Parent Teacher Conferences

Ugh, the kids are home today. This is full day 3 of the 8.5 spread out days they are home in November. Parents have been complaining at the school left and right, only to be told that the district made the calendar, so talk to them. Understandable. If this were even a year ago, this would be more than the minor “oh my GOD, get these kids OUT OF HERE!” type of dilemma I am facing. How do working parents navigate 8.5 days off in a single month? Thank God that Hub and I both work here at home and that our kids are a bit older and can take care of themselves with minimal supervision.

The reason for the days off this week is parent teacher conferences and the illustrious first report cards of the year. I don’t anticipate any surprises partly because Hub and I are in the school so much and already speak to both teachers weekly, but also because my kids are very predictable.

Bud is very very smart, but he is a scatterbrain. He forgets homework, and skips reading directions on tests and assignments. We call him the absentminded professor. In a recent conversation between Hub and his teacher she said “You have a little math whiz on your hands! He’s at the highest level! If only I could get him to remember to write his name on his tests.” He loses points for things like that. I don’t know if it is an advantage or a disadvantage that he has had the same teacher for 2 years now. Last year, she always gave him 3 out of 4 for effort in all of the areas. We worked with Bud all year last year to get those up to a 4 and it just never happened. I’m interested to see if there is any change this year. In any case, we work a lot on the following of directions here at home. I make lists of chores, and speak specific instructions to him. We make him repeat instructions back to us. Hopefully, it will all click one of these days.


There has never been a more classic middle child than Lucy. She loves attention, and she aims to please. At home, she will take any attention she can get, whether it is positive or negative and she pushes my buttons like nobody else can. At school, she is a freaking upstanding citizen. She helps other students. The teacher tells substitutes to “check with Lucy” about anything they might be missing or have questions on. Lucy would rather die than ever be in any sort of trouble. She brings home all of her homework for the week on Monday, and does it all immediately, even though it’s not due until Friday. She is my little over-achiever. She struggles a bit in math, and excels in reading, art and music. Last year she was all 4s for effort. I’d be surprised if she was any lower this year.

We have a conference set for Liv in December, but I think it’s kind of ridiculous at the preschool level. Next year, in Pre-K, I think it will be more beneficial. While at home Liv is my most difficult child—throwing tantrums and being just generally miserable and antagonistic, she is basically good in school. Teachers are consistently amazed because she speaks like a grown-up. She knows what she wants and she usually gets it. She eats well. She is helpful. She has excellent manners. I think she’s going to give kindergarten a run for its money when she gets there though.