Every quarter, parents have the opportunity to meet with their child’s teachers and discuss any questions they may have during parent-teacher conferences. This quarter, instead of being done in the daytime, they will be held at night on Tuesday November 11, 2015. The county-scheduled day off on Wednesday will be unaffected and continue as planned, however, there is still question of whether or not the parent-teacher conferences necessary.

When ERHS students were asked this question, several thought that the conferences could have a positive effect.  Junior Jeriah Johnson gave a similar response and stated, “Yes, definitely. It tells the student and the parent where they are and what they should do to improve to make sure they are doing good.” Freshman Sophia Dada stated, “I think they’re good so that parents can find out what’s going on with their students in school,” and then gave a rebuttal, “but if you don’t go, then they’re kind of pointless.”

Other students said they found the conferences to be less than necessary. Sophomore Alison Graham said, “As long as I’m honest with my parents about my grades, they don’t have to talk to my teachers.” Freshman Henry Niepoetter said, “I think it’s necessary for parents to know how you are doing but you should also be worrying about it yourself because someday when you’re on your own, you won’t have your parents to do it for you.”

ERHS teachers who are also parents of a student that attends the school are in a special situation. They have to conduct parent-teacher conferences instead of attending their own child’s conferences. In regards to this, Physics teacher Dr. Laurent Rigal stated, “Parent-teacher conference day is the only day I cannot talk to my child’s teachers because I have to attend to my own classroom. Any other day, I can go see his teachers myself. It’s a very specific situation.” He also stressed the importance of parent-teacher conferences, saying, “They’re necessary because it’s a way to have direct interaction with the parents,” adding that, “The interaction between parents and teachers should be an ongoing process throughout the year.”

Chemistry teacher Mrs. Cynthia Carlos gave responses similar to Dr. Rigal’s, and stated, “They are important for parents monitoring their child’s progress, so that they can discuss any concerns with the teacher and make necessary procedures to help the child improve their success in the class.”

The teachers had positive reactions towards the date and time of the conferences changing.  Dr. Rigal said, “I think it’s very good. That’s something we did years ago in the previous high school I taught at before I came to Roosevelt. We had way more people coming in the afternoon and the evening, so ultimately the idea is to provide more opportunities for parents to come. If more parents show, then it’s a good change.”

Mrs. Carlos said she found the time change more convenient. “Being a teacher, I get an extra day off and get to stay at home and have a good rest. I’ll be saving more time by doing the conferences in the afternoon, as I don’t need to wake up in the morning and I don’t have to prepare,” she explained.