Well, I am an elementary teacher for FUSD. I just read this article and am deeply disturbed. Not once is it mentioned that the district-NOT THE TEACHERS-have eliminated parent-teacher conferences. It almost sounds like we just don't feel like having meetings this year!

Just for perspective, primary teachers have not only lost nearly 4 hours per week of preparation time in which they would normally call/ e-mail parents, fill out forms, send book orders, create bulletin boards, grade papers, plan lessons, research upcoming topics (including the new math program), meet with grade level partners, organize materials for upcoming lessons, copy papers, order supplies, clean up parts of the classroom that the janitor doesn't, etc., etc., but we are also suffering from a loss of 2.67% of our salary per year (equal to about $3000 for me, for example). The 2.67% translates into 5 furlough days (the dates of which were decided by our district) which include the Monday and Tuesday of Thanksgiving break that we normally hold parent-teacher conferences.

While everyone likes a day off once in a while, not meeting with our parents is at least as distressing to most of us as it may be to the parents. This exercise of spending 15 minutes discussing each of our students with their parents opens up a wealth of information about each child that we would otherwise not know (which is the frightening part). Teachers have the best interest of their students in mind and highly value the time that we meet face-to-face with parents. Furthermore, we would much rather have these discussions with parents at the beginning of the year when problems can be solved expediously, than to plan meetings once a problem gets out of hand. In order to meet with our parents in the future, we will have to make special arrangements for parents to come in before or after school. The teacher work day actually begins and ends at the start and end of the school day except for 40 hours that we are required to attend staff meetings, have bus duty assignments, work on designated committee tasks, and attend intervention meetings (SST, SAP, etc.) on behalf of students in need. Any time that we work outside of those hours is essentially a donation, including meetings with parents outside of school hours. Even e-mails and phone calls are donations of our time--I would hope most people realize that when their child's teacher sends them an e-mail at 9 p.m.

When a teacher is working hours after school at their school site and then coming home to do and hour or two of grading papers, it isn't just the teacher that is stressed and struggling. Many teachers have husbands, wives, parents, siblings or children that are accustomed to spending time with them, and households to keep, and bills to try to figure out how to pay.

Please don't demonize Fremont teacher's intentions for not being able to meet with you, if you are a parent. Please be patient as we do our best to communicate with you in whatever way works for your family (a couple of my parents don't have computers, either). If you are really concerned, you might see what you could do to help in your child's classroom to free up the teacher's time and allow them to spend time on what's most important for student growth. My devoted parent helpers are what's made this year bearable. As a bonus, parent volunteers get a window (by being in the classroom) into how their child truely performs in the classroom and what is being taught.