Parent-Teacher Conferences: An Annual Fall Ritual

The fall term of the 2022-23 school year would not be complete without Parent-Teacher Conferences, which again will be held virtually over the span of two days, Wednesday, October 12 and Thursday, October 13. During the conferences, teachers update parents and give them insight on their sons’ progress as the school nears the end of the first term.  Parents can schedule meetings with teir son’s treachers in individual, eight-minute sessions.

 Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Delbarton has held its annual Parent-Teacher conferences via Zoom. Mr. Peter O’Connell, a member of the Biology Department, finds virtue in both remote and in-person sessions, saying “I have always been more of a face-to-face person; there really isn’t a better alternative to an in-person interaction. But, in this case, the convenience of the virtual conference cannot be matched.” Virtual conferences save time and allow parents to avoid the inconvenience of traveling to school, finding parking and navigating through the two gyms to find the proper teacher’s conference table. Thus, even as COVID fears have eased, Zoom remains the overwhenlming Parent-Teacher Conference format of choice.

 Students directly benefit from these conferences.  According to Mr. O’Connell, the conferences “are paramount. Teachers and parents work together as a team to make sure students are successful, so any communication to make sure we are all on the same page is beneficial to student success.” The conferences arrive at just the right time in the academic year: late enough so that teachers get to know the students, while at the same time early enough that a student can use the information learned at the meeting to make meaningful changes in his academic approach. Simply put, Parent-Teacher Conferences give parents, teachers and students an opportunity to get on the same page before it is too late in the academic year to correct issues.