A Bad "Parent-Teacher Conference"...

Well that's what it felt like anyway. When picking up my sweet puppy from being groomed at Petsmart yesterday, I truly empathized with parents who come to conferences about their children only to hear some not so good stuff. As a teacher, I always start with a positive and ever so gently break the "bad news" if need be... I apparently need to give the groomer some lessons in how to do this whole conference thing. The conversation (short version) went like this:

Groomer: Who are you here to pick up?
Amy: Cali.
G: Oh, she's a sassy one (sarcastic, rude tone)!
A: Uh...she is?
G: She does not like to get her face trimmed. She was bitting me...
A: She's never gotten her face trimmed. She's a little puppy. She BIT YOU?! She's NEVER bitten anyone unless she was playing. (Defensive mode... relating to parents of misbehaving children). She's a sweet dog!
G: Have you thought about obedient school? You really shouldn't let her bite you because then she thinks it's okay.
A: Well I've thought about obedient school, but I don't let her bite me. She's just a puppy.

That lady wasn't very nice and I KNOW my dog is not a mean one, but I was embarrassed! :) So... I'm not ever going back there... wonder if that lady has ever been around puppies before? They bite-- that's what they do.

Moral of the story: Teachers be positive at conferences... if you're rude, the parents will want to change schools (But can't) just like I'm changing groomers. :) Parents it's okay if your child is not perfect, but listen and work with the teacher on making things better.

Below you will find a link for Tips for Parent-Teacher Conferences... I think it will help you parents out there. :)

http://school.discovery.com/parents/teacherlink/articles/parentconferences_1.html

You can learn many things from children (and puppies). How much patience you have, for instance. ~Franklin P. Jones