Think Parent-Teacher Conferences are only for traditional school? No way!
It’s true that they might look a little different for homeschoolers, since the Parent and the Teacher are the same person. But having a conference with your student each semester can be a valuable experience for both of you. While there will of course be lots to discuss, going over your student’s school progress is a great place to start.
My kids really enjoy grades. Who knew?
Just a few years ago, we added Progress Reports to our Notes and Record Keeping section of our Student Edition Planners. I don’t remember how it started, but they really began to enjoy some sort of barometer for measuring where they are. Of course this measurement will look different in households all over the country!
I for one, am grateful that I don’t have to follow one prescribed way of recording grades. We like to talk a lot about “effort,” and that, for character building reasons, is very important to me. Occasionally, the effort is directly related to the actual grade but most often I will take each subject, and even each assignment, down a different grading path. Here is a link to a “standard” grading system with the old-fashioned letter grades, which we also use occasionally.
Our Parent Student conference is always anticipated and a lot of fun.
On one of these occasions, I took my youngest to A&W for root beer floats and a great conversation about school! My oldest enjoyed a breakfast out with me. It’s a fun one-on-one time for us, and the boys really look forward to it each semester.
It can be a great tool, and I encourage you to give it a try, if you haven’t already.
Happy grading!
