Conferences. The word that tends to hang in the air as soon as September is over. Depending on your course load, and grades in each class (Hello, APUSH and Honors Chemistry,) conferences can be a little scary. Don’t wait for conferences to get those grades up or assignments in, complete them when they are due. In the long run, having a sustainable work schedule and study habits will save you from the long nighters in the weeks approaching conferences, and not only benefit your GPA, but overall well-being. 

Let’s be honest. Even if you’re not scared of conferences, you probably think it’s not the best use of your time. When you could be studying for a project, doing homework, or even just relaxing, you’re instead trapped into a stuffy classroom with a teacher and parents. They are waiting to comment on your academic life, which is splayed out in front of them in a slew of grades, essays, and sometimes, poorly written poetry (I mean, seriously teachers, let’s not do that).

If you aren’t at school, it’s all on Zoom, where not only can your grades from the last month come back to haunt you on at least two computer screens, but can be screen-shotted, and saved, instead of just left crumpled on a counter before they’re thrown away, and forgotten.

Even if you think conferences are the worst thing you can do with your time — and believe me, I agree with you on that one —  I can almost guarantee that your parents don’t. Do it for your parents, and to check in with your teachers. Most Blake parents are VERY invested in their child’s education, and that usually means that they care about you, even if it feels a little overbearing at times. Additionally, getting to know your teachers and asking questions or talking about ways to do better in their class is very valuable information, it lets them know that you care about your learning. This year, try to reframe conferences as an opportunity to establish better study habits and develop good relationships with your teachers. And hey, if you need more motivation to attend, maybe the lemonade and brownies will be back this year, AND you get a nice long weekend. That’s at least one good thing to come out of conferences, isn’t it?