It was very interesting to hear the parents thoughts on No Child Left Behind and how that affected school conferences. All the people in the other lectures seemed to accept -- if not somewhat endorse -- NCLB. The parents, however, had a very different take. They thought it took time away from their individual child. It sort of grouped all children together in a large category, instead of looking at an individual student's needs. As a teacher, I need to work especially hard to make sure parents don't feel this way.
I felt that, overall, the lecture was not particularly helpful to me, however, because I grew up in an environment where my parents and other adults were very open on their school views. I know, coming from a middle class area, how parents generally react to certain issues. I also understand what parents expect from the people who teach their children.
It would have been more beneficial if there were more diverse parents at the lecture -- perhaps a parent whose student goes to a school in Postville! I do not know the expectations of parents whose students are a minority in the schools. I assume it would be the same as any parent, but I don't want to jump to conclusions. I expect they would want to make sure I, as a teacher, am not discriminatory in any way, grade fairly, etc.
Overall, it was nice to hear from the parents, but I wish they had been from different cultural, social, or even racial backgrounds.
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