Conference Week Debrief

We had a successful Conference Week at WHS or at least it felt that way.  It is difficult to determine the effectiveness of what took place since only time will tell whether or not the individual and multiple-teacher conferences were worthwhile.  We just completed our 9th week of school and have 9 weeks left in this semester, so we shall see.


Last week we focused on students who were failing multiple classes. There were a number of conferences that took place that were parent requested, but the conferences that the staff requested were for student who were struggling in multiple classes.  For the most part, each multiple-teacher conference had an administrator or designee facilitate the conference.  


The conferences started out with introductions, the purpose and then sharing.  Each teacher brought to the  conference updated grade sheets showing what was happening and more importantly what could be done. These conferences were solution-based and for the most part positive.  


I was very impressed with the WHS staff throughout the week. We attempted to jam as many conferences as we could in the time we had and I think we did a fair job doing that.  The teachers were positive, organized and provided specific feedback to students and parents. The teachers shared resources they have provided as well as retake opportunities available. Many of our teachers have updated websites or blogs. They have linked helpful resources to their websites or blogs for students needing additional information from home.   


I appreciated the parents who attended the conferences.  They listened, shared their thoughts and were part of the plan.  They took notes and asked questions about additional resources.  In many cases, they were honest about how much or how little they could help.  In the case of how little, they asked what their student could do.


I thought this was good use of time.  Although we sacrifice instructional time during Conference Week, I believe the plans we put in place for students needing additional support will pay off the next nine weeks.