What makes a conference effective? I have been asking myself this question for over 20 years. I think I finally have the answer for my middle school students. For the past three days I have been with every one of my students to go over assignments they are missing, need to fix, finish, or redo. For the most part, students were able to hand in their assignments to improve their grade prior to the parent conference. As I met with parents yesterday and today, they were able to confirm their child had been working on my assignments and telling their parents about what they learned concerning the assignment. Parents told me they were interested in the topics and were extremely happy to have conversations with their child about their learning. Middle school years are tough for parents to support their ever changing child, but when they are able to leave a conference with a happy and determined child, it makes all the difference. From now on I will make sure to meet with every student prior to a conference to provide them the opportunity to lessen their anxiety and show their parents they are willing to try. What are your thoughts? Is it better to give students a chance to correct a negative behavior before presenting to their parents or just let them face the situation?
Laura Ballesteros
Laura was destined to be a teacher when as a small child she would gather her stuff animals and teach them how to read a book she saw on the PBS show Reading Rainbow. She began her quest to become a teacher with focusing on teaching American History, but an art history teacher guided her towards teaching English. He wanted to ensure she would be able to get a teaching position right out of college. She followed his suggestion and upon subbing at a middle school she ran into her former middle school Social Studies teacher Elizabeth Clontz. Upon completion of their conversation with the principal Laura was offered a position at that school. Mrs. Clontz provided her with the support and direction she needed to complete her first three years of teaching with confidence and dedication to her craft. Laura has spent all 23 years of her teaching at that very school in Language Arts, Special Education, Read 180, Jaguar Den Intervention, and Social Studies 6-8. In 2007, she earned her M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction. In 2013, she earned her National Board Certification in Early Adolescent Language Arts. She is currently in her dream position as a 7th grade teacher focusing on WWI, WWII, Holocaust, Cold War, and Economics. Over her 23 years teaching, she has taken her students on field trips to museums, concerts, Broadway plays, the state capital, theme parks, and wild animal parks. She has created Hogwarts Night, WWII Bond Dances, and AVID Parent/Students Nights. She is most happy with her teaching when students can interact with history and have fun with it. In her free time, she travels to places related to the history she teaches. She has had the privilege of visiting Europe in 2018 and 2022 under the guidance and financial support of the WWII Museum and NAU Martin-Springer Institute. She has traveled across the country under the guidance of economic organizations to explore economic issues of the past and present. She enjoys returning with her wealth of information and experiences to share with her husband and son.