h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Parents evening. - A10008325
Author: ameteurwriter - U759711

This is mainly based on my own experiences, so if any parents, teachers or students have had different types of parents evening or have other useful tips, please, let me know. And if someone could tell me how to get that orange text for the subtitles, tht'd be extremely helpful.

Love this Is this your first trip into Peer Review? Great to see you here!

By orange text for the subtitles, I'm not sure what you mean, so you must be in a different skin to myself, I think you mean the tag, take a look at this:
A9931205
and do you see the text in the blue boxes? I see that first one as yellow, and the rest as white.

They are posted like this:

The Jigsaw Pieces

Moving speedily on to look at the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle; it's a cool jigsaw, very minimalist chic. Each piece is made from a black slab of rock from the shales on Mt. Stephen in the Canadian Rockies. It's antique too; Cambrian period1. The images on the black rock, the prints left by some of Earth's earliest animals, appear in a shiny film when the light catches them from certain directions.

Piece 1 - Anomalocaris the Odd Prawn

etc.

For more help, click here: <./>GuideML-clinic</.> or if there's anything else you'd like to know, just ask, people here are willing to help



Annie

Hi amateurwriter,
I like this, a good choice of topic

Are parent's evenings also known as Parent-Teacher Conferences? I've heard the term but don't know if they are the same.

It is a long time since I was the subject of one of these ans don't have kids of my own yet so can't help with the content much - I don't think I ever went with my parents to mine though, I don't think the kids were invited along. You just had to wait with the baby sitter at home to see whether they would come back smiling or wanting to have a little chat about things

Thanks to Annie, your advice helped a lot. Just one of my first times, and I was having a bit of trouble. I now have orange subheadings, which makes me very proud.
And to Fatkelli - parent-teacher conferences don't quite seem like parents evenings, but they might be worth a bit of revision. Were they appointment based, or more free flow?

I've no idea I'm afraid! I've heard the phrase often enough to be aware of it but not enough to know how they work - I got the impression they are for going up to the school to find out how the little darlings are getting on though - which is sort of similar to a parent's evening isn't it?

Haven't yet read this, but will do so.

Just to say that, as a teacher in England, I've never heard the phrase 'Parent-Teacher Conference', so I suspect that these are different. I think these might refer to meetings of a Parent Teacher Association (PTA)

I think I've heard the term on US tv shows - so that may be what they call them over ther *points west*. Will have to wait until they wake up to find out

Interesting topic.

You are presumably writing this from a student's perspective, but you also mention parents' and teachers' concerns from time to time. You might consider gathering these perspectives together to give a teacher's view, a parent's view and a student's view, maybe?

It's a humorous piece, but for reasons of contrast (or balance) you may wish to write a little more about why we have these consultations, and what the benefits are. This wouldn't have to be long.

Might be worth a try. I added a small bit between the appointment based parents evening and the recommendations for parents and students. See what you think. Thanks.

I think that helps.

My most recent experience of these events is as a parent at a primary school, and it covers that well.

How parents evenings worked at my school:

Parents went alone (ie without children) unless their child was in GCSE year or in the 6th form.

Parents sat on chairs in the middle of the hall, and teachers sat round the edge of the hall at a desk.

During the week before the parents evening, the child had to make appointments with each teacher, on a piece of paper with all the times (from about 4.30 to 7pm) on, you had to know if your mum wanted early or late appointments, and you had to get them all as close together as possible. If you were late asking for appointments, your poor mum might be there all night.

There was also a careers advisor there if it was an evening for GCSE or 6th form pupils.

It was all great fun!

Hi AW, I've just been to one and reading your entry made me smile. Just one thing, I always write my questions and concerns down on a piece of paper before I go in because with the time allocated being so silly, I never remember what I want to ask or say otherwise. Maybe add that to your suggestions list?

W

I think this is an excellent idea for an entry - but needs a wee bit of work.

I'd say there are more than just 2 types: I know I've encountered many.

when I were a lass, parents evenings involved me hoiking my parents around the whole school to see individual teachers in their normal classroms - no appointments, just find a class with a small queue.

at my children's European School, a similar system was adopted but with appointments, limited to a max of 5 teachers to be seen on the night. Specific times were alloted. In reality, this often meant racing from one end of the huge school building to the other in under a minute - only to find that the teacher was way behind time and you had to hang around for a while

when I was a teacher, it was tables in the main hall. Lack of privacy was a big factor there.


From a parent's persepctive, I'd emphasise the need to be clear about what you want from the meeting. 5 minutes is too short to discuss any serious concerns : if that's the case then you and the teacher need to make a stand alone appointment to follow up.

I wasn't allowed to go along to parents evening until I was at 6th form college. Still I quite enjoyed them then.

A lot of teachers think that they're pointless as the children whose parents care enough to turn up to parents evening never have any serious concerns, and those who have serious problems have parents who can't be bothered to turn up.

We (California) call parents' evenings 'open houses'. At my school we have one at the beginning of the year and one at the end. Is there generally a time of year that UK evenings occur?

The beginning-of-year ones are, I would imagine, very nice for parents (not that I am one!) because then they can meet their kids' teachers. It's kind of nice if you tell your mother, 'Mr X is a complete idiot!' and they can agree.

Good recommendations here, I'll act on them, but I think most of Lucky Star's bullet points could be added as additions to the two basic types rather than being completely separate. Thanks for the addition to the tips column, I can see that coming in handy

Oh, and no - in England, there's no set time for parents evenings, but we usually have them only once every year.

Lucky us.

'Oh, and no - in England, there's no set time for parents evenings, but we usually have them only once every year'.

... but with each Year group being at a different time, or even in a different term. > burden on teachers.

here (Germany) at the Gruesomes' school there are no lessons on the parent's "Evenings" and it goes on all day. You make an appointment for a time, then turn up, with your child. It's held in the classroom, and it is very valuable time.

I don't recognise any of what was described in the entry from any of my parents evenings (as a pupil) in England.

However, it is interesting, and will be a useful addition to the guide - maybe you could mention which country you are talking about? And which type/level of school?

And I second the idea of gathering the differing points of view together in sections.

Yeah, I suppose it could be clearer. I'll work on that. And this is irrelevant, but I like the name of the school. In English, it's very appropriate!