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Hudson Valley Parent 17
work together to come up with a
plan, Ferreri says.
"If homework is an issue, the
child could be asked to show [the]
homework planner to parents every
night and have [parents] initial it,"
she adds. "If the issue is behavioral,
such as disrupting class, it might
be appropriate to ask the child and
guidance counselor to attend the
conference. Most importantly, there
should be follow-up after the confer-
ence."
This type of planning has helped
Christie over the years.
"A definitive plan to start imple-
menting immediately after the meet-
ing and setting realistic goals for my
child is very important to me," she
says. "I want more than anything
for my children to succeed and to
have support available to them at all
times."
Parents need to follow through
with the plans set forth, Christie
stresses. "Teachers have many stu-
dents and may let some things fall
to the wayside. You are your child's
best advocate and you need to en-
sure they are getting the education
they deserve."
Karen Kaufman Orloff is a free-
lance writer and author of nine
books for children, including
I Wan-
na Iguana,
I Wanna New Room, and
I Wanna Go Home. Her most recent
book is
Miles of Smiles.
"A parent-teacher
conference is an
opportunity to discuss
the child's progress and
to come together as a
team to help the child
be successful."
DELLA FERRERI
French Teacher at Millbrook Middle School
and High School
