BRAVO MOMMA!

Yesterday was the big day for our parent conference. Tracey went for both of us. I was tied up at work and was not able to attend. In the past has always wanted either me to handle the meeting or at least go with her. This time however, she was ready to go and if I had gone I doubt I would have got a word in. The woman was ready to go!
She gets to the meeting and of course it is her, the principal and the teacher. I don’t want to go into great specifics but it is safe to say that the school did not come off looking very good. You can read my previous post to read the email I sent them to give them a list of our questions.
I am not sure where to start. It is not often that a parent will set up a meeting and give you much information regarding their concern because they don’t want you to have a prepared statement to their concern.
Jacks teacher is in her first year in a regular classroom. She has education experience but nothing to this level. She is going up against a mother who has 16 years of classroom experience and a father with 15 years of educational experience with 7 of those years being a campus administrator. To say that she is at a disadvantage here is an understatement. The last parent meeting we had the best defense she had was “that is how they do it here.”
So to be fair I sent her and the principal an email (you can read it below) to give them a heads up. They had four days to get ready for this meeting. IF a parent conference involved me and the teacher there was obviously a problem. I would always go in ahead of time and talk with the teacher about what was going on. If we screwed up…we screwed up. The important thing is to not make excuses to the parent in the conference. Admit our wrong doing.. Privately, before the conference, I would coach the teacher on how to handle the situation in the future so that they can learn and be better! We all make mistakes. The important thing to remember is that we learn from them. In the meeting with the parents we tell them what we are going to do in the future. I usually figure out a way to take the heat for the mistake so that the teacher feels as though they are supported and not being left out to dry. It is a win-win situation. The parent has been heard and their concerns are validated. The teacher learns how not to get in that situation again.
This did NOT happen here. As a matter of fact I don’t think the principal even talked to the teacher AT ALL before the conference. If he had he would have coached them a bit better.
This is the funniest part: In regards to how is the campus monitoring the effectiveness of tutoring and what is done if it is found to not be effective? Example: Jack makes good grades on stuff we work with him on but consistently makes 70’s and 60’s on work covered in class and tutoring.
This was actually said by Jack’s tutoring teacher who joined the meeting:
Another teacher in the third grade (who plans math for the grade level) gives the tutoring teacher a packet of work to give to the kids. If the kid needs help the tutor try’s to help the kid.
Question by us: what strategy are you using when you are working with Jack?
Tutor: Strategy?
Tracey: Yes what problem solving strategy are you using to help the kids ?
Tutor: All I get is a bunch of packets and I hand them out to the kids.

LLLLLLOOOONNNNNGGGG SILENCE as Tracey let’s this INCREDIBLE DUMB statement sink in.
She looks over at the principal he is not reacting. Tracey handled that beautifully. She gave them rope and they hung themselves.
This is too easy!
Then the principal says this: What you have to understand Mrs. Huffman is that you and your husband are much more knowledgeable than the typical parent. You are asking questions that the typical would not know to ask..
What the hell does that mean? Excuse my staff for being idiots….I got nothin’
Dude! If you are going into a parent conference and you have seen their concerns and you got a first year teacher and you are facing parents with over 30 years of experience and one of the parents was a campus administrator you better get in there and find out what the hell is going on.
NOT SMART!
And I loved how Tracey handled this statement to the principal. Any parent Mr…….. is going to come into this situation and what to know what the school is doing to ensure their child is learning.
BRAVO MOMMA! BRAVO