Breaking free from the pandemic’s grip, Montessori De Sagrada Familia ushered in the return of onsite Academic Progress Reporting which now involved the participation of students in the newly introduced – Family Conferences, held on Friday, September 29.
Traditionally, Parent-Teacher Conferences were characterized by discussions between homeroom advisers and parents exclusively, hence the name. These dialogues were designed to provide parents with insights into their child’s academic progress, challenges, and areas for improvement, reinforcing the idea that parents are not mere recipients of report cards but active partners in their child’s educational journey.
While former PTCs served this purpose well, they often lacked a crucial element—the student’s perspective. MDSF ergo decided to involve students in this year’s format of family conferences to significantly enhance the dynamics of communication, fostering open and honest discussions among all parties involved.
Mrs. Redge Quiambao, a parent representative, appreciated this new approach, stating that it serves as a valuable avenue to maintain open communication between partners in education.
“It was an efficient way for students to discuss their learning experiences in front of the parent and the adviser,” Mrs. Quiambao said.
Mrs. Quiambao also emphasized the importance of empowering students to express their interests and challenges, thereby facilitating a collaborative effort to generate valuable suggestions.
“The student can immediately open up about the lessons he either finds interesting or challenging, in order for the three of us to have an immediate brainstorming to come up with viable solutions,” Mrs. Quiambao added.
To keep parents informed and engaged in their child’s educational landscape, each homeroom adviser also covered topics such as study habits, insights on both positive and negative behaviors, suggested home activities, upcoming events, and pertinent reminders from the Vice Principals, including surveys, family handbooks, and Google chat space memberships.
Apparently, the introduction of Family Conferences marks the initial stride on a transformative journey towards the more progressive student-led conferences in the future. Since the school seeks to delegate responsibility to each and every one of Sagradan to take pride in their growth and development, in forthcoming iterations, MDSF envisions a pedagogical shift wherein the role of advisers and parents will evolve into that of attentive listeners merely, allowing students to independently take the center stage to direct the conversation and become the primary narrators of their academic stories.