Teacher Tête-à-Tête

Eric Perez
Editor-in-Chief 
  Parent teacher conference (PTC) is a chance for teachers, parents, and students to l get together and talk about what the teacher and student do in school. PTC took place on January 22nd, at Bonneville High School. 
  There are not that many teachers at Bonneville High School (BHS), and a little over 1000 students. With all the work the teachers put in, the parent teacher conference gives parents an excellent chance to understand how their student is doing and how the teachers are instructing their child. An interview was conducted with Mr. Smock from the English department, who teaches junior and senior english. Smock was asked how PTC affects him. He responded by saying, “Parent teacher conferences give [him] a chance to actually put kids in a different perspective… It gives students a more [real life] perspective.” Meeting with parents and teachers helps students get a real world perspective and can help their education by seeing what goes on in the background. Smock believes PTC can help students by putting in an easy understanding perspective. Smock was asked what he does to prepare for parent teacher conferences. Towards the beginning of Smock's career he was doing  “a lot more preparation.” In preparing for his PTC meetings,Smock would set up slideshows and get the curriculum laid out. However, since BHS’ PTCs are open-house style, Smock just “plays it by ear.” He focuses on “[what] the parent want[s] to talk about, and what the student wants to talk about.” Smock works relentlessly making vocabulary units and content lessons for students everyday in class. Having teachers and parents talk about what is discussed and expected in class helps parents understand what the student is learning. Smock's craziest experience during the parent teacher conference was at the beginning of his teaching career when a parent was wearing an inconvenient shirt. He explained to parents, “I firmly believe, respecting one another. It's easier to give respect and you'll get respect, and I'm not a fan of respect is earned aspect.” Unlucky for Mr. Smock, a parent in the audience that was wearing a shirt that showed, “Respect is earned not given, and he did not agree with my stance on that which created an awkward moment.”
  Mr. Smock and many other teachers learn a great deal from meeting parents. Knowing what students are learning in class, whether their behavior is excellent or not so excellent, can help parents better understand their child.

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