Dear Parent

Dear Parent,

Thank you for coming to Parent-Teacher Conferences. Thank you for valuing your child's education and coming to hear about their progress. I need you to please remember that we are a team. I am not out to judge you or your parenting. I am not out to make you feel like you aren't giving your child what you need. I'm here for your student...and I'm here for you. When you have questions about how to help your child at home, ask me. When you are wondering what your child spends their day doing, ask me. When you are worried that your child isn't  making the progress you want, ask me. Please don't feel like school is a bad place, or a scary place, or a place where your time and opinion isn't valued. Together, we need to challenge your child. We need to stretch their abilities, stretch their minds, help them go to places they didn't think they could go.

We also need to help this child see that learning is valued, speaking to adults in a disrespectful way is not acceptable, and treating others the way we don't want to be treated is not how we make friends. I need you to help your child understand that I do have authority, that my opinion does matter, and that I can set consequences for poor choices and less than desirable behaviors. If your child does not see me this way, I am unable to help them learn to the best of their abilities.

Allow us to work together. See me as an advocate for your child. Help your child value their education. Remember that I love your child, I want them to succeed, and I am going to do everything I can to see to it that this happens. Please, let me teach them.

Signed,
Your child's teacher

(I felt compelled to post this after I wrote it during a break at conferences...sums up my thoughts and feelings for these few days.)