Learning Plan 4- Think about any experiences you have had with parent-teacher

conferences. Perhaps your experiences have been as a parent, or as a teacher, or as a

child hearing about a conference afterward. Identify some of the emotional responses
you had about the conference. How do you think these earlier emotions and
experiences affect your present attitude to holding conferences as a teacher?
Scoring Standard
You must achieve a rating of at least 1 on each criterion to demonstrate competence.

Rating Scale

No (0): Learner did not meet requirement. Criterion is missing, incorrect or incomplete
Yes (1): Learner met criterion adequately
Ex (2): Excellence-Learner exceeded requirements of criterion with high level of
thought and meaningful reflection

Scoring Guide Criteria

Self-Score
Journal included student name, date, learning plan
number, and listed the topic prior to journal entry.
Journal entry is typed in 12 point font and is of
appropriate length.
Journal included the appropriate topics as suggested in
each learning plan, and stayed on topic.
Journal is thoughtful, meaningful and demonstrating
reflection.
Scoring guide and self-assessment is included with
submission of assessment. (Copy and paste this
scoring guide or save it and type in this document.
Highlight, bold, or type in the number you think you
have earned in the next column).
The journal is submitted electronically.

Instructor
Score
No 0 Yes 1 2

No 0 Yes 1 2

No 0 Yes 1 2

No 0 Yes 1 2

No 0 Yes 1 2

No 0 Yes 1 2

Journal was submitted on time. Additional points may

be deducted for late work as indicated in the syllabus.
Total Points and Comments if necessary:

No 0
____12____/14

No 0 Yes 1 2
________/14

Ashley Villarreal
10/25/12
LP 4
Parent-teacher conferences
Identify some of the emotional responses you had about the conference.

I think the most vivid conference experience I could remember was when I was in
high school. I had gotten in trouble with one of my teachers and they asked that I
be at the conference along with my parents. I remember being really nervous.
Once I got there I noticed that my teacher had as well. What I did not know at the
time was my conference was her very first one as a teacher on her own. So I was
scared out of my mind to be getting in trouble and she Im sure or should I say as
it seemed she was just as afraid as I was. In the end things went well on both
parts. She made it through her first conference and I made it through mine. Now
that I am a teacher and have been through what she has I have a new found
respect for what she did. A while back I was given the chance to talk to this
teacher and this topic came up and she told me about it being her first ever
conference alone and that after mine it was a cake walk.
I remember being proud of some of the things she had to say to my parents and
there were others that I though ohhhh boy here we gobut once everything was
all said and done I thought it was all pointless. I mean after all I was in high
school. Now looking back I am happy to have gone through it because when it
came time for me to do my first set of conferences I remembered going through
that and thought to myself after all that it will be a cake walk.

How do you think these earlier emotions and experiences affect your present attitude to
holding conferences as a teacher?
I think that my earlier emotions and experiences have in some ways made me
more prepared for when I do my conferences yet in some ways dont have that
big of an effect on them since the age span is so big. I am currently teaching
preschool and have done conferences a few times and each time I learned
something new I want to do in the next one. I feel like conferences is something
that on a person to person basis. One thing that I might really try to focus on with
one child/family might not even matter all that much to another family. I like to
start out my conferences by allowing them to ask any questions they might have
and end it with any questions they might have. I feel like by doing this is helps to
open up dialog and makes it seem more like a collaboration and a shared mutual
care for their child as opposed to just talking at them for fifteen minutes then
rushing on to my next meeting.
I do feel like if I ever have to talk to a parent about their child misbehaving in
class I always think back to my high school teacher and I still cant help but just
smile. What goes around comes around is the saying Im thinking of I do believe.