Parent teacher meeting

[Johnyxxx]

Hello,

How does English call periodic meetings in classes after school time where teachers inform parents how they children do at school? I have found something like parent-teacher meetings but I am not sure if that is what I am talking about.

Thank you very much

 

[bhaisahab]

I'd call them "Parent Teacher Evenings".

 

[MikeNewYork]

In the US, they are often called parent-teacher conferences.

 

[emsr2d2]

When I was at school, such an event was simply called "Parents' Evening". My boss, who has school-age children, mentioned to me only yesterday that he had to leave work early to attend "Parents' Evening' at his daughter's school. I was surprised that he had to leave early because we finish at 6.30 so I expected that to be in time for him to get to the event (they usually started at 7pm when I was a kid). However, the one at his daughter's school started at 4.30! That's not "evening" yet the event retained the name despite the start time.

 

[Skrej]

All the schools in my area hold parent-teacher conferences as an all-day event, stretching from early morning until the early evening.

Kids get a day off from school since teachers are busy all day doing conferences, which the kids love. The parents however, appreciate it much less because they then have to adjust schedules and/or arrange childcare for the time their kids would normally be in classes.

Attendance in my classes are always poor on conference days, because my adult learners are either attending a conference or staying home to watch the kids. Our center actually coordinates with the local USD calendar to make sure we have alternate lesson plans on conference days, since we don't want to introduce new material on days where up to half our students may be absent.

 

[Rover_KE]

[STRIKE]How[/STRIKE] What does English call periodic meetings ...?

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[TheParser]

***** NOT A TEACHER *****

In my large American city, the public (government-sponsored) schools have a Back-to-School Night.

Children in secondary schools traditionally have six periods (of about an hour).

The parents then attend the six periods that are attended by their children. Of course, each period that night lasts only 20 minutes or so.

The parents sit at desks as the teacher explains what s/he teaches.

Parents are encouraged to ask questions.

When the bell rings, the parents are off to the next period that their child attends.

Usually, there is little time for an actual conference between parents and teachers. That can be arranged for another time during the day. (Each teacher usually teaches 5 periods and one period is his/her conference, i.e., s/he can use the time to prepare, to confer with parents, and just to rest for an hour.)

 

[SoothingDave]

***** NOT A TEACHER *****

In my large American city, the public (government-sponsered) schools have a Back-to-School Night.

Children in secondary schools traditionally have six periods (of about an hour).

The parents then attend the six periods that are attended by their children. Of course, each period that night lasts only 20 minutes or so.

The parents sit at desks as the teacher explains what s/he teaches.

Parents are encouraged to ask questions.

When the bell rings, the parents are off to the next period that their child attends.

Usually, there is little time for an actual conference between parents and teachers. That can be arranged for another time during the day. (Each teacher usually teaches 5 periods and one period is his/her conference, i.e., s/he can use the time to prepare, to confer with parents, and just to rest for an hour.)

That is called "Open House" here. And it is not the time for discussing your child's specific progress. In the lower grades, the teachers would schedule a conference with parents once per year (usually on a day the kids were off).