trevordayschool

TEACHER PERSPECTIVE – Jenny Golanka Jenny Golanka's own family conferences with her daughter drew her back to teaching. She found it so personal and powerful an experience that it became a recruitment tool to convince her to join the Trevor faculty. Now a 12-year veteran in the Pre- Kindergarten program—not counting her volunteer work and substitute teaching for four additional prior years—Ms. Golanka recognizes that her conferences are an important first layer in a family's journey that can last 14 years. She realizes that families will build upon this foundation long into the future. So, her process with 4- and 5-year-olds aims to be as purposeful and empowering as that with 17- and 18-year-olds heading off to college. Ms. Golanka believes that student participation adds crucial value and perspective to the conference. Growth and knowledge acquisition are affirmed as a child informs a parent about his/ her progress and achievements. And it affects the manner in which a teacher moves forward with a student. e student's participation also keeps the conference child-sized and child- centered. Because the group discusses the child's development and progress in an age-appropriate manner, very little can get lost in translation during a family conference. Ms. Golanka has found it is the perfect time and place to talk about a child's perception about what is happening, and what we can do to match that perception to the reality. e child is always at the center of the experience—which means that teachers and parents can't talk over a child's head; in doing so, a Pre-K problem stays Pre- K-sized. And, she has found (as a parent participant), the same applies to a 6th grader, a 9th grader, and beyond. At every stage in the journey Trevor students remain at the center of their learning experience. Naturally there are developmental differences in how a conference is run at different grade levels. In Pre-K, for example, they affectionately refer to the two annual conferences as "Yay-You Meetings" and use an extremely light touch with any difficult topics. And while empowerment is central to the process, sometimes a student is not quite ready to be in the driver's seat. At times the decision is made to pivot—using the classroom to navigate the curriculum instead of focusing on a sit-down meeting, or having a student listen more than lead. But at its core the conference model is fundamentally the same from year to year. ere is a preconference, sharing of information about academics and social-emotional growth, and thoughtful goal-setting. With the support of their teachers and parents, our youngest students can answer broad questions such as "What you are working on? What do you have trouble with? What comes easily to you?" Even an age-appropriate version of the largest question of all is posed: "What are your aspirations?" In this manner the conference helps to create pathways to success. Although every child's route is different, the more a child can see adults coming together on his/her behalf, the better it is for development. It is an affirmation of the great collaborative investment being made in that child's future. Left: Lisa Goldberg, Director of Auxiliary Programs, shares Jenny Golanka's double role of Trevor parent and staff member. Here, the Goldberg family has a family conference with Kindergarten Head Teacher Señora Folgar and Ms. Whitbeck, Kindergarten Associate Teacher; Right: Jenny Golanka with Pre-K student Sawyer F., and ??, as they work on ??? 2 2 T R E V O R D AY S C H O O L n S U M M E R 2 0 1 5 – 1 6 1 6

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