 7:40, so "extra early" is EARLY!) I was surprised that some parents chose the 6:40 to 7:00 AM slot. And I was not surprised to find there was competition for the 6:40 to 7:00 PM slot! As it stands, everyone found a time that worked for them (and one family that is still rescheduling).

The schedule for conferences tends to unfold like this:

Fonts by Jessica Stanford

Of course my favorite part is the student presentations. Students deliver a presentations about their progress in sixth grade. Although they have note cards, they cannot read them; they have key words that prompt them for each element of their presentation. There are four "categories" that the students talk about: The subject I am best at... The subject I need to improve on (or the subject I find challenging)... My behavior in class and at school... and My favorite thing about sixth grade... followed by a heart-felt: "Any questions?"

Originally the students wrote a statement to match each category.

Then they eliminated the superfluous words, leaving them with the key words or "talking points." They were only allowed FIVE, so they had to choose carefully. This type of thinking (and some extra practice time) helped to cement the comments into their minds--which reduced their nervousness--at least a little.

They were able to look at the key words and then express their sentiments in a sentence or two as they spoke about each category. So, one of my "math-magicians" was able to look at this card, hold it behind his back and then recreate his sentence: "The subject I am best at is math because decimals are easy and algebra is challenging and fun."

I was (as always) amazed at their poise and candor. Some of them were able to embellish their comment cards with very little difficulty. There were a few giggles, one round of tears, numerus sighs of relief, and plenty of smiles.

It.

Was. 

Impressive!

I took "action notes" so that I could follow up on questions, suggestions and requests, which resulted in a To Do list that I hope to complete soon (before I lose it!). I have flash cards to find, kids to add to my tutoring group, a few grades to re-investigate, and some books to purchase that students have requested.

One last discovery... While looking for some "parent-teacher-student conference clip art," I found a set at Scrappin' Doodles (There is so much cute stuff there!) The set included some adorable graphics and this sweet apple comment. I need to figure out how to thank some parents for their involvement and I need to discover a way to encourage some parents to take a more active part in supporting their kids' learning. 

I just like what this little apple says! I'm thinking of a conference thank-you note...

(And I am definitely going to use this graphic for Back-to-School meetings next year!)

Graphic by Scrappin Doodles

I hope that your conferences went smoothly... and that you are looking forward to at least a few days away from school this week. I have so much to be thankful for... and vacation days are currently on my list!

Curently... November!

Ahhhh..... Farley's Currently. It puts order in my life--or, at least, reminds me of what month it is!

November is just-so-crazy! There are far too many things to do--and simply not enough hours in a day. It seems as if a few weeks ago, the students were learning how to put their names on their papers... and now they are expected type an expository piece using textual evidence to support their claim! (And, still, those names are not on their papers!)

We are hosting Thanksgiving at our house (I don't cook), so we had to get the carpets cleaned. A one evening vacation felt like a paradise to me. And to come back to an "empty" (of school stuff) house with clean carpets was pretty amazing. (Shhhhhhh. Don't let anyone look in the garage...)

I loved the music link on this month's Currently. I like to play "background music" in the mornings when the students come in and during most of the "quiet activities" in our day.  I prefer to use music that is NOT based on songs I know--I have a bad habit of breaking into song just after I've gotten them comfortably settled! One of my favorites is Daydreaming: Relaxing Guitar. I like this collection because it is calming, but not (completely) sleep-inducing. And they are all original pieces so you won't be tempted to belt out "You've Got a Friend" in the middle of independent reading. Click here to take a listen on iTunes. Or at least to show you a picture--I think iTunes needs to be open for you to listen to the music... or you need to do something else that I don't know how to do... If there were more hours in a day, I could learn a few more technology tips!

Now, click on over to Farley's and get your Currently linked up. Remember to show some love to the links before and after your. I have made new BlogFriends EVERY time I have completed a Currently, and I know you will too.

Wishing you a happy November!

We've Got Tissues, Yes We Do!

My kids know I have to have everything matching everything else in the classroom. It just makes me HAPPY!

And they laughed, recently, when I bought a package of three boxes of tissues. As soon as I opened the package, I had to give one box away to another teacher--because the box was GRAY and BROWN!

I have a wonderful friend who shares my sentiments about what my kids call "matchy matchy." I didn't know until this school year that there would be a meme that applied to me!

At the end of the summer, my friend hits all the Back-to-School sales, and buys things that are needed in my classroom: pencils, erasers, tissues... all of those needed items of which you can simply never have enough (For my grammar-watchers, I had to rework that sentence three times so that it would not end in a preposition!)

We can't ask for supplies at our school, and many of the kids come to school each day without a pencil, so this is a Treasure Trove of Goodness that is put to use from that very first day in September.

This year, my friend brought me (among other delights) an assortment of tissues that match my room. LOVE THEM! They are stored in a big bag in the closet--and I have the option of selecting a box based on the color of the area or the color of my mood. Either way, I know it will always be a box that fits the decor. {Contented sigh!}

My room is filled with bright colors: purple, magenta, hot pink, lime, bright blue and turquoise (with an occasional splat of orange). And look at this...

Yep! Happy City!

So, as the sniffles and snurfles begin to take over my room, I just grab another colorful box... with thankful thoughts for good friends and tissue boxes that match...