I was reading Steve's blog this morning when he casually described school interviews being conducted on Zoom. Immediately I said WOW! What a great idea!
Now I was a teacher and we had parent teacher interviews regularly. Well, not in the very olden days. Interviews were a marathon. We went from 9 to 9. It was a long stressful day. You'd get home about 10:00 PM and be shaking.
I encouraged kids to attend interviews with their parents. Then the kid knew what both teacher and parent said. Sometimes a kid got beat up when there was just a parent. Sometimes there was an argument when the parent went home if the student didn't attend the interview. I wanted both parent and student to go way with a positive attitude.
Now I'm not sure how Steve's school did interviews but I can see some definite advantages. The logistics would be much easier. You wouldn't have parents racing to the school for interviews. Scheduling could be much easier. The parent could attend the interview from the office. Just think how this would help reduce greenhouse gas. The parent and student could be in their own home. Preparations could be made and students work and marks on display. This would be much quieter as there wouldn't be people running around the school. A parent with two students may have 10 in interviews to attend. Hey, even the teacher could be at home.
We keep wondering what changes covid might make to our society. This to me is a good change and I hope it continues after covid. Some technology is being developed and improved so that work can be done from home and in other off site places.
My daughter just had parent teacher conferences with my granddaughter’s middle school teachers and she said the same thing. She hopes they keep doing it this way so you don’t have to keep running to the next interview. She said, it worked out really well and the teachers (except 1) all got a good handle on the technology.
ReplyDeleteI can see this as a big improvement over the school face to face interviews.
Delete(Darn! I just wrote a comment and it disappeared. Trying again.)
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about those parent-teacher conferences. My conferences were all about 20 minutes to half hour long and it made for long evenings and days. My daughter just had zoom conferences with my granddaughter’s teachers and she said it was so convenient and she hopes they keep doing it this way so she doesn’t have to run around all over campus trying to get to the next conference.
Your first comment appeared here. It's good to hear a parent's opinion on this topic.
DeleteParent teacher interviews on zoom for the majority, if not for everyone, would help in many ways. I also deal locally with a small business to order a lot of products (like liquid soaps and oils) and I pick it up when it is ready. This saves me having to wait there while they refill which can take a long time for something simple due to the number of people who want refills. Now I just go when it is ready and I enter a separate door to the other customers so you are basically in and out. I spoke to the store owner and it seems they like this new way of business too. I think thing will look a lot different in a year or two not to mention the loss of all the restaurants and businesses. I was in downtown Vancouver today on Robson Street and many places are shuttered.
ReplyDeleteThere will be losses and I think some businesses like restaurants will have to change how they operate.
DeleteLike you I attended countless parents' evenings after full days of teaching. There wasn't even any time to grab something to eat and you crawled into bed feeling shattered. You woke the following morning with something resembling a hangover. There are subtleties about human communication that can easily be lost in on-screen exchanges. However, I am with you. I would also vote for "Zoom" or "Skype" interviews with parents.
ReplyDeleteAs with all changes there are some things that are lost but this has some advantages for everybody.
DeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteAs a child, I remember not liking the parent-teacher meetings. I do think some of these new changes are a good thing. The zoom meetings sound great. Take care, enjoy your weekend!
I for one would really like interviews on zoom.
DeleteI don't recall attending those evenings with my parents.
ReplyDeleteMany teachers didn't want kids to attend and some parents wee hesitant to have kids attend. It was well worth it to have kids participate and have some ownership in the interview.
DeleteI taught at two high schools. In the first one, they set 6-minute appointments and notified anyone when it was time to move. Parents could ask for follow-ups if required, but that is how the evening was set up. I think we did this for 3 consecutive evenings, or at least 2.
ReplyDeleteSo, it was a shock to me when there were no appointments at my next school. Lines often stretched a long way back.
Six minutes would be time for only hello good bye.
DeleteThey started student-led conferencing at the tail end of my teaching career. It was wonderful. My daughter is on her PTA, and they did a Zoom meeting last week. It's quite different. You can drink during them, as well! You just put your drink in a coffee mug, and blow on it from time-to-time!
ReplyDeleteThis old middle teacher could get carried away with your comment just like middle school kids!
DeleteIt does sound like a good idea. I think there are many things in our lives that will improve after Covid. I think I prefer my yoga classes on Zoom rather than being in the studio. :-)
ReplyDeleteOkay there you go. Things go better with zoom.
DeleteRed, that's a really positive approach to the dreaded parents' evening.
ReplyDeleteToo many people dread a student interview. That's not the way it should be.
DeleteThat really is a great idea and perhaps one of the good outcomes from this terrible pandemic.
ReplyDeleteI thing there will be more changes in things that will work better than old methods.
DeleteI wonder how many parents would like that idea. It does sound like a good one.
ReplyDeleteIt would be much more convenient for all.
DeleteYES! As you said, even the teacher could be at home. Dave did all his interviews from home. I do think this is a great way to manage the process.
ReplyDeleteThanks for mentioning this as I wouldn't have realized that that is how interviews were being conducted.
DeleteIt seems like all sorts of things are changing due to technology.
ReplyDeleteThings have been changing rapidly but covid will change some specific things that might not have otherwise been changed.
DeleteSuch a great idea is true. Those long days of interviews were tough. I believe the on-line interviews would be easier.
ReplyDeleteWhat I can see is much more convenience at both ends.
DeleteHonestly, I don't remember going to teacher conferences either as a student myself or for my kids when they were in school. I probably just repressed those memories! Anyway, yes, we're all discovering that sometimes Zoom is the better way to go.
ReplyDeleteWell, Tom , you could be from the very, very olden days when they didn't have interviews.
DeleteI agree with you! This would be easier on everyone. I remember going to parent teacher conferences with my two sons and it was exhausting for everyone. Plus, most of the time my husband and I would have to split up and each take one boy because with two students the appointments often overlapped.
ReplyDeleteI think there will be some benefits from the pandemic and the better use of computers and internet is one of them. More and more people are able to work from home. Both of my sons work from home and love it.
Sometimes educators didn't make things very convenient when you had more than one student to deal with.
DeleteYes, parent student teacher conferences are a good way to use technology.
ReplyDeleteDo you remember those long stressful days?
DeleteThis is a change for the good. As a working, single mother, how much easier and better, but for the lack of the medium back then.
ReplyDeleteYou could schedule while you're involved with something else that you could drop for a few minutes.
DeleteHey! Four thumbs up and a love! That's awesome. Have a great day.
ReplyDeleteWe're fortunate that we have all this technology during this pandemic. It's really helpful!
ReplyDeleteWe had two afternoons and nights of Parent Teacher Conferences just about every year of my teaching, with the same long hours as yours. And then come back the next morning to a full day of classes. Lots of times not even 10 minutes to eat lunch or dinner either. Oh boy, that is one thing I do not miss!
ReplyDeleteSchool interviews are a definite plus. So is youtube church service in a way.
ReplyDeleteI always waited to hear what My Mom would have to say after conferences...it hardly seemed fair that the student was left out of the conference:(
ReplyDeleteI attended parochial school through my elementary and high school years and sadly cannot recall a single parent-teacher conference. And, I don't think my memory is failing, yet. It seems that public schools were more progressive in many areas.
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