By Sophie Boyce
EMS Press
Traverse City East MS
1st Place
Division MS, News Writing
News Analysis
Some eighth grade teachers are no longer in charge of parent conferences. This year, East Middle School will be instituting student-led conferences. This means students — not teachers — will be in charge of showcasing their work and explaining their challenges to their parents.
“Student led conferences allow students to be in the driver’s seat of their academic progress,” language arts teacher Clair Taglauer said. “It makes them accountable for what they did and did not do well on.”
Taglauer hopes that student-led conferences will encourage students to work harder.
To prepare for the conferences, students have to make a portfolio of their class work and their goals for the class. Students will have to show all examples of their work, both good and bad, so parents can see growth and progress. Teachers will take on the role of the facilitator during the conference, rather than the leader. Teachers will spend more time helping the student prepare for the conference than they
will during the conference itself. That will be between the student and parents.
But not all students are excited about the new system.
“I’m not thrilled about student-led conferences,” Sidney Carrigan ‘20 said. ”It’s just one more thing we have to do, and why do it at school if you can do it at home?”
Carrigan doesn’t think preparing for the conferences will make any difference in students’ work or attitudes.
Dittrich doesn’t think the new conferences will make the students more responsible.
“You wouldn’t tell your parents if you’ve been messing around in class or not paying attention,” he said. But he knows the goal of student-led conferences is to get students to be more involved. Taglauer hopes it does just that.
“The goal of student-led of student conferences is for students to be aware of what they are learning and what they need to learn,” she said.