Painting and Teacher Conferences

It is almost time for the big day when our family moves into our new home!  November 23rd is the move in day as our family begins a new chapter of our lives in Forest Hills.  We are so excited to be part of the Forest Hills community and my son is excited to go to Pine Ridge next year!

In order to get the house ready, I have been painting most nights after work and on weekends.  As I was talking with some parents at conferences, I began to see the connection between painting and conferences...
On Tuesday night, I put the first coat of paint in my daughter's bedroom.  It only took about an hour and half to cut and roll the walls.  I was amazed at how quickly the room got painted especially knowing how long it took to prep to paint it.  I had to wash the walls, patch holes in the hall, spot prime those holes, take off the outlet covers and remove the baseboard registers.  It felt like it took a week to get ready to paint!

This experience made me think about our teacher conferences at Central Woodlands.  Conferences are really not that long...15 minutes to talk about the progress of your child (in my old school, they were only 5 minutes!).  However, just as in painting, the end of the process is really not the most important part. Students, teachers, and families have worked so hard over the first 10 weeks of school.  Students are thinking in new ways, working on homework, navigating the higher expectations of 5th and 6th grade. Teachers have been working all summer and fall to prepare engaging activities that foster high levels of learning in students. Teachers have used different assessments to better understand the unique needs of each student.  This has helped paint a more complete picture of the learning targets that need to be focused on in class.  Families have been busy at home in asking about school, going over homework, assisting in projects, and reading with your children.  All of this summarized in a 15 minute teacher conference...

However, when teachers, students, and families have put the time and hard work in for 10 weeks...just as in painting the walls...conferences are easy...it is the work done prior that makes a difference!

Have a great weekend!

David