I'm really trying to figure out why so few parents have been coming to "meet the teacher" night at my school. It's not just that they're too busy because I assume they really care about their child's performance at school. But they may be turned off by a triple subliminal message we convey:
1. Parents' night will be on our terms: before the end of the school day around 3 pm and no later than 8 pm. If parents can't make these hours that's too bad because we are unionized and don't want to go too far in catering to parents' schedules for fear of making too many "concessions" to our employer.
2. We are guarded and somewhat defensive, armed with marks and percentages to let you know how your child is doing academically.
3. We don't want to get to know you, so you only have 5 minutes to talk to us before we will move on to the next person.
Maybe more parents would be motivated to show up if the message was:
1. We will call you and set up a time to meet with you at your earliest convenience.
2. We want to hear your perspective on your child's performance in order to gauge whether or not our assessments of your child's performance are indeed accurate.
3. We would appreciate understanding your cultural and family situation so we are willing to meet you at your home to talk about your child's life outside of school.
Too radical? Unprofessional risks? Or the pathway to greater student and teacher success?
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