Observations: March 16 Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences

Observer: John Ruden, Physics Teacher, John Marshall High School

joruden@rochester.k12.mn.us

Summary: Melissa Erickson met with 7 students and 13 parents discussing the progress for
a total of 11 different physics students.

1) Melissa made parents and students feel welcomed into the classroom by having an
appropriate seating arrangement, immediately introducing herself with a smile, having
student data and work examples available.

2) She always opened up and closed the conversation with something positive the students
were doing in class. This included general behavior, character traits, and academic work.

3) She made it clear that she was willing to help the student improve their grade and
performance in class while also holding them accountable for doing their part.

4) She always remained calm and did not become defensive if a parent seemed to question
why their student wasnt doing as well as they liked in the class. Melissa gave concrete
suggestions on what students could do to improve and always came across as encouraging.
For example if a parent was not happy with a low student grade, she would say the good
news is there is plenty of time to improve the grade. She would also summarize the
different ways the student could seek help from her or other sources.

5) Melissa showed she was truly interested in the students well-being and future. All the
parents and students seemed thankful for her communication and suggestions. She was
very professional and had an empathetic demeanor the entire time.

Areas for consideration for future conferences: If a line forms for parents waiting to meet
with you, you may need to make your conversations more concise in order to meet with all
the parents/students in a timely manner. This was not a concern for these past conferences
because there was on lines formed.