Of course, as a teacher who has spent many more years sitting on the other side of the conference table, I know that my son, and so many children, share parts of themselves at school that they don’t express as readily at home. The reverse is also true and perhaps more common--most children work hard to do their best and hold their emotions in check throughout the school day, only to fall apart as soon as they get home. Or, they shout and jump and scream and bang improvised drum solos on every possible surface--it turns out four-year-olds can’t be “calming influences” all day long any more than the rest of us.
Our hope at Friends School Haverford is that parent-teacher conferences offer families a window into their child’s life at school each day. The conversation is also a chance for teachers to learn more from families, who are, of course, the “experts” on their children. Like me, you may discover that your child has skills and talents and interests you may never have imagined. Like me, you will find that teachers see parts of your child that you hope will grow and blossom and appear regularly at the family dinner table. Like me, I believe you value the relationships that your child has with caring teachers and the way these connections allow them to become their authentic selves at every age and in each grade. Thanks for sharing your children with us and letting us be a part of such a profound transformation.