Parent meetings are always interesting. You just never know what to expect the first time you meet a parent. Some are mirror images of their children; others, you wonder how they possibly share the same DNA.

Some parents make every excuse possible for their child and their school issues. Others bend over backwards to make your life as a teacher easier.

Some parents make you realize the special little something you've missed seeing in the child. Others make you more determined than ever to FIND that special sparkle and enhance it.

Of the gazillion parent meetings I've had over the past nearly 20 years of teaching, most of them have been positive and productive. It is a rare conference that ends with the feeling we've missed the connection between parent and teacher that is so crucial to student success.

I wish I had the magic formula for making them all positive but I don't.... on those other days when the meetings end in a less than magic, I am left questioning what my purpose as an educator is.....