Oct. 26 and 27, a golden opportunity was given to parents of attending students of John Paul II Collegiate.
From 6 to 9 p.m., parents and students were given a chance to come in, and then they had a decision to make: either retrieve their mid-term report cards, which were handed out at the front office by friendly staff, and head back home, or enter the gym to talk about school work and any worries with the teachers.
"Teachers never complain about quiet," spoke Mr. Sieben, when confronted with a quiet student and parent.
"Parents are the other half of the team for teaching students," Mrs. Brandle, an English teacher, pointed out. "Teachers only supply half of the teaching, while parents deliver the rest at home."
Parent teacher interviews offer parents an opportunity to meet teachers, and vice versa, and each party can place faces to names. It presents a good time for teachers to get support in case contact needs to be made at a later school date.
The semi-annual event took place in the gymnasium, where teachers were situated all around the room; helpful name tags were placed above their table to help out any lost parent. Outside the gym, however, tri-board displays (which boasted a club, an individual teacher's biography or a specific group JP II had hosted) lined the hallway.
"I was surprised to learn about so many groups taking place in the school. The displays were very useful and a good chance for parents to see all that is happening in JP, maybe even more," a parent observed.
Both night drew good turnouts. Students and parents filled the gymnasium and kept the teachers busy.
Praising her Bio30 class, Mrs. Fransoo confessed: "I haven't had a class like this since 2001!"
"It's good to see kids accompanying the parents to these nights," a parent commented as he entered the gym and looked around.
One of several students who attended the interviews spoke highly of it.
"I like my parents and my teachers interviewing each other because it makes me feel connected and loved," she commented. "I think we should have parent teacher interviews six times a year."
In the middle of the gym were some chairs for parents who had to wait to speak to their child's teacher, and just beside the chairs were two brand new scooters and a very comfy looking recliner. The two two-wheeled vehicles and chair were shown off as potential prizes for the Family Draw, JP II's only fundraising event. There are only 400 tickets sold at $100 a ticket.
Teachers and parents will all look forward to seeing each other at the next parent teacher interviews midway through semester 2.
